http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/life/story/0,4386,188498,00.html? Dowager lives again The SRT is restaging Forbidden City in September despite the Sars outbreak and the gloomy economic outlook. Ticket sales open today By Clarissa Oon THE Singapore Repertory Theatre's (SRT) multi-million-dollar musical, Forbidden City, is making a comeback in September despite the Sars outbreak and gloomy economic outlook. Photo/RETURN TO FORBIDDEN CITY: Kit Chan wil don Cixi's robes once more. -- AZIZ HUSSIN The musical about China's last empress dowager Cixi played to about 8,000 people at the Esplanade arts centre in October last year. Ticket sales for the new run at the Esplanade start today at Sistic outlets. The production runs from Sept 5 to 13. Homegrown pop singer Kit Chan reprises her role as Cixi for the 2 1/2-hour-long musical, and composer Dick Lee is expected to introduce new songs. SRT's artistic director Gaurav Kripalani said the company had already booked the Esplanade's 2,000-seat theatre last year for a revival of the musical in September this year. After consulting many arts organisations, such as the Singapore Tourism Board and the National Arts Council, he decided to go ahead with the re-run. The general sentiment in the arts scene, he says, is that 'by September audience turn-out will pick up again'. Kripalani declines to reveal how much the lavish musical costs, but has said before that the company expects to recoup its initial losses on the production by restaging it and, in future, touring it overseas. He promises a 'bigger and better' show, including new choreography by Dutch based Singaporean George Chan and new costumes by homegrown fashion designer Yang Derong. The latter, who is based in London, received an Honourable Mention for his Qing dynasty-inspired costumes at the Life! Theatre Awards earlier this year. Kit Chan, 30, is looking forward to getting into Cixi's robes once more. The busy Singaporean is back home for a month to record her latest Mandarin album before heading for Taiwan to promote it. She will return for Forbidden City rehearsals in July. She says: 'I do love the show and it's a privilege for me to be able to improve on my performance.' Forbidden City: Portrait Of An Empress is on at the Esplanade's Theatre from Sept 5 to 13 (no show on Monday) at 8 pm, with Saturday matinees at 2.30 pm. Tickets at $40, $50, $70, $90 and $120 are available from today from Sistic (tel: 6348-5555). Limited $10 tickets are available for the Tuesday evening performance on Sept 9. --

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