http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/life/story/0,4386,203796,00.html Empress' new clothes ... for dogs Every dog has her day. In the case of Sylvia, she also has her own stage play and clothesby singer-actress Kit Chan SHE may soon be playing the formidable Empress Dowager Cixi in the second run of the musical Forbidden City: Portrait Of An Empress, but during this interview, Kit Chan was giggling like a schoolgirl over a frilly pink frock. Her accomplice-in-arms? Fellow Lasalle-SIA College of the Arts alumnus Diong Chae Lian, who will be wearing the frock in question for I Theatre's staging of Sylvia, the A.R. Gurney play about a dog coming in between a married couple. The 30-year-old Malaysian actress plays Sylvia the dog, and she has some big shoes to fill. The original off-Broadway hit has seen the likes of Sex And The City siren Sarah Jessica Parker and Blythe Danner, mother to one Gwyneth Paltrow, rising to the canine challenge. But for now, she is just happy to be working together with her old school chum, now one of Singapore's most famous singers. 'We were both from the pioneer batch of Lasalle,' explains Diong. 'Back in 1990, people were still sceptical of what could be accomplished by pursuing an education in the performing arts, and that brought us closer together.' Chan, 30, says: 'Our ex-Dean John Faulkner is also acting in the play, so it feels like a school reunion.' The two spoke to Life! at Roses In The Loft at Plaza Singapura, one of the two boutiques Chan co-owns. The other is Flowers In The Attic at The Heeren. Diong had approached Chan about styling her character for Sylvia after shopping at Flowers In The Attic. 'I thought the funky clothes in her stores were very suitable for the character,' says Diong. Sylvia is a mutt who is supposed to be flirty, street -smart and outspoken. The two then worked closely together to pick the five ensembles Diong will be wearing. About the play, Chan says: 'Chae sent me the script, and I was reading the lines in between sobs. I guess the futility of human life that the play explores really touched me. 'Chae Lian's role is what any actress would love, there's a lot of character development.' To prepare for her role, Diong has been observing a lot of dogs. She says: 'I've realised that dogs respond to people in a very innocent way. They look at everything with fresh eyes, they don't bear malice or hold grudges.' Sylvia is on at the AGF Theatre at Alliance Francais till Aug 23. Tickets at $23, $27, $30 and $35 are available from Sistic (tel: 6348-5555). Forbidden City: Portrait of An Empress is on at the Esplanade Theatre from Sept 5 - 14. Tickets from Sistic. --

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