My Perfect Weekend with musical theatre actress Kimberly Chan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Theatre-maker Kimberly Chan splits her weekends between recharging at home and spending time with family.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KIMBERLY CHAN
Follow topic:
Who: Musical theatre performer Kimberly Chan, 31, is a classic multi-hyphenate: actress, singer, dancer and choreographer. She has more than 15 years of experience as a dance and drama educator, and founded local theatre collective Fill The Vamp, which focuses on exploring genre and storytelling through text and music.
In 2023, she played the lead role of Sally Bowles in Sing’Theatre’s Cabaret, and choreographed Dream Academy’s Sherlock Sam – The Musical! (2023), in which she played Sherlock Sam’s older sister, Wendy.
She is giving a final performance, Extra – A Concert With Kimberly Chan, at the Esplanade Recital Studio on July 14 – before she goes for a one-year master in musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
“My perfect weekend is being very domestic and spending time with my family, as I rarely get full days off.
On Saturdays, I’d wake up at around 9 or 10am, so I still have the morning to enjoy some coffee. There’s a place called Simply Bread at Guthrie House and it has the most amazing sticky buns that come out fresh. I’ll get that and come home to sink into my couch to watch Demon Slayer (2019) or Sex And The City (1998 to 2004) on Netflix.
I love watching National Geographic on Disney+. Recently, I got back into Secrets Of The Whales (2021) and I’ve been rewatching the orca episode because it makes me so happy. I also watch Wicked Tuna (2012 to present), which is about blue tuna fishers.
When I’m hungry, I order Grab delivery. I love Korean food, like naengmyeon (cold noodles) for that bit of sourness, sundubu-jjigae (spicy tofu stew) or Korean fried chicken. I don’t have a usual place I order from. It really depends on what delivery is cheapest on Grab, but I do like Woorinara Korean Restaurant in Lorong Kilat.
In the afternoon, I might FaceTime my best friend, who had a baby not long ago. The weekend is the perfect time to fit their schedule.
I also like to do housework on weekends. When you’re rushing during the week, cleaning doesn’t always happen. The worst days are when I come home from work and I shield my eyes from the mess in my living room. There is something very satisfying about a clean house.
I might try to read a self-help book I’ve started but not finished, like The Psychology Of Money by Morgan Housel. I read e-books because I have realised physical books will just collect dust.
Kimberly Chan enjoys cooking at home for the affordability and healthier choices.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KIMBERLY CHAN
I also try to plan my weekday meals because I prefer cooking during the week. The worst thing is being busy and forgetting to manage your meals or not drinking water. I always thank yesterday’s Kim because she’s more prepared than today’s Kim.
If I feel sick of being in the house, I’ll go for a walk. I’m in the Bukit Timah area so there’s a lot of greenery around. I might grab dinner somewhere along the way, like at Coronation Square, and then I’m back home, washed up and, hopefully, in bed by 9.30pm.
On Sundays, my family goes out for lunch with my grandmother at a coffee shop in Teban Gardens or Ayer Rajah Food Centre. She uses a wheelchair, so it is difficult to find places that are wheelchair-accessible.
Then I’m back at my parents’ place with our Labradoodle Leia and tuxedo cat Tilly, which I’m allergic to. That is why I moved out – it takes a couple of days to recover from the phlegm that I get when I’m around their dander.
Kimberly Chan visits her parents’ home on weekends and hangs out with their Labradoodle Leia and tuxedo cat Tilly.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KIMBERLY CHAN
Leia is almost five but I call her my big baby. She knows I can’t really play with her, but she gets excited when I do. When she sees me washing my hands, she knows playtime is over. Tilly is a failed foster because my older sister used to foster cats and Tilly ended up living with our family.
I usually work on Sunday nights because I spend the whole day with family. There’s always something to be done in my line of work, so I’d be working till 1 or 2am, catching up on things I need to do for the next day. Ideally, I’d be in bed by 9pm, so I can get a full eight hours of sleep.”
Book it / Extra – A Concert With Kimberly Chan
Where: Esplanade Recital Studio, 1 Esplanade Drive www.sistic.com.sg/events/extra0724
When: July 14, 7.30pm
Admission: $50
Info:
