We’ve had the LKY Musical, and even an entire play around Kwa Geok Choo, the wife of our late founding father. But come this July, get ready as Toy Factory debuts the world premiere of Moonlit City (城里的月光), a brand new Mandarin musical that shines the spotlight on the epic, six-decade love story between Mr and Mrs Lee Kuan Yew.

Directed by Toy Factory Artistic Director Goh Boon Teck and written by Jedidiah Huang, Moonlit City takes its title from the famous song of the same name by renowned Singaporean composer Tan Kah Beng, and follows the legendary love story of Singapore’s founding parents Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo, from their initial meeting in school, through the founding of modern Singapore, all the way to their passing.

“The idea for Moonlit City already started back in 2022 when we staged Kwa Geok Choo. I was thinking about how now we finally had her point of view, but what we’re still lacking is really the human story behind both of them, their romance and their relationship,” says Boon Teck, who also helmed Kwa Geok Choo, which he sees Moonlit City as a spiritual sequel to. “We also wanted to create a show specifically for a Chinese theatregoer, because there hasn’t actually been a Mandarin theatre production about the Lees yet, and we were thinking of a production that could potentially tour to other parts of Asia.”

As it turns out, beyond Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew is a renowned figure and sparks curiosity and fascination in other parts of Asia as well, from Shanghai to Beijing, Taiwan to Hong Kong. “And with SG60 happening, it seemed only right that we do it now. We approached Tan Kah Beng and asked if we could use his music for the production, and he was kind enough to let us use his song as the title of the musical and a total of eight songs in the musical itself, and from there, the ball was rolling,” adds Boon Teck.

This is true – as much as we know both Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo for their political significance in nation building, few documentaries or shows have zoomed in on their personal lives, which Moonlit City seeks to do as it brings out their humanity and relatability. “Making it a musical allows us to soften their story beyond the political side, and we’re focusing a lot more on their emotions, and really celebrate the love between the two of them,” says Boon Teck. “We have to creatively interpret it because there’s no records of their private conversation, save from Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs, many of which we’ve incorporated into the show, but really, focus so much more on the strength of their love and make it a realistic but universally relevant idea onstage for our audiences.”

In order to put the Lees’ love front and centre, Boon Teck and playwright Jedidiah were careful to choose scenes that would focus on the drama behind the politics, understanding their own private struggles and discussions, rather than the spectacle of the riots or fallouts. “We will always prioritise how much they respected each other, and how they both sacrificed so much for each other and the nation to emphasise how great a love it was,” says Boon Teck.

“Like Boon Teck says, we had to use a lot of imagination in interpreting them, but through our research, we do get a sense of who they were, especially Lee Kuan Yew, since he spoke and wrote a lot, so we understand his personality,” adds Timothy Wan, who plays Lee Kuan Yew. “For example, we know him as a strong, authoritative figure. In his youth, he was very fiery, and that translated into the way he spoke as a politician.”

“On the other hand, Kwa Geok Choo, we know a lot less about, because she chose to remain in the shadows to her husband, despite actually being his equal or possibly even more brilliant than him,” says Sunny, who plays Kwa Geok Choo. “But in moments where he mentioned her, or when we observe their interactions, you can imagine what those conversations might have been like, and thinking about Lee’s energy he put into his frustrations and his idealism, we imagine that fiery drive might have shaped how he expressed himself, even to Kwa Geok Choo.”

In that sense, Toy Factory is taking creative license to portrays the Lees, particularly in their younger days, with no recorded footage or interviews, just fleeting photos. That also gives them the artistic license to interpret their mindsets and relationships, grounding them in emotional truth, and of course, the fact that they’re speaking in Mandarin, while the actual Lees spoke in English. “People often treat them like heroes or gods, but we wanted to bring them back down to being human,” says Boon Teck. “They were a husband and wife. They argued and they had differences. But they communicated, understood each other, and moved forward as a couple.”

“We really are tracing their entire history as a couple, and while it is about their romance, it’s not so much about the ‘I love you’ moments, but on how they faced all these challenges together and came through stronger, understanding and connection that is built through events, not declarations,” says Tim.

Starting from their days at Raffles Institution, where they pit themselves against each other over grades and intellect, we get a story of how Kwa, the only girl in the college at the time, actually outperformed Lee, developing a playful, competitive rivalry that shaped their bond. That then leads to how she was initially unable to join Lee at Cambridge, before he came barging into the office to vouch and fight for her entry, strengthening their bond further through these displays of their values and devotion to each other, and that mutual respect of each other’s intellect.

The next segment sees their relationship evolve as Lee enters politics, and the position between husband and wife becomes skewed, as they grapple with Lee entering the public eye and national leader, as Toy Factory imagines the conversations they might have had, their differing opinions, and the process Kwa went through to become his staunch supporter. Finally, the production concludes with a focus on the Lee family as a whole, ending off with their very public deaths as we follow them in their last days.

“The romance evolves from youthful passion to deep, mature commitment. Towards the end, you see LKY becoming more vulnerable, more dependent on her, and how they held on to each other even as their health declined. That’s what moves me most about them: their dedication to each other, all the way to their passing,” says Timothy.”

On bringing that epic romance to stage, while Timothy and Sunny have yet to play an onstage couple, they’ve worked together since 2015, when they both starred in a production of December Rains together. “I feel very comfortable working with Sunny. We talk a lot, joke around. That chemistry is important,” says Tim. “We’re very open in rehearsals; sometimes I’ll wonder, ‘Why does she say that in this scene?’ and I’ll ask Sunny for her input. That collaboration helps us interpret the relationship more deeply and truthfully for the audience.”

“Yes, it feels very safe. Imagine if you had to do this with someone completely new, you’d second-guess everything. With Tim, I can relax and enjoy the process,” says Sunny. “Especially in Singapore where production timelines are so short, it’s important to be comfortable with each other quickly, so that after the initial groundwork is done, once rehearsals start, you can dive right in.”

On living up to the pressure of playing such renowned figures, both actors feel it, but as professionals, are confident of their interpretations and portrayals. “For me, Kwa Geok Choo was strong, smart, and chose to stay in the background. That takes strength,” says Sunny. “She was very down-to-earth, not a glamorous first lady, but someone who loved life, cared about birds and flowers. She was intellectual, poetic. That makes her a beautiful but challenging character to portray.”

“There’s pressure, but I don’t think about comparisons. Every actor brings something different. I just hope the audience doesn’t feel that it’s completely different from the Kwa they ‘know’. It’s okay to have different interpretations, but I want them to still see the truth in her,” Sunny adds.

“For me, I want to show Lee Kuan Yew’s vulnerability, not so much his political setbacks, but his personal struggles. He succeeded, yes, but what emotional journey did he go through to get there?” says Timothy. “In the musical, that vulnerability is expressed through moments of conflict or doubt, especially after separations or political challenges. We use music to convey emotions that words alone can’t. Imagine LKY singing a Chinese pop song about heartbreak. It’s unexpected, but it opens up a side of him we rarely consider. That’s the power of musical theatre.”

Speaking of the music, Boon Teck mentions how important the musicality of Tan Kah Beng’s songs is to the show, and how they’ve adapted and interpreted it. “Poetry was actually very important to both Lee and Kwa, and Jedidiah has put a lot of poems into the script, in addition to having our eight featured songs,” says Boon Teck. “Choosing those songs from Tan’s oeuvre was hard, but we managed to after lots of deliberation. The final show will include 25 segments, some with rearranged verses and choruses, used in reprises and from different characters’ perspectives.”

“Tan’s lyrics are quite fascinating, and very versatile, open-ended, and go beyond just love songs, so it was very interesting to see what we could do with them,” he adds. “I’m fond of 城里的月光 of course, but rather than sticking to it as just a sentimental love song, we’ve adapted it into a rousing revolutionary piece for the PAP in this show. Another song, 阳光总在风雨后, is used at two pivotal moments, symbolising hope after uncertainty, and to remain resilient in the face of hardship.”

“Personally, I love the song 蔓延, which is sung between Kwa Geok Choo and her son, Lee Hsien Loong. It’s about her trying to comfort him after a difficult emotional period, and it’s both warm and has a beautiful melody, bringing that particular episode to a very poetic close,” says Sunny.

“For me, I’m always moved by the ending. When Kwa was ill and knew she was dying, and Lee was also unwell, you see how much he needed her. It wasn’t loud or dramatic, but the love was so strong. Saying goodbye was painful, and that quiet commitment is so powerful,” says Tim.

To round off the interview, we asked them whether this kind of epic romance can still happen in the Singapore of today. After a brief silence, they conclude that these days, romance is rarely, if ever, about big sweeping moments, and instead lies in the mundane – in the moments spent together, the mutual reassurance that you’ll still be there for each other, no matter what.

“It can be hard to feel romance in Singapore having grown up here all your life. But sometimes you listen to tourists find the beauty in this country, and you’re reminded that there is indeed romance all around you,” says Boon Teck. “There’s a lot of quiet moments that I find romantic, whether it’s sitting by the canal and eating hawker food, talking to your loved ones, or just waiting till the sun sets, and seeing the city in a new, moonlit perspective.”

Moonlit City plays from 25th July to 3rd August 2025 at Gateway Theatre. Tickets available from SISTIC