Fann Wong has 10 children, including 28-year-old actress, in very 'wayang' drama set in 1940s

I must confess when I first heard of “Titoudao: Inspired by the True Story of a Wayang Star”, it certainly inspired a snooze.

The 13-episode drama is based on a play of the same name by playwright Goh Boon Teck. “Titoudao” follows the life of Ah Chiam, a street wayang performer who became a wayang icon in the 1980s.

It is based loosely on the life of Goh’s mother, real-life Chinese opera star Oon Ah Chiam.

Fascinating.

And so when we were invited to review this show from the comfort of our homes (because safe distancing mah), I begged enlisted my colleagues to watch it with me and suffice to say, after watching three episodes, we came away pleasantly surprised.

While the storyline is pretty ordinary — young heroine overcomes tribulations to succeed in life yada yada — the show’s cast left quite an indelible impression.

Despite this being Fann Wong’s English television drama debut, the Channel 8 thespian shines briefly as Ah Chiam’s mother, Ah Bu (literally “Mother”).

Ah Bu, it appears, is a baby-making factory (10! What the heck!) who would be making quite a tidy fortune from the Baby Bonus Scheme today.

"This Fann Wong doesn’t age at all but waddaheck, forever giving birth,” said a colleague. “How many children does she (or that crazy husband) want??"

When Ah Bu isn’t busy being pregnant or giving birth, she acts as a human buffer between her husband and the daughter he hates (Ah Chiam).

It is here where Wong adeptly portrays a woman caught between being a subservient wife and a protective mother.

In this particular scene, Ah Bu (right after she gave birth, of course) consoles Ah Chiam after her husband deliberately left the girl behind at a wayang show.

"Life is difficult for all of us in different ways," she tells her daughter. "The worst thing for one to do is to feel sorry for yourself."

Wong was so dedicated to her craft that she injured herself while trying to emulate the gait of a woman with bound feet.

Another face to look out for in the show is Malaysian actress Koe Yeet, who plays Ah Chiam, the girl who overcame her terrible lot in life to become a wayang star.

The 27-year-old Koe infuses her role with a joy and affableness that few actresses are able to replicate.

Even though Ah Chiam’s life is hardly a bed of roses, Koe plays her with a steely positivity which makes you want to root for her while you wonder how someone can be so ridiculously cheerful all the time.

Koe also manages to portray her emotional scenes well. The scene where she bawls on the bus while chomping on hawthorn flakes made me tear a little.

"She’s a refreshing face and carries the show quite well," said a colleague. "Quite pleasant looking haha."

Another was so smitten with Koe that she went to stalk the actress’ Instagram account:

"She’s really pretty and likeable, the kind of pretty that cannot be achieved with plastic surgery."

Koe is supported by a strong cast, many of whom are familiar faces in Channel 8 dramas.

Special mention goes to Bernard Tan who plays Ah Chiam’s father, a man whose idea of robust discipline would be constituted as child abuse in the 21st century.

He does such an excellent job that I actually fear for Ah Chiam’s safety whenever the both of them appear on screen together. The scenes where he lashes out at her might be a little disturbing, so be warned.

Kudos to Andie Chen for being a convincing pervert (Gwee Seng) who can’t stop himself from feeling up every other girl in his vicinity.

"Every time I see him on screen, I just get so disgusted," a colleague said.

Constance Lau plays the passive aggressive wayang performer (and Ah Chiam’s arch rival) Ah Ngor so well that one wonders if she is really acting — there’s a particularly memorable scene in episode 4 involving a sanitary pad which will cement Ah Ngor as the resident b*tch.

Nick Shen (who by the way, is a real wayang performer) left a lasting impression as the upright Master Gwee Boon, a character who seems to be only capable of speaking at 100 decibels.

In all, “Titoudao: Inspired by the True Story of a Wayang Star” has a strong, engaging cast which will keep you glued to your screen.

You can catch “Titoudao: Inspired by the True Story of a Wayang Star” on MeWatch for free here.

Mediacorp also offers a whole slew of entertainment programme under its #StayHomeWithMe initiative so that you won’t be bored out of your mind during this Circuit Breaker period.

Thanks to this sponsored piece by Mediacorp, this writer has become a new fan of Koe Yeet.