Cast of 'Tofu Street' reunite after 26 years, look back on filming memories

A trip down memory lane.

Hayley Foong | January 04, 2023, 06:55 PM

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Some 26 years after the final episode of drama series “Tofu Street” aired on terrestrial television, the cast reunited for Mediacorp’s “The Reunion”.

“Tofu Street” aired in 1996 lasting 25 episodes.

The show followed the lives of tenants living in a large building on the fictional Tofu Street, set in Singapore in the 1940s and 1950s.

Cast members Cynthia Koh, Zheng Geping, Brandon Wong, Peter Yu and Chen Huihui were present for the reunion.

Former child actor Chen Zhi Long also made a surprise appearance to share more about his experience acting as Wong’s onscreen son.

Iconic opening theme song

You may or may not have watched the drama series, but you definitely would have heard the series’ theme song before.

Sung by local singer Mavis Hee, “Moonlight in the City” is easily one of the most iconic theme songs from all of the Singaporean Chinese drama series.

The get-together also revealed that the song was almost swapped out from the opening theme song, and was intended to be used for the end credits instead.

However, it was a hit with everyone who listened to it and it was later decided that the song be kept as the opening theme song.

Crying on cue? Scolded on cue

Chen, who was six years old when he played Luo Tou, made an appearance halfway through the reunion episode as a surprise guest.

Screenshot via MeWatch

Koh, who shared the most scenes with him, recalled feeling bad for him whenever he had to shoot emotional scenes.

Since it was difficult for Chen to cry on cue, he would receive “scoldings” from staff and cast members till he cried in these scenes.

Chen clarified that he was only scolded when there were scenes that required him to cry, and aside from that he was not scolded for any other reason.

An effective antagonist

“Tofu Street” was Wong’s debut project, which put him under a lot of pressure as the antagonist in the drama.

He recounted how co-star Yu’s word of praise came as a huge encouragement to the then-rookie actor.

Screenshot via MeWatch

“He casually mentioned: ‘Wow, Brandon. You’re a newbie but your acting is so stable.’ It was a huge form of encouragement for me,” he explained.

His acting also proved to be convincing for the audience -- leading to an awkward encounter with a viewer when he was queuing for chicken rice.

He recalled being pointed at by the vendor who scolded him, “You’re such a bad person. Always hitting your wife. Did you watch what he did in 'Tofu Street'?”

This left Wong in shock, who was left wondering if he should still be buying his meal from the stall.

He also joked that he was worried that the vendor may add “extra ingredients” to his meal out of spite, but still bought it in the end.

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Top images from MeWatch