bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Mathew Scott

Backstage Live Aug 17, 9pm
As far as the Hong Kong entertainment industry is concerned, Marsha  Yuan has come to town with a perfect pedigree.
She has  wuxia star Cheng  Pei-pei (Come  Drink With Me) for a mother, and her elder sister Eugenia has already cut her acting chops here, picking up  a Hong Kong Film Award (for best newcomer) for her turn in 2002's creepfest Three.
And while at first Yuan looked to be following in their footsteps - taking  roles in two Men Suddenly in Black films - the past few years have seen her chart a different, and very individual, course.
Out has gone the drama and in has come the diva.
'Ever since I was very little I've loved singing and dancing and performing,' Yuan says. 'Ella  Fitzgerald, Judy  Garland, Liza  Minnelli, Barbra  Streisand - all the old-school singers are the ones I really admire. I love it when I can hear the voice and actually hear the expression in it.'
And expression is what the lady is all about.
A showcase last year at Mido  Cafe can be viewed on YouTube - along with a pulsing version of Fever with Eugene  Pao on guitar - and  it stands as a testament to her talent, both as a jazz singer and performer. It seems the California-born, New York-schooled 31-year-old did well to listen to her mother's advice.
'It was my mum who convinced me to come to Hong Kong as she thought the opportunities would be better for me here,' she says.
Yuan tread a well-worn path once she got here. First there was the 1999 Miss Hong Kong pageant - in which she was voted runner-up - and then, as so often is the case, the entertainment industry door was opened.
'I was involved in television and some film but performance is what I am all about,' she says. 'Really for me that part of my career was all about making connections.''
Yuan says she is ready  to take her performing career to  the next logical  phase - regular gigs around town.
And first up she has the talents of Shanghai-based jazzman Lawrence Ku to lean on, as the guitarist comes to town with drummer  Nicolas McBride to join local bassist Peter  Scherr and Yuan for her 'unveiling''.
'We think this concert will be the perfect place to start,' she says.
1/F 52-54 Wellington Street, Central, HK$180 (includes one drink). Inquiries: 2167 8985



Marsha Yuan