Singapore [AFP]- Theatre-goers in Singapore have given positive reviews to a play about a local-born porn star who had sex with dozens of men, in a sign that the conservative city-state may be loosening up.

‘251: Welcome to the Intimate Life of Annabel Chong’ opened to a full house on Thursday, and all 14 performances of the 90-minute play at the swank, bayfront Esplanade arts centre are already sold out.

“I thought it was a progressive step in stage performance in Singapore. I think that anything that involves pushing boundaries is progress in Singapore,” 28-year-old managing consultant D. He told AFP after the premiere.

“I think it was a subject that was often shoved under the carpet and it deserved some time in the light,” he said.

Annabel Chong — whose real name is Grace Quek — was born to middle-class teachers in the city-state, attended top schools and was awarded a scholarship to read law in London.

But shortly after, she moved to Los Angeles to enroll in a gender studies undergraduate programme and there, her porn career began.

She once had sex 251 times with 70 men in less than 10 hours, a marathon session chronicled in the 1995 US film ‘The World’s Biggest Gang Bang’.

“Annabel Chong, whether we like it or not, is a controversial figure who we just don’t want to mention. Once the gates are open and when Pandora’s box is open, there’s so much interest,” the play’s director Loretta Chen told AFP.

“I heard some crying and a lot of sniffing, and (some were) dabbing their eyes. I was frankly surprised,” she said after the opening night performance.

‘251’ explains how Quek, an energetic teenager and devoted daughter of Christian parents, transformed into a porn legend and a broken woman.

The play — interspersed with social commentaries and monologue — explores the turning points in Quek’s life, including a gang rape which she says took place in London.

She eventually ended her adult film career and now works as an IT consultant in the United States.

“Singapore is opening up. Nightlife is opening up, theatre is opening up and this was expected,” said 39-year-old Alex Melchers, a German corporate executive who had lived in Singapore for 10 years.

Chen said the play — rated for audiences above 18 years of age — would have been banned only a few years ago.

Authorities still had concerns about ‘251’ and gave Chen a list of guidelines to follow. Full nudity and group sex could not be depicted, but a topless scene was allowed.

In one scene, a character known as Mr Big threatens to “tame” Chong as the couple simulates different sexual positions, in what was seen as a jibe at the government’s attempts to keep its citizens on a tight leash.

“They nailed what Singapore was like together with the sex positions. It was kind of an interesting take and I thought it was really funny,” said 21-year-old student Fiona Huang.

But 25-year-old student Jason Tan was unimpressed.

“What was disappointing was that it turned out to be a whole big political satire. I don’t think anything Annabel did was political in any way,” he said.

Whatever the political implications, Huang said Quek’s story had touched her.

“I see her in a different perspective now, there’s more than meets the eye. There’s something human to her, more than just a porn star,” she said.