An interview conducted with Arabella Hong on June 11, 2003 by David Lewis Hammarstrom. The interview was done over the phone. Arabella played Helen Chao in the 1958 production of Rogers and Hammerstein's "Flower Drum Song."

In this interview, Arabella discusses her experience on the show, including auditioning for the role, receiving vocal coaching, and making changes to her scene. She also provides a window into the creation and honing of her song “Love, Look Away” and the writing of the script. Rather than being given a printed script, she shares that she was observed and the part written for her. Topics she covers in the interview also include Gene Kelly and issues with direction, stories about and interaction with Rodgers and Hammerstein, her view on Asian stereotypes in the original “Flower Drum Song,” the show’s fidelity to C. Y. Lee’s book, comparisons between the original and new “Flower Drum Song,” why the show failed on Broadway, her view on reviving shows from another period, a discussion of various composers, and her nostalgia for the beautiful melodies of the past. This interview is one of a series of 18 interviews that author David Lewis Hammarstrom conducted in 2003 as part of research for his book, Flower Drum Songs: The Story of Two Musicals (2006).