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Gurmit Singh turns Hero for a day
Gurmit Singh unveils his new "Hero Singh" alter ego. Photo: Hon Jing Yi/TODAY
Singapore’s popular comedian takes on a new alter ego, and joins Kumar and Joanne Kam team up for three-hour comedy show
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BY
HON JING YI
honjingyi@PUBLISHED: 4:05 AM, APRIL 28, 2016
SINGAPORE — If you thought Gurmit Singh was done with his comedy career, think again.
Come July, the Singaporean funnyman will be hosting a comedy show called Laugh Die You — The Karaoke. The title is a direct English translation of the Cantonese phrase “siu sei lei”, and Gurmit appears as his latest alter ego, an eccentric law-abiding security guard called “Hero Singh”, complete with fake chest hair and dreams of becoming a singer.
“We were talking in the office in Malaysia about (creating) a new character, and then I realised I’ve never done a Punjabi character — this is my first time. The irony is that I am a Punjabi,” Gurmit quipped at a press conference for the show.
Laugh Die You, which has been staged in Malaysia, will go on for two nights at Resorts World Theatre in Resorts World Sentosa. The three-hour comedy show will see comedians from either side of the causeway pit their skills against each other — most notably, local stand-up star Kumar and Joanne Kam, Malaysia’s only female stand-up comedian. Popular Singaporean comedian Fakkah Fuzz will also make a special guest appearance.
Each star will perform their own stand-up routine, before engaging in a comedic “battle”. Gurmit will also sing a few songs — in keeping with the “karaoke” theme — along with a choir and Malaysian rock band Hydra.
Speaking to reporters about his experience performing in Singapore and Malaysia, Kumar said Singaporeans were certainly the tougher crowd.
“Singaporeans are a bit harder (to get a laugh from) because of our own red tape, and because Singaporeans take a longer time to warm up. By the time (the audience is warmed up), it’s my second show already,” deadpanned Kumar, adding that he was looking forward to his onstage reunion with Gurmit and Kam, with whom he performed more than 20 years ago at Haw Par Villa.
“In Singapore, they are so scared because if you make a joke about politics, they look at each other. In Malaysia, they laugh from the beginning to the end. Here, they are not so sure.
“By the time they really react, they are on the taxi, on their way home,” he continued.
In essentials, however, the comedians agree that Malaysian and Singaporean audiences share a similar sense of humour.
“For someone like me who’s performed a lot of times in Malaysia, there are certain words we use in Malay that if we use in Kuala Lumpur, everybody gets it,” said Kam. “Here sometimes I need to remind myself, like will the Singaporeans get it, because not everyone is used to those terms or words. Other than that, the jokes are the same.” HON JING YI
Laugh Die You — The Karaoke will be
held at Resorts World Theatre on July 9 and 10. Prices from S$68 to S$350 are available at SISTIC from May 6.
