When your teacher’s known as “The Torture Chamber”, you’d better do your homework
Photos: Dream Academy
When I caught comedian Suhaimi Yusof before his daily routine, I wasn’t expecting a morning kopi chat. Yet there I was, with the boisterous actor and some coffee, listening to his ‘horror’ stories about growing up as an introvert in an all-boys’ school.
The trigger? Suhaimi – most known for portraying flamboyant reporter Jojo Joget on “The Noose” – has taken on his first musical role as a teacher. “Detention Katong” will show from 17 Feb to 5 Mar at the Esplanade Theatre.
Here are Suhaimi’s takeaways from the school of life.
Hi Suhaimi! Tell us about your character in “Detention Katong”.
I’m playing Mr G – full name Mr Ghazali – a physical education teacher who also teaches Malay. The strange thing is that only one student in Geylang Girls’ Secondary takes the Malay subject! So technically you can say he’s a bit “relak-one-corner”, since he doesn’t have much to do in school.
Were you like that in school?
I wasn’t the “relak-one-corner” type, but I became like that almost immediately after graduating. [Laughs] When I was no longer obsessed with just memorising and answering exam questions, I actually began to like History and understand the true meaning of what I had learned.
The “relak-one-corner” attitude doesn’t mean being lazy. It can mean you’re taking a step back and looking at things from a different point of view. Don’t kancheong (rush) and don’t panic, you know?
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