When it comes to Singlish, it’s clear the cast members of Les Miserables “catch no ball”.
The phrase, which means “don’t understand”, is among the Singlish terms the cast were asked to guess the meaning of.
They have been performing in Singapore for nearly a month, since the show opened on May 31.
A video of them being quizzed on the meanings of Singlish terms such as “shiok” and “yaya papaya” has been posted on the Les Miserables Singapore Facebook page.
It has been viewed more than 100,000 times since it was posted on Saturday (June 25).
The British and Australian cast fail miserably at guessing what terms like “cheemology” and “shiok” mean.
Most of them thought “shiok” was a swear word.
“That’s a dirty word. Kids, don’t say shiok,” says Gleeson in the video.
When asked what “wa lau” means, actress Emily Langridge, who plays Cosette, guesses: “Where are you?”
The cast did redeem themselves by scoring a few points, though.
When asked what “my one” means, actor Chris Durling, who plays Enjolras in the musical, said: “It’s like when someone wants some of your ice cream, and you’re like no, this is my one.”
The video received positive reactions from Facebook users, who found the cast’s attempt to speak Singlish thoroughly amusing.
Perhaps the cast will have picked up more Singlish by the time Les Miserables ends its run in Singapore on July 24.
xiuhuil@sph.com.sg
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