A staggering documentary achievement capturing the complex web of life, the great African Rift on the world around us Saturday.
Good morning, I'm Gabrielle Clark. Welcome to Touch of Elegance this morning. They're just tomming my skirt. It's very short and it is a bit so.
There you are. Still I hope my legs aren't too bad, Christine. Good morning.
Morning Gabrielle. Good morning everybody. Well you can sit there all bravado and I shall sit here all prim and proper and talk about fuchsias.
In fact I'm going to match up to that.
You're a fuchsia colour almost, aren't you?
I am. Yes, in fact I might even pop it on the lap and you won't be able to tell me from the flowers.
We'll be talking about the fuchsia display on the weekend.
Also if you're an aerobics fan. Buff, yes.
Well we today, we will see the teacher who teaches the teachers.
Marcus Irwin, he's something. Top of the teachers, top of the class. Absolutely.
We're also going to of course have more touch of talent. And judging today as well.
But first of all we're going to look at some talent that is happening or are happening or these people are currently performing in Adelaide at the Fabulous Follies.
And only one night to go. Richard Laidlaw has produced the whole production and we spoke about it earlier on in the season.
Today we are joined by Sean Cramer and Jan Adore taking part in this wonderful, well we'll find out all about it.
Jan, good morning. Hi Gabrielle. Sean, how are you? Good morning.
Is it as good as it's cracked up to be? It's as good as your dress.
Now you're a comedian, is that meant to be a funny joke or what? No, it's a great outfit actually.
It would fit in right with the show. I guess there's colour and flamboyance.
And lots of beautiful legs like you've got. I bet they can do high kicks as well.
Yes they can. I can. They do lots of them. Do they? Yes.
It's a fantastic piece of theatre. We're having a lovely time.
Is it theatre or is it vocal, is it what? It's variety theatre as once we used to know.
It's colourful, it's very glamorous, lots of lovely dancers and girls with lovely thin bodies.
Yes, I really don't like them at all actually. I'm being brave.
The great thing about this Folly show, it is a piece of theatre that nobody will ever see again.
It was like the Follies itself, that type of show lasted for about no more than 30 years.
So we're stepping back in time. Yes, it is a period piece.
It's a period piece in terms of there's no high tech, there's no laser beams,
there's no pushing buttons and all the electronic things work for you.
This is raw talent, singing, dancing. With a touch of elegance.
Oh, a touch of elegance. When you said it was a step back in time,
I thought he was going to say that's why they got us to come along.
It's great to see you back. Sean, you've been around for, I won't say how many years, a while?
Yes, it has been a while. Enjoying life in general?
I'm having a grand time. And what about you Jan? You were a trooper from way back.
Yes, indeed. And this is my first love variety theatre, so I'm delighted to be part of it.
And young Richard Laidlaw, the producer, I mean I just have to take my hat off to him.
He's a young man. He has followed his dream. He's had this dream for a long time.
Since he was a kid. He's put his money up front.
That's the thing, we don't get the shows because people aren't really prepared to do that.
No, and we don't encourage the people that are prepared to do it, nearly enough.
I mean, if the show isn't your cup of tea, I mean if you don't want to come to the theatre
and have a good night's entertainment and forget your problems and the affair with the milkman
that's not going too well, you know, whatever. I mean it's escapism, it's variety theatre,
which is what it's meant to do.
Slapstick, you've got a bit of a little bit of that.
Oh yes, we've written everything. When I first got involved with the project,
I phoned my father who's been in the theatre all his life. I said, what do you do in the fall?
He said, there had to be a doctor's sketch.
Always a doctor's, not sausages.
No, no, no, it had to be a doctor's sketch. So I've written this strange doctor's sketch.
Where else do you take us?
Um, Africa.
Yes, yes they do.
Arabia.
Yes, Spain.
Belly dancing.
Spain.
Yes, there is a bit of that.
You'll be pleased to know it's not me. It would be bellies dancing.
But it's a touch of everything really.
She's a one person harem.
Yes, yes I'm a lion all on my own.
Is this true? Do you wear?
No, no, no, no. I don't wear a Yash Mac. If anything I've got to wear a bag over my head.
Completely covered up.
Floating skirt.
Yes, yes, it's ankle length.
What about young talent?
There's a few very good young talents in the show. Rita Pastore is a young superet and she is delightful.
She's a very nice singer.
Wally Carr.
Wally Carr.
He's a young talent. Isn't he, Grace?
He is marvelous. He is marvelous.
He's so good in the show.