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Well, uh, the queen of the whole universe Pageant is a, um it's a parody on an international beauty contest. And it was an idea to do something creative and artistic, uh, in the community to, um, inspire some talent and and inspire people to come and present their stuff in a in a different format. And so that's sort of really where it's come from. When did it start? Um, 2004 was our first year, and we've so Yeah, eight [00:00:30] years. And this is coming up to our 10th show in 2012, So it's had many years of operation. Can you describe for me what that first show was like? Um, yeah, I. I can. It was It was it was special. It was in that stage, it was called Queen of the Whole Pacific. It was in its in its infancy in a way. And, um, I was actually stage manager in that first year, which was really exciting. So I was calling the shots, calling the all the queues and up cursing [00:01:00] and lights and action. And, uh, that was fun. Um, and then, uh, in the second years and subsequently then Bimbo and Buffy have been the M CS of the of the pageant, and it's worked in and and it became queen of the whole universe. But the first one was queen of the whole Pacific, and it had totally was a Pacifica entourage. And how many contestants? About 25 or 30? I can't remember the actual number. But about that, Yes. Had there been anything [00:01:30] like that before in New Zealand? Um, not No, not not quite. I mean, there have been some, uh, beauty pageants in the Pacifica, Papa, um, area that run Rosa Pacifica, which don't run anymore, sadly. And, um, I'd seen those in the past and thoroughly enjoyed them. And they were, um but they were representing their islands island nations, and that was, um, quite nice. This was this was totally [00:02:00] to be a drag theatrical performance and to encourage people to come forward. And, um, you know, uh, represent a country from around the world and inhabit that role and and and create a character and have fun and send it up and enjoy the diversity and the, um, and this and all the plays that can be on on different cultural expressions. So So it was more about participation. Participation definitely was what it was about. Yes. And so yeah, we've And [00:02:30] we've had, you know, hundreds of people, um, who have performed and hundreds and and a large entourage putting it all together behind the scene. So it's it's been quite a an amazing i think community initiative of its of its own, having been, as I say, stage managing and being part of the stage production crew was good. That first year we had, um both. I think Jonathan and Helen Medlin, who's a New Zealand opera singer, was the MC. And they did a great job [00:03:00] together. Yes. So what were some of the stand up moments in the first one? Um oh, Miss Russia. I was just trying to think Miss Russia was, um was the winner that year, if I remember rightly. And she came down out of the out of this fly tower and landed in a little Sputnik capsule and hopped out of that, that was the idea. And, um and, uh, it was it was new because I was playing playing on all the, um, the ideas that you know in a in a proper, [00:03:30] um, beauty pageant. Um, the the girls have to also demonstrate talent as well as beauty and brains. And so we had all the felt in all those elements is was only right for such a piece. Yeah. So Miss Russia did, um, sort of like a Russian, uh, circus act. A strong woman act which just fitted the role. So well, yeah. So she was doing strong women lifting heavy weights and things like that. So it was very It was a good parody to start with. So was Miss Russia part of act, too, So this was [00:04:00] like, she was one of the finalists. So this was like, an individual performance, and then the first was in the first pageant of nations was really around, Um, the beauty parade part of it, which is, you know, each country presents themselves in national costume, and I think that's what we did in that in that first one. So for the first, um, few years, it was national costume, and then more. Um, we created a new tradition of head gear of nations which has really just taken off, and it's now become a signature [00:04:30] piece of this particular piece of show. Can you describe that? Oh, that's where Instead of a just a you know, national costume parade of all the countries that have been represented, they have to come up with a piece of headgear which is like two metres by two metres. And it can be of any any construction, any concept. Um, as long as it's big and colourful and can be seen from a distance. I imagine two metres by two metres on me, so so. But it was It was It was again, I think, [00:05:00] because it was taking that parody to another level, which is which is what it's about. It's it's it's having fun both with the genre of the beauty queen and enjoying the fact that allows you such freedom to play with with with culture stereotypes, which I think was we have always skirted on the boundaries of cultural stereotypes and you know that there's always the truth on a stereotype, and yet it's not the only thing that's about the country. But we all have stereotypes about everything and including countries, [00:05:30] the world. So people have played on those things in so many different ways and I've loved that. Can you give me some examples? Oh, I just One of the things was was when Miss Egypt coming out for her. Um, question. She was a finalist. When you coming out and her, um, to do her question, you know, secret question. And she came out and she had a burka on. But it was, um she looked like she had ripped down the shower curtain. Now the dressing ring. And she had [00:06:00] Birk on with big dark sunglasses and this huge giant blow up ring, which she was standing in the middle of sort of a blow up toy that you'd see in a pool. It just looked so absurd. I just cracked up as she came because I've not seen that was totally a surprise. She hadn't present presented that in any sort of dress. And, um, so, you know, sometimes you get you get caught out by that and you love it. That's just a delicious moment. And she just signed up and, you know, she just really held it. She just held it together. She had a presence. [00:06:30] But this as I say, it looked like this beautiful she goes. Was she going to hit the pole or not in that, you just never know. Um oh, I'm talking about burkas. Miss Afghanistan one year actually had a a costume. Her, her, um her pageant costume was a a black sequined burka at the front. But when she turned around, she had, uh, fish nets and stockings. So it was all absolutely cut away at the back. It was just delightful closed on the front [00:07:00] and not in the back. So I mean, by playing with all of those sort of ideas, cultural ideas and having fun with them and only I think only we could get away with it and names as well. I I noticed that there were some fantastic names just thinking from last year's, um, pageant. Um, Miss sa was, um and she loved it. She loved that name and all her friends do, and she is on. So it was perfect. She could totally get away [00:07:30] with it. Too fat to fell off her sofa and, um, miss Transylvania Nora vane. Just, you know, plays on little names and these are more wrestling. And famously Miss India, who won miss that year was, um Miss De so you know, and people just find it totally charming. Um, and, you know, here's another one here from Miss Scotland, Miss Bonnie MCM muff. And and we've had many, Some of some are a little [00:08:00] on the edgier side, and some are just just good little puns on ideas. So in terms of, uh, a contestant's costumes, headgear name? Is that all coming from the contestant that comes from the contestant? Yeah. They have a chance, Uh, freedom to choose the country. And, uh, they all get into it in that way and and come up with the name of their own. And we just help them a little bit if they want to tweak it or just to make it work better if it needs a little bit of assistance. So [00:08:30] pretty much people who who are who have committed to this do a good job. They enjoy the the fun of of creating their own character and the costuming and, you know, and making the whole thing come together as a look and a name and a personality, because the costumes that you you you're showing here, uh, they're really intricate hours of work. Some Oh, definitely. They are. They are couture, some of them, but they're also stage. I mean, stage performances like this. Miss this one. Best costume, Miss Tahiti, Miss. [00:09:00] Um, they they they cut. They're cute. Very cute, Miss England. Looking like Queen Elizabeth The first, um, you know, there's so many wonderful ideas. Um and, um and you know, I think the thing is that, um the whole idea is that is it has to be visual. It's a it's a show. It's a piece of theatre, and it's large in life. So anything that has colour and size and and, uh, parody and fun is [00:09:30] is what the audience comes to see in the first couple of years. Was it hard to get contestants? Um, no, not really. I don't think I. I think it it It built up speed over those first years, and there's been a a small group of people who have sort of stayed with it right through right from the early days as a as a committed, um, sort of community event that they like to be part of. And, um, that's good. And we've always had about look, about probably about every [00:10:00] about 40% new contestants around about that, so it's actually quite a good mix. There's sort of around about, you know, 60% who have done it before. They might have had a year off, perhaps, but a lot of actually come back year in year, year after, because it's they just enjoy the the the friends they've made. They enjoy the fun they have. They, like the rehearsals are like, you know, having a little fitness club that meets twice a week to rehearse. And, uh, you know, we we do a couple of hours of rehearsal usually, and it's people get hot and sweaty and [00:10:30] it's It's a good workout, so people have enjoyed it at that level as well. Take me through the the rehearsal process. How How does it go from, well, rehearsals? That's my my role is music monitoring. Let's take a step back and let's go. Um, you're pretty intimately involved with the whole process, being Jonathan's partner as well, coming up with an idea for the show for the next show. Let's go from there and go forward. Well, it's it's a whole sort of year's genesis really of ideas, so we tend to [00:11:00] just John has a little like little notebook, and he records things that he sees, like shows or little performances or or, um, just pieces of the arts that just that that sort of fit with with an idea that might be useful. And, um and he puts those down and just sort of lets them digest. And that's that's how he sort of gets some angles on the show. So, like, you know, it might be the year we had, um six. Amy Winehouse's Now [00:11:30] Why would you have six? Well, she's an icon, sadly, no longer with us, But, um, she it was to throw in just this quicky thing. Suddenly the light would go on and Amy would be up in the up in the opera box. And rather than have one Amy, let's have another one pop up over there. And and so that was like just a bit of absurdity. And but the audience liked it because it it's again. Those that come year after year enjoy the format of the show, which has its own sort of, um, structure, basic structure. But, um, they enjoy [00:12:00] anything quirky. They enjoy the originality they enjoy, the the parody as I say, and so anything that's a little bit, um, whimsical. They get into it so they really like the suddenly the the the light will go on. And then, um, don't make me go to rehab would suddenly just have a little musical piece and then it would be gone. It was like, Did that actually happen? I was like, What was that about it? Just, you know, it just an idea of just diverting people's attention and just stimulate them in another way. But she just wouldn't [00:12:30] It just wouldn't do in a conventional show, you know? So things like that, and, um uh, one year we had, um you know, we did a lot of work with the AIDS Foundation, and their volunteers made a fabulous, um, mini poi, and we did. And it was probably one of the most popular, um, pieces because the audience were all got their POY out of their bag and they were twirling it away with the cast and the opening production piece. Um, and it was just really, really fun. That was probably the most [00:13:00] audience participation. But we have audiences that come representing, uh, supporters and friends of certain countries. They dress up, they have, um, and have flags. And they dress up, um, supporting the contestant. I was just trying to remember what? Who's the country? But, um, it was it must have been Jamaica, Miss Jamaica and the Voodoo dolls and the the And they had They were all sitting in the front row. They managed to get the seats, and they all had these little calico dolls with different flags on their chest, [00:13:30] and they had pins sticking into them. And so I was like, Wow, who came up with that idea? But that was what I was doing. I was I'm going to get rid of you with a bit of voodoo. And so you're like I and and you can play Well, you know, as as we we like to interact with the audience, and they like interacting back. And, um and so you you get comments out of the crowd and some of them are just just dozers really fabulous and and, you know, and and that's totally encouraged, the [00:14:00] audience goes crazy. Um, I. I thoroughly enjoy the vibe of the audience and we tell the new contestants now when the curtain goes up if you've never done anything, a lot of people haven't ever performed on stage and wouldn't be on their own. But in the in the safety of a large group and with the with the well honed sort of, um, vehicle, they they're totally comfortable. We tell them that that when that curtain goes up, the audience, um wave just hits you the energy of of we're ready for a for a fun. We're ready for a good show. [00:14:30] Um, and it just hits you and it's so palpable. Yeah. So Jonathan has a book that he writes stuff down on during the year, and that's a sort of ideas book and that sort of, as I say, digests and, um and, uh and he and it might be something I see or he sees. And oh, that's and see notes it down. And, um and then it just as I say digestive. And he puts that together. An idea. Well, how do I shape [00:15:00] show what's going to be a bit different this year? Like, you know, um, this year, rather than so for, um, for the, uh, because we never had done swimwear for a few years. I can't remember. Actually, we did. But we did wear for the national costume. So they all And that was just delightful because you know, why not? And then another year was, um, they had was the finalists had to present themselves for the interview question in maternity gear. I mean, you know, like we can so wear maternity [00:15:30] gear. It's like, um, it's it takes that whole sort of, you know, the the be again, that beauty contest idea to another to another level of extremist. Yeah. How far out before the performance date is? Are things put in place in terms of, you know, uh, who goes which country? Oh, well, it sort of it sort of gathers up over probably about the the the six months before the show. Um, people, sort of sometimes, Well, I want to be so and so next year, you [00:16:00] know, And and that's, you know, that sometimes can be reasonably accommodated. And because luckily, we've got many hundreds of countries in the world and possible ideas. We don't always have country because it's the whole universe. And because we're really inhabiting a fantasy realm, we've had everything from fantasy Island, Tracy Island. Uh, Miss Antarctica, Um, out of planets, Miss Uranus. So in Miss Venus. And and, uh So there's there's characters, Miss Atlantis, [00:16:30] uh, that are just totally possible and fit within the genre in their own unique way. So that's what I mean, It doesn't it? The boundaries can go in any direction if people want to take it there. And we had, um uh, Trinidad and Tobago were a contestant and they were Siamese twins joined together at the hip and they got through to the pile. But then we found out to be fakes because they were actually masquerading as twins and they were [00:17:00] found to be joined at the hip by a false by a device, and that was unlocked and they were kicked out of the show. Another running gig is there's always some mishap about Miss Fiji trying to get into New Zealand through customs. That's been a long term running gig. Miss Fiji, for some reason, has been turned away at the border for something rather and so so we always have a few of those in there as well. There's stories and stories and, you know, sometimes you say the audience go. [00:17:30] Oh, like I wanted her to get through it like No, Well, you can say no. It is not going to happen, but it isn't going to happen, is it? But, um so just, um yeah, just being being funny with it and being, um and and celebratory with it as well. But there is There is a an element of true competition, isn't there? I mean, yeah, there are. There are there is a small group of people who are who are committed in advance to be, um, Act two finalists. And they have [00:18:00] to be because they've got to do, um, you know, they truly are the competition part of the show. So that is built in there. The audience doesn't know who's going to really be those ones. So at the beginning of the large, um, production opening number, all the girls are there, and the and the muscle boys and, um, you don't know who's going to be going through that, too. And that's fun, that's all. And the elimination process happens. And then we come down to our last performing ones, and they usually have to do a special a special [00:18:30] fashion parade an interview question and then a five minute performance piece, which is judged by, uh, we have a judge panel in the audience, celebrity judges and and, uh, that it's a true competition. So the rehearsal period. How how? How do rehearsals work? Rehearsals are really easy. We usually have a A, um, a couple of halls, church halls or, um uh, theatre. And we use that for our rehearsals. [00:19:00] Um, we've got a couple of or several people have been. We've had several choreographers over the years who've helped us choreograph the first piece. Um, some who stayed with his long term 11 who stayed with long term Michael Sanders, used to miss New Zealand contestants. Truly, truly. So. He comes with a lot of experience, and and and he's a He's a theatre producer himself and in Amateur Theatre, and, uh, very, you know, he has the right aesthetic, you know, which he finds harder. [00:19:30] The, um, New Zealand, New Zealand, because they they don't do enough rehearsal. They really do not do enough rehearsal. Those Miss New Zealand contests contestants, whereas ours do. It's a very as I say, very honed machine, and we take everyone um, regardless of size, shape, sexuality, gender orientation. Uh, we we're not worried about that. It's very inclusive. So we have, you know, we have a we We've been a safe place for heterosexual people [00:20:00] who support the cause or support the charities. That we're supporting HIV charities is what we support positive, uh, women body positive and the New Zealand AIDS Foundation. So, um, that's always been an ethic that we that we want to promote safe sex and the message of, you know, of of health for people living with HIV and prevention of HIV. So, um, there the money is raised. That's where it goes. So people who are supportive that cause and either have [00:20:30] a supporter of the gay community at large or maybe even have a son or a daughter who's gay they've been in the show have been have strong contribution, and it's a safe place to be no one. You know, no one gets a rough time. We don't question people about why they're there. So we've had everything from transvestites to cross dresses, drag queens, um, heterosexual mothers, um, guys who who just would like the idea of for the first time ever dressing up in a frock and and doing a show being part of a show. [00:21:00] So really, um, fascinating, fascinating, um, motivations that people have for wanting to be part of this. This this show. Can you describe, uh, Jonathan's directing style? How does he get people to do what he wants to do? He's a He is a good people person, that's for sure. He's, um he's bossy, but not in a in a tall, nasty way. He's just very directorial. And, um, you know, it's It's his show, I. I take second seat to that because I think [00:21:30] the same idea that if if you don't have someone who's taking the lead and being the final say on things and it just becomes a power struggle, um, we have our own power struggles Buffy and Bimbo because you know we're twins and we do compete for for airspace anyway. But, um, but in terms of the show design, it's it's his show. I just enjoy being totally a part of it. I have. I have input into it. I have a sense of what's what. What, how the show is shaping up. I have my say when I don't think it's a good idea or I think that's a fabulous idea. So, yeah, Jonathan bounces [00:22:00] a lot of his ideas off me and vice versa. And we agree that. And then it's never a problem from there. Once the things are decided, you just go with it because it's the show. It's the shape of the show, and it's it's like it's gonna take. It's gonna take its full form on the night. It's what the whole thing is, a one show, one night only show with lots of sort of, you know, lead in and, um, good organisation and good, you know, putting it together as a piece of theatre [00:22:30] and, um and then it it just runs on the night. I mean, that's when Jonathan steps out of his directorial role, hands it over to the stage manager, steps into the character of Bimbo, and we see the show and so that you know you can't run it and be it in the front of it. You have to let it run then and that it is ready to run. So you know, good on him. It sounds like a huge commitment of time and energy on both your parts. And I'm just wondering what impact [00:23:00] over the last, uh, seven or eight years has it had on you guys? Um, it's it's probably the most fun community event, you know, um, that I've ever been involved in just because it's so diverse. And I just get really excited by what? How it all shapes up and what people do and what they bring to it. The love they bring to it and the fun they bring to it and the camaraderie they bring to it. Um, and and just working with the collective, you know, you [00:23:30] think you've got about, um, 35 to 40 or 50 people on stage, you know, including, um, all of the performers. And then, um, we have some special guests and we usually have, like, our dresses and volunteers and stage crew. Uh, probably another. You know, 60 or so people behind the stage and it's all working together. It's a great it's a great atmosphere, really. And, um, we we it's run professionally, but it's run with a with a real sense of fun. Has it affected [00:24:00] your relationship in any way? Um, it's been a it's been a, um a key part of our our relationship over the last, um, eight years, uh, as I say have been around for a lot longer. And, um, that was something that Jonathan and I created together as a as an idea which, um, created those those characters, those drag drag artists. And, um, this has just been a nice I mean, we didn't It wasn't [00:24:30] set up for buffing it started. It was, as I say, I was a stage manager first year, but it, um it was a case of So who's gonna front the show and by us fronting it, It also allowed it to to just be another level of celebration, I think because we know we have this I enjoy. We both enjoy the MC role. We both um yeah, as I say, just I think it's just worked at a certain level. It just is we can carry it. We can. Also, because it's a show which has a few surprises. [00:25:00] You have to be able to have an MC who can carry things just for a few moments while there's a set up time delay or or just we haven't had any really major, terrible technical hitch. We really haven't, um we've been so fortunate, but say there's just a just the stage crew just taking a little bit longer to set something up or whatever, Um, or our wheels jammed. Or there's still a bit of costume left over from the last performance on the front of the apron. Well, you know, we'll we'll go and pick that up and toss it in the wings [00:25:30] or, um or, you know, we'll we'll just we can talk and and and play for time. And as I say we do. So we we We're quite good at doing those sort of continuity connections for between items, and you need that. It's, as I say, because it's not a conventional show and you just don't know what's coming next. The audience doesn't matter. They just they're ready for the next thing. Have any participants surprised you in terms of, you know, somebody walks [00:26:00] in off the street and you go, Wow, that's that was unexpected. Walks in off the street. Um uh, just I was You know, some people have been quite whimsical as a builder who liked to cross dress, but I never did it privately in the 1st 2nd year of the show, and he was an audience, as she and the character role she was was the audience couldn't actually walk on stage, but had a little skip sort of action, and it was sort of charming. It was really charming. The audience really, really connected [00:26:30] with that with her. And, um, she was having the time of life. Never done anything like this was on stage. You know, this is just freedom and fun, and, um, and it's OK to be in this space and quite safe to be in this space. And, um, he came back, uh, last year to to To to say hello. And, um, I'm I'm hoping he'll be in the show this year. So after, you know, only only ever performed once with us in those early years, but, um, audience favourite just [00:27:00] because it was the sort of the there was a sense of an essence of joy about being able to, um, dress up and perform on stage. Yeah, it was gorgeous. So yeah, that's that's it. And just, you know, for for others, it's like the majority of people are not, um do not do drag elsewhere. Do not excuse me. Do not do any sort of performance. So this is really this is the one special moment. But they love it. They embrace it. [00:27:30] One of the things I find really interesting is the idea that it's open to all genders or sexualities. So you've got boys being girls, being boys or girls being boys, being girls. Can you talk? Talk? I think that's again. They say, pushing the extending the boundaries. Yes, we've. We have women, heterosexual women who support the course who, um, uh, you know, dress and drag. And they just love it because they never get the chance to do that anywhere [00:28:00] else. And it's just something to do and and age is the material. You know, that, Um, one of those one of those people is Maggie, and she's, um I worked with her years ago in mental health. She's a really, really good, down to earth person. She's in a in a, um, mid sixties, probably now, But that isn't a problem. And she just gives so much every year into what she does and performs on stage and has so much fun. And she's very, very loved by the lots of the cast. So she's a regular that's been around for quite a number of years. [00:28:30] Um, and as I say, um, women, women dressing as muscle boys, which is fine and boys dressing as girls and and even people sometimes being a girl one year and the muscle boy the year the next year again, that's just great. And we've even had, you know, muscle boys when the, um, the muscle boy, you know, the top muscle boy who happens to be a woman, you know, And again that's chosen, uh, some of that is chosen by the artistic team, and [00:29:00] sometimes that's chosen by There's also the The cast chooses the sort of the person that stood out in in terms of camaraderie and personality in the in the cast. What about the audience? Has the audience changed over the years? Um, I we've got I think we've got a a number of people that come here if you because they just love the show and it's it's, uh it's something they want they have on their calendar, and they would never miss it. It's always been a very I think it's a show. Our audience is probably about 30 or 40% [00:29:30] gay community and probably 60% um, wider community, heterosexual community. And and that's pretty consistent, too. And I think people just enjoy it for what it is. And they love the fact. I think the the idea of a beauty pageant parody where most of the contestants are men is just, you know, is just that little edge to it. Really. Can you describe, uh, being on stage and what it's like? Um, having that kind of intense audience [00:30:00] reaction? Oh, I love it. I mean, it's it's just something you just, um, enjoy, um, nothing like a full house and standing there like standing on a stage and looking on the auditorium. It's a lovely auditorium, and it feels it's quite immediate. It's it's everyone's pretty close, and, um, and we're right up to the audience in a way, and we go right down the apron and chat. And as I say, there's Red Party and there's banter between us and certain people in the audience, and that's and and that's free, that free exchange is lots of fun. [00:30:30] Um, I, I love it and I I like looking up and seeing people looking, you know, looking back at you and laughing. And, um, you know, just the buzz of it all. It's it's, um it's a very exciting place to perform. Yeah, it is indeed, and a very large place. Well, it it is, But it's always felt like a home and, uh, doesn't feel intimidating in the least. No, I wasn't thinking. I was thinking intimidating I. I was thinking 2000 people to get an audience [00:31:00] coming back year after year after year. It very impressive It is. It is, you know, and and, uh, we we we get a full house, and so we make the most of it. I mean, that's our It's our one night to make the money that we need to make for our for our, you know, charity, our fundraising. And, um, we do we've taken the show to, um to Wellington several times. We did a performance piece for we got invited to do an exhibition piece at Te Papa's 10th birthday, which was [00:31:30] a real treat to actually do that in the Wellington foyer. And Papa, um, was just lots of fun, and that was a totally. That audience didn't even know by and large what was coming, and they just were just got into it. It was It was it was the most original audience because it was just purely the people that were at Papa coming. Some had heard that we were there, and it was interesting, diverse mixture of New Zealanders and a few foreigners and all walks of life. [00:32:00] And it was I mean, we just did the, um the the head gear of nations peace. And, uh, they just went for it. We've done We performed twice in Wellington as well. And, um, this last time was with the out games, um, uh, and we are opening. And we were lucky enough to open the cultural part of the art games festival. And, um, we did a, um a flash mob [00:32:30] little piece of our opening number down in, um uh, Civic Square in Wellington. And that was in the middle of the day. And we got good ticket sales from that as well. He was like, Oh, this was a lot fun. Tickets are over here. The Michael Centre ticket booth is open now, but that's good. Last rush sales Hey, so coming up, we've got the, um, 10th [00:33:00] performance, 10th and final. What are your thoughts on that? Um oh, a little sad, but it's probably right in some respects. Um, I, I think. You know, the show has worked very well, and I think it's It's a It's a It's a fun format. Uh, I just think maybe it's time to to leave it alone for a while. Who knows? It might. It might come back in some other form. You know, that's possible. Um, but it, um I think sometimes things [00:33:30] it hasn't run its course, But I think just finishing with a good, substantial history, it will be just good in itself. I I. I think that it because it actually requires, um, a little bit of fresh energy every year. You know, it's got it's got a similar structure, but you have to sort of change the elements around. You have to add new new things that will interest the audience, as I say. That's whether it's a genre of of swimwear or maternity wear or [00:34:00] whatever that is. Or, um uh, that that helps. And I think that's the thing is I think it's just It takes a lot to keep that sort of level of creativity up. So I think it's probably been a substantial investment of time for for Jonathan and for me. And we're happy with what we've done and and have thoroughly, never. We've got fabulous pieces of of, um, video history. I've been ending these um, interviews with other people by saying [00:34:30] if they had a special message, uh, to give to all those people out there in the dark on the final show, would would you have a message to give the audience? I think it's the same message as as well as, um, celebrate life and fun and fabulous and, you know, because that's what it's about, really. And this is This is a very special vehicle that allows us to do that. I mean, it's the colour of it. All is is probably the one I most will always remember is you can't. [00:35:00] You can. You could recreate that, but you can't take it away. It's it's very special.
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