The Sapphires Page #3

- Vietnam, you twit.

Vietnam, then.

Well, don't get lost.

We need you, cuz.

We're going to be doing shows

for the soldiers in Thai...

Vietnam.

Singing.

But it's gotta be all three of us.

You're wasting your breath.

She's lost, that one.

Act your age, not your colour.

Jeez! I don't know you two!

Youse mob better punch on or something,

but sort it out, whatever it is,

'cause this is my big break!

Cynthia!

Your friend's screeching for you.

Kay?

We're staying at uncle Ed's, Kay.

Is everything alright?

Welcome, welcome all.

- Uncle!

- Come on, then.

Here you are. Have some of that.

J' You're sweeter

than the honey that the bees make.

- J' Soul sister... J'

- Dance, my beautiful nieces!

Shake those hips, use those legs.

Look at these boys!

J" Sweeter than the icing

on the best cake.

J' Soul sister.

J" You're brown sugar.

J" I was in the dark

but now I see... J'

We need whisky! Whisky!

J" I was always proud

But now I'm sayin' it loud.

J" Keep on givin' it to me.

J" Love and affection to the bone...

J'

- Lovely place you've got here.

- Isn't it great'?

Yeah, love it.

J" You're brown sugar.

J" Keep on sockin' it to me

all night long.

J' Soul sister... J'

I've done it again!

Drink!

Drink, go on.

The mice are moving the dice!

I bet you can't do it again, snake

eyes. Come on.

For when you're trying to get all your

different bits of food together,

for a dinner party

or something like that,

'cause you can just take the lid

off, you pop some warm...

or probably boiling water is better.

- Just in the bottom there,

and then you've got

little ventilating holes.

Gail!

Gail, it's your mum!

I'm... I'm quite...

Here she is. Here she is.

Mum?

What's wrong?

That flamin' Julie's run off

somewhere.

What? Mum!

What? What's up?

- Don't you "What up" me.

- Mum? What did you say?

You've let Julie run off to

Melbourne, haven't you?

Stop your rot.

I taught her well.

Mum? Will someone talk to mel?

Your dad and Nan

helped Julie escape.

Where's that James Brown fella?

- Gail?

- Hey.

Where is he? Gail?

You never told me

that your uncle was Irish.

- Gail!

- We try to hide that.

- Hello?

- I'll get it.

Julie!

Hey, sis!

What's she doing here?

I'm here to sing.

Dad and Nan said I could come.

Did they, now'?

They didn't tell me.

What do you want?

I'm coming to Vietnam.

Who says we want you?

Right - if you say no Julie

and you say no Kay,

then there's no Cynthia.

And if there's no Cynthia,

there's no show.

Bust you, then.

J' Love and affection

to the bone... J'

J' Soul sister.

J" Brown sugar.

J" Keep on sockin' it to me

all night long.

J' Soul sister.

J" Brown sugar.

J' Love and affection to the bone.

J' To the bone.

J' Soul sister.

J' Brown sugar... J'

Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?

Where do we rehearse?

I thought those biscuits

were for patients only, Bruce.

One, two, three.

J' I bet you're

wondering how I knew.

J " About your plans to make me blue... J".

You've got this

for the next three nights, OK?

J" With some other girl

that you knew before.

J" Between the two of us girls,

you know I love you more.

J" It took me by surprise, I must say.

J" When I found out yesterday.

J" Don't you know

I heard it through the grapevine'? J'

Alright. Good.

It was good. Yes, very good.

But, um... how do I say this?

OK - next time you do it,

can you make it sound blacker?

Manage that, Kay?

Alright. Let's go again.

'Grapevine'. This time, Julie,

can you sing the lead, please?

What?

No, no, no.

I'm Gail.

- That's right.

- Yeah, my name's Gail.

I sing lead.

Julie and the girls do back-ups.

How do you feel about not singing lead?

How do you feel about

getting knocked out by a woman?

Pretty embarrassed, I would imagine.

The thing is, Gail, I pick the songs

and I pick who sings them.

Nobody tells me or my sisters

what to sing or who sings lead.

Your voice isn't good enough

to sing lead.

You want to say that again?

Not really. No.

Gail, you are a commanding presence,

on stage as you are in life.

But you also have the weakest voice

out of the four of you.

He's right, Gail.

You can hold a tune but

you can't hold your own in a solo.

Sometimes.

More than sometimes.

Anyone else? Cynthia?

Maybe you should just let

those of us who can do it, do it.

Yeah, OK, then.

- Gail, that's very...

- Shut up. I'm not finished.

I'm finished.

Alright.

Before we go again...

girls, when I met you,

you were doing your whole

country and western thing

and that's fine - we all make

mistakes.

But here's where we learn

from that mistake.

Country and western music is

about loss.

Soul music is also about loss.

But the difference is,

in country and western music,

they've lost, they've given up and they're

just at home whining about it.

In soul music,

they're struggling to get it back

and they haven't given up,

so every note

that passes through your lips

should have the tone of a woman

who's grasping and fighting

and desperate to retrieve

what's been taken from her.

You understand?

Now, what it is that you're

searching for, that's up to you.

I'm just here to get you there,

you know'?

J' I'll take you there... J...

There's a place

called the Apollo Theatre.

It's where dreams are made,

where legends are born.

J " I'll take you there... J"

I can see you girls singing

in places like that.

There and in the Rainbow,

in the Olympia,

the best rooms in the world.

J' I'll take you

there... J'

Because you've got it within you -

you just need to let it out.

J " I'll take you there... J".

That's it! Let it out of you like

a geyser coming out of the ground!

Like a volcano

springing from the earth,

and you just can't stop it.

J " I'll take you there... J".

Like a volcano pushing through

the earth beneath you.

J " I'll take you there... J".

Until finally, it's easy enough,

like breathing in and breathing out.

- J' I'll take you there... J'

- And breathing in and breathing out.

J' And breathin' in

and breathin' out.

J" And breathing in.

J' Mercy!

J'

J " Can I have some mercy now'? J".

Any questions?

One, two, three.

J' Now, don't you ever.

- J' Be sad... J'

- One, two, three.

- J' Lean on me... J'

- OK. Wrong arms, girls.

Wrong arms. Gail.

- Thank you.

- Hey!

Alright. Are we ready?

Let's get our dancing shoes on,

ladies.

- J' Hold on... J"

- Mmm!

One, two, three.

- J' I'm coming.

- One, two, three.

J' On my way... J'

That's it, that's it. Nailed it.

Keep going! That's it, girls.

Come on, feel it.

Feel it.

Mmm! Yeah, check them! Look at that!

- Here you go, brother.

- Alright.

That's what we're aiming for, girls.

Look at them sashay.

- Yeah, yeah.

- That's gonna be you, ladies.

That's it.

J" I'm coming.

J' Hold on.

J' I'm coming... J'

Alright, move it now.

J' Hold on... J'

And put your hands on those hips.

J" Hold on, I'm coming... J'

Come on, back it up, back it up.

J' Reach out to me.

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