Up close and personal

Judith Sephuma's show at the Turbine Hall gave new meaning to an intimate evening out

I WAS so not in the mood to venture downtown for a function this week, but the inaugural The Glenlivet Legacy Live Show featuring Judith Sephuma was well worth it.

Johannesburg's Turbine Hall was the perfect venue for Thursday night's invitation-only sit-down session that allowed Sephuma to interact with the audience.

The glass hall was beautifully decorated with black and white damask couches and white floral arrangements as centre pieces.

Sephuma, in a floor-length white gown, walked around the room while she was singing, making it feel as if she was performing at your own private party. It's a novel approach to a concert or show and some would enjoy the intimacy.

Curator Raphael Benza promises that there are more shows to come and even hinted that big names, including Hugh Masekela, could follow.

Sephuma showed that it is a winning concept. She did a few impromptu duets with members of the audience and a young man called Morena Sefatsa showed off his talent by singing If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) with the songstress.

I managed a brief chat with Gerry Elsdon, whose hubby Kerry attended the do with her. She wore one of her own creations, a little beige balloon number with subtle stripes and a chiffon sash. Apparently she's also getting into the clothing business. She does the sketches herself but has a seamstress do the rest.

While slightly surprised at Gerry's creative talent, I have to admit I had no clue that she could shake what her mama gave her, as the Americans would say.

Sephuma called her andGenerations actress Sophie Ndaba on stage and the next thing, Ndaba was showing her kwasa-kwasa skills while Elsdon rocked with some Beyoncê moves.

Barrel of laughs

While the crowd cheered, I laughed. Perhaps not quite as much as at Wednesday's launch of MTN's Ayoba Festival and the Black Tie Comedy Tour at The Teatro Montecasino.

Funnyman Godfrey, who was born in the US to Nigerian parents, hosted the event. His jokes about Nigerians were absolutely hilarious. Other visiting US comedians included Aries Spears, Reese Waters, Earthquake and the voluptuous Roz G, who had us in stitches from the moment she walked on stage.

I got a tad bored when most of the Americans opted for an opening line about how happy they were to be in Africa or why it was not what they expected. I thought that line was so last century but their jokes were good.

Local comedian David Kau did give them the thumbs-up though.

Earlier in the week I was lucky to indulge in a scrumptious lunch at the five-star Fairway Hotel and Spa in Randpark Ridge, courtesy of SABC3. The hotel overlooks a golf course so I got to see rich men play golf at 11am - while mere mortals were slaving away back at the office.

We had the pretty Lorna Maseko, one of the new Top Billing presenters, as MC and I must admit I was not surprised to learn that she used to be a ballerina - she has such a lovely body.

The channel had invited us for a glimpse of their festive season line-up. But it started on a strange note when programme manager, Lefa Afrika, kicked off proceedings with an apology about the "glitches" they are experiencing. Apparently SABC3's financial problems left them with egg on their face after they had failed to pay up for several shows, including Expedition Impossible, which was supposed to premiere on Monday night.

But at least lunch was served!

Menu 7/10 - Yummy starters including Asian beef and lemon grass with chick-pea and Caesar salad.

Mains, including linguini tossed with sautéed spinach, olive and tomato, worked well in the summer heat.

The spread of desserts included vanilla and lavender crème brûleé.

Decor: 1/10 - After briefly enjoying the view of the golf course we were taken into a conference room that had no windows. It resembled an office lekgotla - think those mints and note pads.

Venue: 7/10 - What an awesome choice of venue. I felt as if we were outside Johannesburg while we were a stone's throw from the crazy suburb of Windsor.