English: GARTER & QUAIL

Garter & Quail is the name of an Australian comedy act by comedian/writer Simon Roptell which in 2008 was made into a half an hour film special. It is a parody about two abstract artists played by Roptell and Morgan Dehar.

The act is an ode to the modern artists “Gilbert & George” and Roptell attributes The Young Ones, The League of Gentlemen and the Five Go Mad comedies as a great source of inspiration.

CHARACTERS

QUAIL

Played by Morgan Dehar, Quail is a decaying old man with an upper crust British accent who, despite being in an artistic collaboration, does all the artwork. He is eccentric, depraved and self destructive. His kindness towards Garter is not returned and seems to be unaware of his partner’s ulterior motives. Like Gilbert and George, his artworks contain pieces of faeces, some by accident.

GARTER

Played by Simon Roptell, Garter is an older Russian opportunist who wears dark sunglasses, a trenchcoat and red pvc gloves. He sponges on Quail and is secretly masterminding his partner's downfall. He was once a spy, sent by the Bolsheviks to spy on a group of modern artists that were not modern. These were artists that were using old styles but slapping on modern inflated prices. He lives with Quail in the leafy part of Surry Hills in Sydney.He has been face to face with Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin and Melissa Tkautz.