The Farewell Tour
Even before the curtain went up on Dame Edna’s opening night show at the Ahmanson, Thom and I joined the laughter as Dr. Barry Humphries’ voice boomed through the theatre with house announcements to silence our cell phones and such. The sheer manliness of his voice juxtaposed against our anticipation of what we knew was to come was hilarious. To know Dame Edna is to love Dame Edna and it was clear from the generous outpouring of laughter and cheers that this audience did both.
In 1955, in his home of Melbourne, Australia, donning dress and lavender hair, young Barry Humphries delighted his university classmates with song and comedy, ceding himself to his alter ego, the divine Dame Edna. And spouting her expertise on everything under the sun, she has charmed audiences all over the world ever since.
The genius of Dame Edna lies in a tradition that seems scarce in the culture of comedy, today. She is outrageous and naughty but always classy. Always. It is refreshing, even relieving to laugh for two hours with not one f-bomb nor any other expletive issued from the stage. Oh sure, that has its place in comedy clubs and the like, but this is a different brand comedy; it is theatre. Bawdy, and perhaps to the politically correct crowd a tad offensive, Dame Edna hits the marks below the belt but with nuance and a wink. Dr. Humphries possesses the intellectual equity of 80 years of life, and a deep knowledge of literature, music, and art that enable him to deliver an exquisite alchemy of performance that is equal parts overt and subtle.
The opening night show was a little wrought with technical difficulties, but none of us seemed to mind. Tip of the hat to Musical Director Jonathan Tessero who sits joyfully at the piano through the entire evening to accompany Edna on just a few songs – silly ones at that. Don’t misunderstand; they are enjoyable ditties, but ridiculous nonetheless. The Farewell Tour production values are up to Ahmanson par, the dancers are sincere and lovely of figure, and the opening video is clever and star studded. Cheers to the audience members who Dame singled out in the grand old style of Don Rickles. If you sit in the first three rows of the theatre, you might find yourself onstage in the second act.
In 2009, Dame Edna played the Ahmanson on her “First Final Tour”. Tonight marked the beginning of what will truly be her last tour, according to Humphries. Don’t miss it; she is something and a half.
Photo cred: https://www.centertheatregroup.org/tickets/ahmanson-theatre/2014-15/dame-ednas-glorious-goodbye/