Dame Edna Returns to Eat, Pray, Laugh

Barry Humphries bids farewell at Festival Theatre next November

Dame Edna Everage promises “an orgasmic appearance”  in her farewell live tour, Eat, Pray, Laugh!

By Thom Dibdin

Dame Edna Everage, the “housewife superstar” is to return to Edinburgh for a final fling in November 2013, as part of Barry Humphries farewell world tour.

Humphries’ Eat Pray Laugh! will open in the UK in Milton Keynes in late October, then play Cardiff before coming to Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, running Tuesday 5th to Saturday 9th November.

The show will then transfer to London for a West End season over Christmas 2013.

Dame Edna was born Edna May Beazley in Wagga Wagga, Australia. She first appeared on stage in Melbourne in 1955 as Mrs. Norm Everage, a drab, purple-rinsed housewife satirising Australian suburbia. After performing in London in the 1960s she adopted an increasingly outlandish wardrobe and grew in stature and popularity.

Following film appearances and an elevation to damehood in the 1970s, she became known as “Housewife and Superstar”, then “Megastar” and finally “Gigastar”.

Her television credits include the legendary UK special A Night on Mt. Edna as well as her own innovative chat show The Dame Edna Experience.

Just a bit of foreplay…

The 78 year-old Humphries, who was awarded the CBE in 2007 for “services to entertainment”, announced in March that he would be retiring his most famous alter-ego, Dame Edna, from touring. “Edna will crop up on television I guess but not in a live show,” he told the Sunday Telegraph.

Dame Edna at the height of her powers on her farewell live tour, Eat, Pray, Laugh!

Act One of Eat Pray Laugh! will see the return of Humphries’ other alter egos: the gentle, grandfatherly Sandy Stone and the inebriated cultural attaché Sir Les Patterson.

But, according to Dame Edna, this serves as “just a bit of foreplay really before I make an orgasmic appearance in Act Two.

“You will see me at the height of my powers, taking you on a wonderful spiritual journey you’ll never forget. I’m not saying my show will heal you, but you’ll certainly leave the theatre feeling considerably better for the experience.”

Surrounded by spectacular sets and dancers, Dame Edna promises to “empower” audiences as she meditates on the big issues of gender, ethnicity and climate change.

Humphries has already taken his final bow to audiences in Australia where, due to extraordinary demand for tickets to see the iconic performer, satirist, artist and comedian, further performances were added across the tour.

This brand new show is directed by award-winning Australian theatre director Simon Phillips, who directed the original Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Design is by Tony Award-winning Brian Thomson, who designed the original Australian and London productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Show, as well as the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.

Tickets for the Edinburgh shows go on sale to Friends of the Festival Theatre next Monday, 10 December, and on general sale from Monday 17 December. Online and in-person bookings open at 10am on both days, with phone bookings being taken from 11am.

Details on the Festival Theatre website: www.edtheatres.com

2013 Tour

2014 Tour

* On-sale 27 March
** On-sale 5 Sept

ENDS

Tags: Barry Humphries, Dame Edna, Dame Edna Everage, Festival, News, Sandy Stone, Sir Les Patterson