Alreet, Possums? Edna Everage begins farewell tour in Newcastle
Image: Alastair Muir
Legendary entertainer Barry Humphries, a.k.a Dame Edna Everage, opens his final ever tour at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal.
The theatre will be the first date on the iconic performer’s Eat Pray Laugh! tour, which gives audiences the chance to bid farewell to Humphries and his much-loved characters: the Honorable Sir Les Patterson, Sandy Stone and, of course, the iconic Dame Edna Everage.
Created in 1955, Dame Edna is one of the greatest stars of the last 50 years, having played the West End and Broadway on numerous occasions, performing to packed theatres including the Royal Albert Hall at the Last Night of the Poms, as well as countless performances for the Royal Family.
Humphries won a special Tony Award for his 2000 Broadway offering Dame Edna, The Royal Tour and a Tony nomination in 2004 for Back with a Vengeance.
On television, Dame Edna hosted her LWT chat show The Dame Edna Experience, in which she was renowned for treating names such as Sean Connery, Cliff Richard, Mary Whitehouse, Joan Rivers in an irreverent manner.
The first act of Humphries’ farewell tour features gentle, grandfatherly Sandy Stone and the inebriated cultural attaché Sir Les Patterson, with Dame Edna appearing in the second half, surrounded by spectacular sets and dancers.
This farewell show is directed by award-winning Australian theatre director Simon Phillips (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), with design by Tony Award-winning Brian Thomson (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Rocky Horror Show).
Watch Dame Edna with Charles and Camilla:
Eat Pray Laugh! – The Farewell Tour runs at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 January. Tickets can be obtained in person at the Theatre Royal Box Office, by telephone on 08448 112121, or via the theatre’s website. For other dates on the UK tour, visit the show’s website.
