It's not too often a true dame comes to Boston. But when Dame Edna arrives in town, one must pay tribute.
"I'm a very approachable person. All you need to do is curtsey," says Dame Edna, comfortably perched on a plush chair at Maggiano's Restaurant. The woman is a sight to behold - with her red glittering dress, long hoop earrings, and purple wig - and easily the most dashing lady in the restaurant
Just who exactly is this Dame Edna?
The brainchild and alter ego of Australian comedian Barry Humphries, Dame Edna is a woman of many talents. She's a housewife, international mega-star, investigative journalist, talk show host, author, and teacher, among other things. And, to everyone's fortune, she has decided to travel the world with her show, Dame Edna: The Royal Tour, which hit the Wilbur Theatre earlier this week and will stay until March 18. She recently won a special Tony Award for a live theatrical event as well as a Drama Desk Award and an Outer Critics Circle Special Achievement Award for her performance on Broadway.
But Dame Edna doesn't want to talk about New York. As a matter of a fact, she's quite excited to wet her feet in Beantown. "It's a bit of a dream come true for me, coming here from Melvin, Australia," she gushes. She loves talking about her Australian heritage. "I do come from Melvin, Australia, and I'm very proud of that. And Melvin is a sister city of Boston. Did you know that?"
She holds a tour guide to Boston in her hand - Dame Edna is certainly doing her homework. "When I do my show at the Wilbur, you will think this woman must have lived in Boston all her life. That's what you'll think, " she says, emphatically. She's so earnest that it's hard not to believe her. "I really feel like I'm a Bostonian. I'm even learning to speak without using the letter 'R.'"
She recognizes that Boston often gets short-changed in terms of quality theatrical performances. "Too many people insult you about trying shows out here. You are just an experimental home." She sighs, frustrated. "It's absolutely degrading for Boston that any show as rotten as it possibly could be, with the actors barely remembering their lines, could come here." Dame Edna wants to change all of that. Call it her mission.
"Darlings, you will be presented with a world premiere of a show that I've only given the rubbish everywhere else. I pretty much walked through it. I haven't even tried. And yet I won a Tony?" She's pretty modest for a Dame.
Despite her desire to learn about Boston, she is a bit perplexed by local culture. She finds the Big Dig especially baffling. "I want to get know this little city, which you are very proud of, even though you are tearing it down minute by minute. There is a demolition going on. It looks a bit like Dresden in 1945." Dame Edna magnanimously announces that she intends to donate the funds from her show into the Big Dig. Apparently, she recognizes the city needs all the help it can get.
How did she get from being a housewife in Australia to becoming an international mega-star? According to Dame Edna, it's a rather typical story. When she was the young mother of three children, her friends sent a photo of her in a swimsuit to the local newspaper, the Morning Murdoch, for a contest called "the Lovely Mother contest."
"I won," she exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. "I didn't even know I'd been entered." The prize was a trip to England and a ticket to My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. "I had a lovely semi-obstructed view of the stage," she reminisces. "Luckily, I saw the Rex Harrison half and a bit of Julie Andrews."
But the show was more than just an ordinary theater experience. "It was a about a little flower girl who becomes a duchess. And it inspired me. I'm not just a housewife. There's more in my body. It was an epiphany. A road-to-Damascus experience."
Soon after her trip to England, she became popular in Australia after doing small shows. She went to England and met the Royal Family, who "adored me despite my strongly Republican views." It was not long until she had become an international star.
"I became one of the most famous and attractive, sought after women on the planet. And the lovely thing about me is I can say that, and I still sound modest," she says, laughing in a jolly manner.
Dame Edna is among the most outgoing and funny ladies you'll ever meet. She claims, however, to be an extremely shy person. "I had to have therapy for my shyness. The therapist said the best cure for shyness is to walk onto a stage like the Wilbur and talk non-stop for two-and-a-half hours with changes of props, lovely songs, and dances."
Outside the theatrical realm, she sees herself as somewhat of a fashion leader, not surprising considering her wild getup. She talks freely of how Barbara Bush sought her advice. "I personally eased that woman out of polyester."
She also helped Margaret Thatcher in her time of need. "She was a bossy, rather provincial, dowdy looking woman," Dame Edna says, describing Thatcher in her pre-Dame Edna days. "I turned her into a beautifully dressed, bossy, provincial woman."
Dame Edna plans to thoroughly enjoy her time in Boston. She will impart a bit of wisdom, have a little fun, and maybe even eat some clam chowder. Her visit is more than just an opportunity to present Dame Edna: The Royal Tour to unsuspecting Bostonians. Rather, she sees it as a cultural exchange.
"It is Australia reaching out to Boston and having a little bit of a cuddle across all those miles."
Dame Edna: The Royal Tour, The Wilbur Theater, through March 18th. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster (617) 931-2787, at all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, and directly at the Wilbur Theatre Box Office. $25 to $65. Student rush tickets will be sold the day of the performance, one hour before curtain time, and will cost $25.
