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Barry Humphries Filmography
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Barry Humphries: Dame Edna
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Dame Edna Everage
Edna Everage is undoubtedly one of the most famous and enduring Australian comedy character of all time. Originally conceived in the late 1950s, she has long since transcended her modest origins as a satire of Australian suburbia to become one of the most successful, best-known and best loved comedy characters of all time. She has grown over the years to become, as journalist Caroline Overington puts it:
"... a perfect parody of a modern, vainglorious celebrity with a rampant ego and a strong aversion to the audience (whom celebrities pretend to love but actually, as Edna so boldly makes transparent, they actually loathe for their cheap shoes and suburban values). (Sydney Morning Herald)
Like her ever-present bunches of gladioli, one of the most popular and distinctive features of Edna's stage and TV appearances has been her extravagant wardrobe, with gaudy, custom-made gowns that satiricaly outdo the most outrageous creations of Hollywood showbiz designers such as Bob Mackie. Her costumes, most of which were created for her by Australian designer Bill Goodwin, routinely incorporate Aussie kitsch icons such as the flag, Australian native animals and flowers, the Sydney Opera House and the boxing kangaroo.
As the character evolved, Edna's always unseen family became an integral part of the satire, particularly the travails of her invalid husband Norm, who suffered from an almost lifelong onslaught of an unspecified prostate ailment. Her daughter Valmai and her gay, window-dresser son Kenny also became intrinsic elements of the act, as did her long-suffering best friend and bridesmaid, Madge Allsop. Throughout Edna's career, Madge has been played by New Zealand born actress Emily Perry (who is now now aged in her 80s) and Perry has the distinction of being the only other actor ever to appear on stage with Humphries in his stage shows, as welll as making regularly appearances in
Dame Edna's TV programs.
Dame Edna is also notable as one of the only satirical characters to make a successful transition from stage to TV without losing popularity in either genre, and her decades-long popularity shows no signs of waning. The talk show format provided a perfect outlet for Humphries' rapier wit and his legendary ability to ad-lib, and it enabled Edna to draw on a wide and appreciative pool of fans among fellow actors and comedians, with scores of top-rank stars lining up to be lampooned on her shows. As other Australian actors have begin to make a wider impression in international film and television, Edna has not hesitated to reveal that it was her mentorship which helped "kiddies" like "little
Nicole Kidman" to achieve their early success.
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EuropeManchester residents confuse ministers with Alex Ferguson and Barry Humphries
If the Cabinet revolt ever comes it will be led by Whassisname Thingy No Idea and Roger Daltrey from The Who.
Published: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 14:58:53 GMT - Source: Telegraph.Co.Uk - Read the article
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