Barry Humphries’ Farewell Tour
London Palladium
Reviewed on Friday 15th November 2013
While many will be sad to learn that 'Eat Pray Laugh' is the legendary Barry Humphries' farewell tour, many will also be thrilled to hear that the star is leaving showbiz with a bang.
Of course Humphries’most loved and famous character is the outrageous, Tony Award winning Dame Edna Everage. However, the first act is dedicated to some of his other comical creations: Les Patterson, his brother Gerard and Sandy Stone. The production gets off to a lively start, with Les creating his new cooking show while spitting over the front few rows. The whole thing is bizarre yet hysterically funny. Although, as anticipation for Dame Edna's sparkling entrance builds, the first act does begin to drag a little and Sandy's section verges on becoming slightly depressing.
The second act begins with a short video about the trials and tribulations Dame Edna has suffered throughout her career which, after a glass of wine, could not have been funnier. The star then makes her grand entrance in true Dame Edna style (and with a little help from a body double). The legendary 'housewife superstar' (her words, not mine) certainly has no boundaries whatsoever and comes across as being very spontaneous. Without doubt, the funniest part of the evening involved a little bit of audience participation and a wedding ceremony, but I really don't want to give too much away.
It was only right that, following a spectacularly brilliant and magical finale, Barry Humphries took to the stage as himself to take one (or two) final bow(s) before making a short speech. I am still struggling to come to terms with the fact that he is 79 years of age, I certainly felt as if I was in the presence of showbiz royalty. If you are a fan or admirer of Dame Edna, there is absolutely no way you can miss Eat Pray Laugh at the stunning London Palladium. I could not think of a better way to wave goodbye to one of showbiz's most loved and most scandalous stars.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
andrew@westendframe.com
Eat Pray Laugh runs at the London Palladium until Saturday 8th January 2013.
Click here to book tickets.
Photo Credit: Alastair Muir
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