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Dame Edna Everage and the Rise of Western Civilization: Backstage With Barry Humphries
John Lahr is one of the most celebrated critics of the performing arts. Winner of Britain's 1992 Roger Machell Award for the best writing about public performance, Dame Edna Everage and the Rise of Western Civilisation is an insider's account of a great clown and a great act. It takes us backstage at London's Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, with Barry Humphries, and into the weird and wonderful world of his show-stopping creation--Dame Edna Everage.Humphries is a prodigious comic talent. His copresence in Edna-- a character so real to the public that her autobiography, My Gorgeous Life, appeared on the nonfiction list--actively invites speculation about reality and fantasy, male and female. With her "natural wisteria" hair and her harlequin eyeglasses, Dame Edna was the first solo performer to sell out the most famous theater in England, and she also took the United States by storm, filling theaters from coast to coast. Hilarious and malign, polite and rude, highbrow and very low, the character Barry Humphries inhabits is a bundle of contradictions.John Lahr, the son of another comic genius, takes us behind the scenes to investigate how a provincial dandy from Melbourne transformed himself into one of the most unlikely megastars of today. In showing the connection between Humphries's comedy and the life it parodies, Dame Edna Everage and the Rise of Western Civilisation goes beyond reportage to an exploration of the nature of comedy, a subject that Lahr has pursued over the years in his acclaimed biographies of Bert Lahr, Noël Coward, and Joe Orton. Richly entertaining and engagingly written, this book is an anecdotal treatise on the nature of comedy and an absorbinginquiry into what makes us laugh.
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
32 people want to read
About the author
John Lahr
65 books37 followersJohn Lahr is the senior drama critic of The New Yorker, where he has written about theatre and popular culture since 1992. Among his eighteen books are Notes on a Cowardly Lion: The Biography of Bert Lahr and Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton, which was made into a film.
He has twice won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. Lahr, whose stage adaptations have been performed around the world, received a Tony Award for co-writing Elaine Stritch at Liberty.
He divides his time between London and New York.
He has twice won the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism. Lahr, whose stage adaptations have been performed around the world, received a Tony Award for co-writing Elaine Stritch at Liberty.
He divides his time between London and New York.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 5, 2013
A good read; insightful, nice depths and full of moments that are downright laugh aloud funny. Humphries and his caricatures are examined and explained with candour, often brought to life by quoting Humphries backstage, in performance or via his theatrical team. His private life is not invaded unless some understanding is needed to flesh out a point. While it is clear that John Lahr likes his subject, this is no whitewash either.
Lahr observes Humphries doing his show in a season at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. To get a booking at this theatre, Humphries has clearly made it big. Signs advertising the show are so large they can be seen clearly by patrons to Covent Garden. Following one performance, there is a major police operation on the streets of London to whisk Humphries to the Palladium to be the closing act in a charity show in the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Following this he will attend a private reception with them.
So how did the lad from Melbourne get there? What was there about Humphries the man that had drawn him to develop his three quite different characters, Les Patterson, Sandy Stone and Dame Edna, all with a decidedly down under flavour and play them with such comic aplomb that translates them to a worldwide audience? What part did his upbringing, his early environment play in this? What hurdles did he face, what encouraged him to continue? How did he hone his undoubted talents? How did his antics as a student and early revues lead to these heady heights? Where did his desire to shock come from? Why is he still relevant? How does he manage that? What drives this man? This is the stuff of the book. That Lahr accomplishes this in such a way that respects Humphries privacy to such an extent, except where totally relevant is another feat, just as skilful.
Humphries' move to London is examined in detail. How he establishes himself on the London scene both personally and professionally. This was the period of his alcoholism and a time when his desire to be in the right place at the right time sees him set a frenetic and punishing pace. His not-so-private antics are discussed frankly. Friends both laughed and cringed.
Throughout we are also treated to a full account of Humphries' life backstage during the run at Theatre Royal, who chooses his victims, the tensions, the mishaps, what he enjoys; we learn a lot about the show too for those who haven't seen it. A lot of laughs here, especially from the words to Humphries' songs which pepper the book.
John Lahr went with Humphries to Jersey to end this tour. Interesting insights here into what fuels a good performance, the crew as a bonded team at work and at play. Interesting comments on the mercurial nature of Humphries, - never sticks to arrangements. Also that he craves attention. Really???
Humphries ultimately grants Lahr an interview. The men spend time together at the end of the Jersey show and enjoy each others company. Humphries is as amusing and mercurial as ever and this reveals something more of the man - without an audience or a show but still hiding behind the characters, his professional image or that he breathes them and thinks of little else? I think some of both.
Finally we see Dame Edna at the release of her book My Gorgeous Life. It's an interesting spectacle, particularly so when Edna is badgered by an Aussie journalist about Barry Humphries' marriage break-up and the effects on the two boys. Edna stays in character despite Humphries fury. Lahr leaves us with the thought that this is a mark of his professionalism to the end.
Do we meet Humphries the man? Rarely. There is the odd reference to his habit of disappearing to search through bookstores instead of attending meetings to run through the show in a new venue that infuriate the team, but apart from where it impinges on Humphries the comic, we know almost nothing more about him, save that he is a shy private fellow; as retiring as Edna is in your face. Do we know the hows and whys of Humphries the comic? You bet. A superb job and entertaining read on many levels.
Lahr observes Humphries doing his show in a season at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. To get a booking at this theatre, Humphries has clearly made it big. Signs advertising the show are so large they can be seen clearly by patrons to Covent Garden. Following one performance, there is a major police operation on the streets of London to whisk Humphries to the Palladium to be the closing act in a charity show in the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Following this he will attend a private reception with them.
So how did the lad from Melbourne get there? What was there about Humphries the man that had drawn him to develop his three quite different characters, Les Patterson, Sandy Stone and Dame Edna, all with a decidedly down under flavour and play them with such comic aplomb that translates them to a worldwide audience? What part did his upbringing, his early environment play in this? What hurdles did he face, what encouraged him to continue? How did he hone his undoubted talents? How did his antics as a student and early revues lead to these heady heights? Where did his desire to shock come from? Why is he still relevant? How does he manage that? What drives this man? This is the stuff of the book. That Lahr accomplishes this in such a way that respects Humphries privacy to such an extent, except where totally relevant is another feat, just as skilful.
Humphries' move to London is examined in detail. How he establishes himself on the London scene both personally and professionally. This was the period of his alcoholism and a time when his desire to be in the right place at the right time sees him set a frenetic and punishing pace. His not-so-private antics are discussed frankly. Friends both laughed and cringed.
Throughout we are also treated to a full account of Humphries' life backstage during the run at Theatre Royal, who chooses his victims, the tensions, the mishaps, what he enjoys; we learn a lot about the show too for those who haven't seen it. A lot of laughs here, especially from the words to Humphries' songs which pepper the book.
John Lahr went with Humphries to Jersey to end this tour. Interesting insights here into what fuels a good performance, the crew as a bonded team at work and at play. Interesting comments on the mercurial nature of Humphries, - never sticks to arrangements. Also that he craves attention. Really???
Humphries ultimately grants Lahr an interview. The men spend time together at the end of the Jersey show and enjoy each others company. Humphries is as amusing and mercurial as ever and this reveals something more of the man - without an audience or a show but still hiding behind the characters, his professional image or that he breathes them and thinks of little else? I think some of both.
Finally we see Dame Edna at the release of her book My Gorgeous Life. It's an interesting spectacle, particularly so when Edna is badgered by an Aussie journalist about Barry Humphries' marriage break-up and the effects on the two boys. Edna stays in character despite Humphries fury. Lahr leaves us with the thought that this is a mark of his professionalism to the end.
Do we meet Humphries the man? Rarely. There is the odd reference to his habit of disappearing to search through bookstores instead of attending meetings to run through the show in a new venue that infuriate the team, but apart from where it impinges on Humphries the comic, we know almost nothing more about him, save that he is a shy private fellow; as retiring as Edna is in your face. Do we know the hows and whys of Humphries the comic? You bet. A superb job and entertaining read on many levels.
November 7, 2014
There are two stories here, and I was a bit put off by each of them. One is about the character of Dame Edna Everage (and, to a lesser extent, the characters Sandy Stone and Les Patterson); the other is about their creator and portrayer, Barry Humphries. I have long been a fan of Dame Edna, but by the end of the book had come to dislike her, and while I had no knowledge of or opinion about Humphries before reading the book, he comes through as a genuine artist and an ever greater jerk. Both Edna and Humphries come through as abusive bullies and are hard to like.
Bawdiness can be fun, but crudeness repels, and unfortunately, Edna comes through as too much of the latter. Her humor comes from humiliating both random audience members (not cool) and celebrity guests (more fun). I have only seen the TV shows, and the book made it clear that the stage performances were a great deal raunchier. The upside, I suppose, is that Dame Edna does indeed acquire the shape and substance of a real person, and Humprhies is adept at staying in character.
Barry Humphries had what many would seem a tough life, though he was raised in a comfortably middle class Australian home and attended a prestigious boys private school. But his parents paid him little attention, especially his mother, and one might see Dame Edna as an over-the-top revenge against a lingering sense of childhood oppression. From an early age, Humprhies was gifted at being outrageous, sometimes humorously but more often just annoyingly. He suffered from alcoholism, and has three failed marriages and a fourth wife at the time the book was written. He does, amazingly, have a number of loyal friends, but boy do they put up with a lot. He goes to great lengths to embarrass them, ignores them to talk on the phone while socializing, turns up at odd hours and plays some very nasty tricks on them.
And he is a monster to work for. He is described as "cold and cruel" to his staff. "He needs to feel he is above us," one says. He consistently fails to keep promises, is late for appointments, won't attend rehearsals, throws innumerable tantrums. He has a lot of trouble being direct, and is infuriated by criticism. He comes through as arrogant, vengeful, petulant, immature and excessively thin-skinned.
John Lahr has done meticulous research, and the book has integrity. It is also hard to tell how he feels about Humphries, which I suppose is good journalism, though the book sure makes the guy look bad. But I never could figure out how the book was structured. It bounces around in time, and the themes of the chapters were not clear to me.
In the end, the book is not actually a bad read, and there are moments of fun. The problem, I suspect, is the subject, and Lahr may have done the best with Dame Edna and her creator than could be done. Somehow, though, I was left wanting more.
Bawdiness can be fun, but crudeness repels, and unfortunately, Edna comes through as too much of the latter. Her humor comes from humiliating both random audience members (not cool) and celebrity guests (more fun). I have only seen the TV shows, and the book made it clear that the stage performances were a great deal raunchier. The upside, I suppose, is that Dame Edna does indeed acquire the shape and substance of a real person, and Humprhies is adept at staying in character.
Barry Humphries had what many would seem a tough life, though he was raised in a comfortably middle class Australian home and attended a prestigious boys private school. But his parents paid him little attention, especially his mother, and one might see Dame Edna as an over-the-top revenge against a lingering sense of childhood oppression. From an early age, Humprhies was gifted at being outrageous, sometimes humorously but more often just annoyingly. He suffered from alcoholism, and has three failed marriages and a fourth wife at the time the book was written. He does, amazingly, have a number of loyal friends, but boy do they put up with a lot. He goes to great lengths to embarrass them, ignores them to talk on the phone while socializing, turns up at odd hours and plays some very nasty tricks on them.
And he is a monster to work for. He is described as "cold and cruel" to his staff. "He needs to feel he is above us," one says. He consistently fails to keep promises, is late for appointments, won't attend rehearsals, throws innumerable tantrums. He has a lot of trouble being direct, and is infuriated by criticism. He comes through as arrogant, vengeful, petulant, immature and excessively thin-skinned.
John Lahr has done meticulous research, and the book has integrity. It is also hard to tell how he feels about Humphries, which I suppose is good journalism, though the book sure makes the guy look bad. But I never could figure out how the book was structured. It bounces around in time, and the themes of the chapters were not clear to me.
In the end, the book is not actually a bad read, and there are moments of fun. The problem, I suspect, is the subject, and Lahr may have done the best with Dame Edna and her creator than could be done. Somehow, though, I was left wanting more.
September 24, 2014
Very nice.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews