Dame Edna believes in dressing up and putting effort into what one wears. The theatre is an event, not a place for dirty track suits or filthy trainers.Joan Marcus
After 60 years of delighting and shocking audiences around the world, Dame Edna is preparing to hang up her purple wig for good. Currently on the North American leg of her farewell tour – Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye – the comedy legend (created and performed by Australian satirist Barry Humphries) is on stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto April 9-19. Here, she shares some of the secrets to her success, including why (Earth to Cher!) there should only be one farewell tour.
Secret No. 1: When it's time to leave, it's too late
I'm very proud of the fact that people still want me around. They don't realize because of my youthful appearance that I am getting older. I am tired of travelling, and there are other things that I am excited to focus on. There are so many entertainers where you just think: "I wish they would have stopped while they were still good." I don't do my show for financial gain. I'm not a needy performer. All the same, I think I will go through withdrawal from being in front of an audience. I'll miss that. But the last time I was in Toronto, I was performing at the Royal Alex and the audience all stood up and cheered and the man who was doing the sound recorded it and gave it to me on a CD. Whenever I'm feeling a bit low, I put it on and listen to that audience cheering and it just feels wonderful. So I suppose I can always put that on when I'm feeling a bit down. I don't plan to be one of those entertainers who says they are retiring and then comes back. My fans have to feel like they've come to say goodbye. I don't want to cheat them into thinking this is goodbye when it isn't.
No. 2: Your dirty track suit speaks volumes
I believe in dressing up and putting effort into what one wears. Of course my clothes are very expensive. People used to know how to dress up, but all that has changed. Today, I see women in my audiences and they're not very well dressed and I think to myself: "When do these people wear their nice clothing – to funerals?" The theatre is an event! My shows are special events, and I insist that my Canadian possums dress up for them. I want to see you in your best attire. Not dirty track suits or filthy trainers, people sitting there guzzling water out of bottles.
No. 3: Find the most important G-spot
My favourite letter in the alphabet is G. I have so many G-spots, and so does life: gynecology, golf, gladioli – which I grow on my farm and distribute to my audience members. And then there is gratitude, which is the biggest G-spot of all. When I walk out onto that stage, it hits me like a sledgehammer. I am always so grateful and thrilled to be in front of an audience, and I don't think I have ever taken the people who come to see me for granted. I love to bond with my audiences and they become friends. I get the most wonderful letters. I've had letters from people who've had horrible illnesses and they've come out of my theatre and they've found themselves cured. Now please, I'm not saying I'm in line for a sainthood, but I have heard rumblings from Rome. It's just a possibility.
No. 4: Telling it like it is (to the Queen)
The Queen is the hardest-working woman in the world. Nobody works as hard and no one has a better complexion. From her I have learned a certain fortitude. She likes me because I speak frankly to her. Once she told me that she didn't like the movie about her with Helen Mirren. She said, "Edna, you should have played me." I said, "I can play you as a young woman, but who's going to play you as you are now?" I suggested Maggie Smith.
No. 5: If you seek fame, it will always hide
I have always worn fame as a loose garment, and that's the best advice I can offer. It's something I didn't strive for – it was a bonus. Fame is like love: It creeps up on you unexpectedly. The people who pursue it never really find it.
This interview has been condensed and edited by Courtney Shea.