BWW Reviews: DAME EDNA'S GLORIOUS GOODBYE at The National Theatre

Men dressing as women is an art form as old as Shakespeare. In Elizabethan times, women were forbidden from appearing on the stage. Therefore, all of Shakespeare's greatest women, from Lady MacBeth to Portia to Juliet - all originally played by men.

Over the centuries, drag has served multiple purposes. During one particularly dark time in American history, a man named Joseph McCarthy led the way in making certain that anyone deemed a homosexual was subversive and therefore destroying the country. While drag and homosexuality are linked in several ways, they are not mutually exclusive - however, in the days of the Stonewall Riots, women were required to wear 3 items of clothing that were appropriate to their gender and male drag queens were frequently arrested.

Times have happily changed and a few breakout artists have perfected the art form, making it not only artistically, but financially successful. From Ru Paul Charles to Charles Busch, drag is something that touches, entertains, and moves people when done right.

And in her Glorious Goodbye Farewell Tour, Dame Edna Everage is continuing in that brilliant tradition.

Her new show, currently playing DC's National Theatre, is primarily a discussion about class, privilege, gender, marriage equality and all other topics currently affecting Americans.

Throughout the two hour performance, we're treated to a few clever songs, a few stories, but mostly some lively audience discussion.

As Dame Edna, Dr. Barry Humphries tiptoes through the gladiolas while sharing highlights of her own life and bringining in several audience members to the discussion. While onstage, we're even able to witness the Dame performing a live marriage ceremony in front of our very eyes.

The Tony Award winner struts the stage in her many jewels and gowns, surrounded by dancing boys and girls. Throughout the evening she tells the future, dishes on the past and helps us all appreciate the present. And while she's doing it, I was literally falling out of my seat lauging. I actually am in fear that I will not have any voice tomorrow for my business calls because of the amount of laughter that was coming from my mouth. There was literally a moment where I fell out of my chair and landed in the aisle laughing.

Personally, I've had a VERY rough few weeks, so there was no better medicine than the sheer amount of laughter that occurred this evening. So a big thank you to Dr. Barry Humphries, who made a curtain call out of drag, showing us the miraculous and beautiful transformation into the Internationall Adored Mega Star, Dame Edna Everage.

The Farewell Tour is playing through Sunday, April 26th and tickets may be found at The National Theatre.

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