DAME EDNA'S GLORIOUS GOODBYE Tour Comes to the National Theatre Tonight

In a side-splitting, historic finale, Dame Edna Everage (Barry Humphries) is capping a spectacular career spanning 50 years of bravura showmanship in this farewell celebratory show at the National Theatre for one week only, tonight, April 21- 26. Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye - The Farewell Tour will give audiences the chance to bid farewell to the incomparable Dame Edna, arguably Australia's greatest entertainment export.

Ticket prices start at $48 plus applicable service charges, and are available at the National Theatre box office, online atthenationaldc.com, or by calling (800) 514-3849. A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of best available seats at $25 each - cash only - will be held at the theater two hours before each performance. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling (855) 486-2516. For more information, call (202) 628-6161 or visit thenationaldc.com.

Surrounded by spectacular sets and gorgeous, talented dancers, Dame Edna keeps her audience enthralled and "in stitches" with her sparkling wit, mischievous wisdom and razor-sharp banter. With her take-no-prisoners comedy and hijinks, Dame Edna is not going out with a whimper: No one is safe from the Dame's wicked tongue.

This brand new show is directed by award-winning Simon Phillips, who directed the original Priscilla Queen of the Desert and is currently directing First Wives Club, with design by Tony Award-winning Brian Thomson, who designed the original Australian and London productions of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Rocky Horror Show, as well as the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.

Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye - The Farewell Tour opened to rave reviews in Australia and moved to adoring crowds in London and throughout the UK, where Neil Norman of the Daily Express said, "I almost asphyxiated myself with laughter;" and Mark Shenton of the Sunday Express said Dame Edna is "a comic, cosmic wonder." John Lahr of The New Yorker paid tribute, "Dame Edna may leave the stage, but she will never leave my heart. I love her. I honor her. I cherish the high times she has made for me and millions of others."

Dame Edna is one of the greatest stars of the last 50 years, winning a Tony Award® for her Broadway show, The Royal Tour. The "housewife superstar" has played the West End and Broadway on numerous occasions, performing to packed theatres including the Royal Albert Hall at the Last Night of the Poms, and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane as well as countless performances for the Royal Family. Television credits include the now legendary UK special, "A Night on Mt. Edna" and two series of her own innovative chat show, "The Dame Edna Experience," with special guests Cher, Roseanne Barr, Sean Connery, Mel Gibson, and the late Robin Williams.

Her books include Dame Edna's Coffee Table Book, Dame Edna's Bedside Companion and her seminal autobiography, My Gorgeous Life, which is currently being adapted for the stage and screen. Possibly Jewish, Dame Edna is a widow, with three grown children. She spends her time visiting world leaders and jet-setting between her homes in Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Switzerland and Martha's Vineyard. She is the Founder and Governor of Friends of the Prostate and the creator of The World Prostate Olympics.

Photo by Craig Schwartz