Review: A TRIBUTE TO DAME EDNA: OVERDRESSED FOR THE APOCALYPSE at Triad Theater

Michael J. Walters, an award-winning actor and singer, brings his considerable talent to the Triad Theater with his latest show, entitled A Tribute to Dame Edna: Overdressed for the Apocalypse. He straddles several styles, from stand-up comedy to song to impressions, to create a memorable evening.

The much-beloved Dame Edna Everage was the most popular character created and played by the late Barry Humphries - the Australian comedian started playing her in the 1950s and continued to do so for his 50+ year career, from comedy clubs to Broadway to television. The character is instantly recognizable from her distinctive glasses, hair, and voice. Walters is the spitting image of the character on stage, in appearance as well as personality. From her expressive face to her stodgy mannerisms to her trademark insults delivered with a friendly smile, Walters shows off his talent for impersonation. Towards the beginning of the show, the man sitting to my left even turned to me and asked if it was really her.

The core of the show is a form of elaborate in-character stand-up comedy. She hits on topics that will be familiar to longtime fans of Dame Edna - there’s material about her late husband, her two children, and her luxury yacht, the SS Edna. The yacht riff involves an impressive string of innuendos culminating in a dramatic payoff. She waxes nostalgic about her career as a performer, stressing all the roles she was offered but turned down out of her generosity towards other actresses - there’s a particularly funny riff about Patti Lupone and koalas that I won’t spoil.

Akin to a traditional stand-up show, there’s quite a bit of crowd work, a highlight of the evening. Edna mocks people’s attire, at one point telling an audience member that they “must’ve saved a fortune on clothes”. Later, she quips to a volunteer she brings on stage, “Lovely shoes, did a doctor prescribe them?” A few people arrived to the show late, so of course she made sure to train her wit on them for a few moments. At one point she described the entire audience as a “melting pot of mediocrity.” My personal favorite line was when she finished a string of jokes about someone in the crowd with “I don’t mean to insult you, dear, I’m just describing you” - a line that earned her an uproarious laugh.

A notable moment of the show is when Edna brings a volunteer on stage for a seance, which serves as a vehicle for Walters to show off his variety of celebrity impressions. It’s a moment reminiscent of stage magic, reimagined for a comedy show. It’s fast, it’s punchy, and the Bill Clinton joke in particular brought the house down.

There is also tribute paid to Dame Edna’s vocal chops, as Walters performs several songs throughout the evening. There’s a broadway-inspired number about the major benefit of faking one’s death: having a convenient excuse to decline party invitations. Celebrities from Beyoncé to Jared Kushner are turned down in favor of some peace and quiet, told with a wordy delivery against staccato piano chords. There’s a Patti LuPone-centric medley following a series of jokes about the star. Towards the end, she even delivers a fairly straightforward rendition of "When You’re Good to Mama," from the musical Chicago. Walters dips into his lower register for a later number, and sings continuously while applying lipstick, an impressive feat to witness.

Overall, Michael Walters delivers an eminently enjoyable and always-funny performance, one that functions as both a tribute to a much-beloved character as well as its own show. Indeed, those who know little of Dame Edna will have an opportunity to be charmed by the character for the first time. Catch the subsequent performances of A Tribute to Dame Edna: Overdressed for the Apocalypse, on September 21st and 22nd at the Triad Theater. Tickets are available on the Triad's website.

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