Interview: THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A DAME! - Scott Mason is The Honorary Dame Edna Understudy.

Scott Mason as Dame Edna
(Photo Submitted)

HELLO, POSSUMS!

When it comes to naming famously theatrical Delawareans, some from the younger set might immediately name John Gallagher, Jr. or Aubrey Plaza, while others of a certain age take a moment to recall Valerie Bertinelli, Elisabeth Shue, Ryan Phillippe, and Susan Stroman, while the "Obscure Knowledge" group members shout out, "Judge Reinhold, Raúl Esparza, Doug Hutchinson!"

But, did you know that right in college town Newark DE, lives the one and only Honorary Dame Edna Understudy, as crowned by three distinguished judges - Michael Riedel (NYPost), Frank DiLella (NY1) and Michael Musto (The Village Voice) and special guest judges, Michael Feinstein and Barry Humphries (as Dame Edna's Manager). That special someone, with the perfectly coiffed purple hair and all the best bedazzled eyewear, is better known to the locals as Scott Mason.

Scott's artistic resume spans over 35 years and includes over 100 acting roles with Chapel Street Players, Wilmington Drama League. Three Little Bakers, Candlelight Dinner Theatre, The Brandywiners, and Milburn Stone Theater (to name a few), directing over 75 plays for community and regional theaters, thrice presiding as President of Chapel Street Players, membership in the National Dramatists Guild (based on having written over 25 plays for staging in Delaware and on Off-Off Broadway), and being awarded a special "Advocate for the Arts" recognition by the Delaware Legislative Assembly for his continued work in the theater arts within the State and beyond.

Is that enough to keep a person busy? Not this guy! From 2002 until 2012, he performed as DuPont Company Founder, E.I DuPont, at corporate events and has twice partnered with Joyce Hill Stoner to pen original works, First Vote (a telling of the women's suffrage movement in DE) and Tales of the Underground Railroad for presentation to Delaware school students.

Scott's foray into the purple haze of becoming a Dame Edna surrogate lead him straight down a opossum hole spilling onto Broadway. Finding success in manifesting an award winning impersonation of Dame Edna throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Florida, Las Vegas, DC, and Sedona, AZ, in February of 2010, Scott auditioned for the real Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) and Michael Feinstein for the title of "Honorary Understudy to Dame Edna" on Broadway, for their newly created show, All About Me. You can read more about that by clicking this link - Riedel, Musto & DiLella Name Scott Mason Dame Edna Understudy for ALL ABOUT ME - but only after you've finished reading this article.

After (most likely literally) beating the competition and being crowned, Humphries granted Scott permission to use Humphries' Dame Edna material in his future acts combined with Scott's own comedic material. In 2010 and 2012, Scott won "Best Comedian" at the Las Vegas Reel Awards (which is akin to the Oscars for the Tribute Artist Industry), and participated in the Sunburst Conventions for Professional Impersonators taking home awards for "Funniest Male," "Best Transformation," and "Best Male Costume" three times each, all while being inducted into their Hall of Fame for each in 2011, 2013, and 2014, respectively. His Dame has been seen on The Rachel Ray Show and CBS Sunday Morning. He is also featured prominently in the award winning 2010 documentary short, Just About Famous, and its full-length follow-up in 2013.

In order to bring needed healing laughter during the COVID-19 crisis, Scott is posting a series of short videos on various social media platforms. Survivor Sunday features responses to the coronavirus. Mid-Life Crisis Monday has the Dame waxing about aging. Toilet Paper Tuesday offers fun suggestions on what to do with horded rolls of tp. The Dame joins up with pal Whoopi Goldberg (guest star impersonator, Bettina Williams - @akawhoopi) for a few Zoom clips of past shenanigans. On Frequent Flyer Friday, one can learn about the Dame's travels around the world. To learn more about Scott Mason and his Dame impersonation, visit www.dameunderstudy.com and follow @Dameunderstudy.

"There is, perhaps, no more dangerous man in the world than the man with the sensibilities of an artist but without creative talent. With luck such men make wonderful theatrical impresarios and interior decorators, or else they become mass murderers or critics." -- Dame Edna Everage

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