Barry Humphries Farewell Tour – Eat, Pray, Laugh! (Southampton – tour)

A self-proclaimed “Dame”, and yet we Brits totally accept this is a worthy title for this outrageous, and extraordinary, entertainer that is Barry Humphries. Nearing 80, he enraptures his audience with pathos, impropriety, dancing, singing, tales of days gone by and sheer caustic, xenophobic wit.

In the first half of the show we encounter the return of Sir Les Patterson, formerly known as the Australian cultural attaché. He now aspires to being a celebrity chef and demonstrates his culinary skills rustling up noxious rissoles in between explosive toilet humour, slobbering and spitting saliva over the front few rows. He, of course, typifies political incorrectness and gets away with chauvinistic barbs throughout his portrayal. It is way past "near the knuckle"; it is halfway up the arm!

Les then morphs into his brother, Gerard, a clergyman with dubious tendencies. This is a character we have not encountered previously. He is as objectionable as Sir Les and as the plot unfolds his huge neon electronic ankle tag, rings loudly alerting us to horribly unsavoury antics.

The last character before the interval is Sandy Stone, who delivers an ethereal, melancholy monologue. He reminisces about his wearisome suburban, unfulfilled life; life since his cremation and an attack on the care of his dear wife before she died in the "care system". He is probably my favourite character because the despair he expresses really translates into the way our aging population is currently being treated.

In the second half of the show we finally get to see Dame Edna, the housewife; superstar dazzlingly bedecked in jewels and sporting her trade mark over-sized spectacles. She does not disappoint. Dame Edna reveals she has undergone a spiritual awakening in an ashram and this is the reason she is leaving the insincere world of show business behind. In her newly acquired spiritual role she drags two ill-matched audience members on to the stage to join them together in a pseudo-marriage. Dame Edna is at her best when interacting with her audience. Her lip curling, aside barbs are as toxic as ever, the twinkle in her eye complemented with one eyebrow raised, confirms the "look" has hit the spot and the innuendos come thick and fast. Two and three quarter hours of pure, unadulterated delight.

After a hilarious faux documentary about his career to date, Humphries returns as himself to make us promise that we will join him again on his next farewell tour. This, of course, is followed by the ritual waving of gladioli, culminating in a standing ovation. He is, and has been a comic genius, an institution we have taken to our hearts, and one we will never forget.

Goodbye Possums! And thank you Barry Humphries for sharing nearly six decades with us.

– Veronica Crowley