Handling Edna Book Review
February 5th 2010 22:52
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Handling Edna Book Review
Handling Edna
Barry Humphries is an extraordinarily talented man; poet, writer, actor, singer, entertainer, historian, satirist and this is only the tip of the iceberg! Through the eyes of his creations Australia has always seemed far more appealing, funny enough to laugh out loud at. Many years ago I saw one of his shows; At least you can say you've seen it at Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide. His ability to work the crowd is uncanny. My favourite moments of the production were meeting Sandy Stone on his deathbed - or death armchair to be more accurate - ducking for cover when a giant Jaffa came rolling over the audience, rather than down the aisle, and of course, being entertained by the wonderful Dame Edna Everage.
Ever aged, but always glamorous, I do not recall a time when Edna was not mauve haired, I am too young for that, but I do have memories of almost falling out of my chair laughing as I watched The Adventures of Barry MacKenzie the extremely sharp film in which Edna featured and Humphries wrote. The scathing satire of England and Australians in England was almost too funny at the time, and is so jarringly outrageous in our current politically correct stupor it rarely gets screened. Luckily one can purchase TABM and the follow-up film Barry MacKenzie holds his own. There's also the ill fated Les Patterson saves the world, not quite as hilarious, but well worth a look.
The premise of Handling Edna is that it is an unauthorised biography written by Humphries and revealing his journey through life as Ednas accidental theatrical agent and although there are some amusing moments contrived, it does not really satisfy. I would be much happier to read a more realistic, dare I say honest account of his relationship as the man who dons the wig and frock to play this marvellous creation. Of course the problem is that Edna would have none of that. She is too much her own person, and has always pitched a negative opinion of Barry.
I suppose it would be like asking a schizophrenic to write about one of their personalities (as if it were that cut and dried) only to have the subject personality emerge with all guns blazing for the cause of autonomy and individuality. So although this conceit of Edna and Barry as two separate beings works on stage, it gets a little over complicated on the page, particularly when Humphries takes to impersonating Everage at different times, as if to say he cannot make a living on his own and must pretend to be her while her back is turned.
It matters not. The writing is so wildly intoxicating at times and such a joy to read, who cares if the plot is unbelievable? My advice to anyone reading this book is, keep an old dictionary handy, for here we have words you have to check on. There are so many wonderful words to discover (revisit for some older folk I guess) you will have a lot of double checking to do. That is one of the great things about Humphries, he staunchly resists modernising his language. I have no doubt he could if he wanted to, but his tastes reflect a time long passed, and an archaic prose that is otherwise dead in this country.
This is of course part of his charm and great talent. Preserved in his heart mind and lexicon are phrases and words that would be completely lost were he not intent on keeping them hooked up to the machines that do the breathing for them - namely himself.
Laced with some great photographs, this book is a fun read and mostly is one big set up for a terrible joke about a lost child; another quintessential Australian icon, the lost child.
If you are familiar with Dame Edna you will enjoy the book the way I did, reeling in awe at the ability to create such a vivid creature, one who like the Frankenstein monster will not be controlled by its creator. Rather, the monster dictates to the world and does it without shame or much more than bold bald ego.
Edna and Humphries have seasoned the world with a taste of the Australia we had to shed in a way that ridicules it lovingly, but ever so sharply. One day there will no longer be anyone who remembers the 1950's here, and at that time I am certain this will be one of the books that adds a piquant serve of those days. The social mores, the values and the ever so white sensibilities are all built in to this page turner.
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David Jobling
