It’s All About Me: Dame Edna to entertain Broadway from 6 Mar

Australia's most honored, beloved, (and Tony-winning) housewife, Dame Edna Everage, will open her new Broadway show It's All About Me on 23 Mar 2010, following previews from 6 Mar, at a theater to be announced.

Regarding Michael Feinstein's show of a similar name (All About Me), Dame Edna wishes to convey the following to her public:

"It's All About Me is my title. While I was saddened to hear that Mr. Feinstein did not heed my sage advice to change the title of his show, I'm overjoyed to hear that he at least took my suggestion to open his show after mine. I'm sure Mrs. Feinstein is very proud of her son."
-Dame Edna Everage

This is Dame Edna's third return to Broadway, following her (Tony Award-winning) 'Dame Edna: The Royal Tour' in 1999, and 2004's Tony Nominated 'Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance.'

It's All About Me will be directed by four time Tony award winner Jerry Zaks, who most recently directed Chazz Palminteri's solo Broadway show 'A Bronx Tale.'

The press release desribes Dame Edna Everage as "housewife, megastar, investigative journalist, social anthropologist, children's book illustrator, diseuse, chanteuse, swami, monstre sacré, polymath, adviser to British royalty, grief counsellor, spin doctor and icon is, arguably, the most popular and gifted woman in the world today."

Barry Humphries created 'Dame Edna Everage' in his native Australia in the 50's, where he quickly gained a cult following. He first preformed her character on the British stage at the Fortune Theatre in 1968 in 'Just a Show' which received a mixed reception from the critics, though rave notices from writers such as John Osborne. This led to a short-lived television series on BBC 'The Barry Humphries Scandals.'

Though Austrailian, Barry Humphries has found a special place in the British hearts where his characters Dame Edna Everage' and 'Sir Les Patterson' - Australia's foul-mouthed cultural attaché to Britain - are household names. Humphries is a regular guest on British chat shows, such as 'The Graham Norton Show,' and 'Parkinson,' hosted by Michael Parkinson. Parkinson's chat show ran on British TV from 1971 - 1982 and 1998 - 2007). Parkinson honoured Dame Edna by asking her to be his final guest on his final show, which was watched by 8.3 million viewers.

Barry Humphries was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Entertainment in 2007, the same year as his native city Melbourne re-named a city street (Dame Edna Place) in his honour.

Dame Edna Everage is a character who refuses to accept her fictional status, in numberous interviews Dame Edna has commented that she finds the idea of a man dessing up as a woman for entertainment purposes "repulsive." According to Dame Edna, Humprhies is merely her manager, and it is reported that the two regularly have disagreements on this issue.