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Such was his Melbourne success the show transferred to the Comedy Theatre. Tickets, priced at $3.50, and $2.40 for a group booking, were at a premium!<\/p>\n
For all the access over the years, I was not a friend of Barry Humphries. I was a professional colleague, able to satisfy a particular role in his life, at several given times.<\/p>\n
Many will write chronologically about his illustrious career, the narrative of which he controlled, cleverly. With time, fact and fiction have become clouded to suit the occasion.<\/p>\n
For my part, I was privileged to sit in his dressing room – eight performances a week – and watch the intriguing transformation of Barry into Edna.<\/p>\n
I never tired of listening. His eye was sharp, and his humour observational. He noticed every idiosyncratic nuance of other people. He commented and questioned. He viewed the world through a complex and creative prism. Nothing escaped his attention.<\/p>\n
He was a perfectionist. I doubt you could have such a career today.<\/p>\n
When, in 2012, he announced his last major tour starring Dame Edna, I went along to a matinee at His Majesty\u2019s Theatre, Melbourne.<\/p>\n
Having been with him at his renaissance, I wanted to experience the finale, and not so much for Dame Edna, but more to see Sandy Stone for one last time. Always, I stood in the wings, watching as Humphries weaved the magic of the old man. It was a masterclass.<\/p>\n
At the end of the show I went backstage to see him. On this occasion, he did to me what I had seen him do, in the past, to others. He told the theatre manager he did not want to meet with me.<\/p>\n
While I was disappointed, I was not shocked. It is part of what made Barry Humphries a star. I had been gifted more than my fair share of his time and unique, creative energy. While, always, there was a public recognition, I no longer served a specific purpose.<\/p>\n
With hindsight, and mindful of his passing, I am truly grateful I was allowed to know him, and to have been a minor part of the extraordinary life of John Barry Humphries AO CBE – 17 February 1934 to 22 April 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PARADOXICALLY, alcoholism proved to be the turning point of his career. In Melbourne, 1970, after a protracted drinking binge, Humphries was found bashed and lying unconscious in a gutter. Appearing in court, he was charged with being drunk and disorderly. A sensible magistrate adjourned the case for six months, ordering charges be withdrawn if there […]<\/p>\n