The Dame Edna Treatment - 50th Anniversary Show Review

Hello, Possums! Hello, Darlings!

What lucky non-entities you all are - to have spent your Saturday night basking in the glory of the world's most beloved megastar! In fact, it was probably the highlight of your lives, and the rest of your years can't help but be a huge disappointment. After watching Dame Edna's 50th Anniversary edition of her seminal new TV series "The Dame Edna Treatment" , it's bound to be all downhill from this point on.

But worry not, Possums, because we can still enjoy the memories of this fabulous show. And what a celebration it was! With a galaxy of stars on hand, including Robin Gibb, Ivana Trump, Jeffrey Archer, k.d. lang, and James Nesbitt, Dame Edna was surrounded by admirers, and of course, her unfortunate daughter Valmai and the irrepressible Sir Les Patterson.


The show opened with Edna creating an incredible spectacle by flying in on a giant pair of glasses, accompanied by the gorgeous theme song sung by Robin Gibb. The crowd were jubilant, clapping and shouting in amazement and adoration for their favourite housewife/gigastar. Her gown was magnificent - a vision of antipodean glamour (my spies tell me that each dress for this series cost £10,000 !!!!)


This was a fabulous show - probably the best of the entire series! Edna's quickfire wit was on top form, and her "caring and sharing" with her gorgeous little guests truly hilarious, as only it could be for this, the culmination of festivities all over the world to celebrate her 50th year in entertainment.

First on the couch was Slavic beauty Ivana Trump. Dame Edna's introduction was classic (and I'm sure she meant it nicely!): "Please welcome someone who idolizes me, and someone who I don't mind in the least...."

Ivana was great fun! Both women of the world, they discussed a host of topics including beauty, marriage, and charity - all topics Dame Edna knows well.



On beauty, Dame Edna told Ivana: "We're like twins" and "There's hardly a wrinkle on your face....not a great deal of movement either!". She went on to complement Ivana by telling her how relaxed she was with her..."I'm comfortable in my own skin. Let's say you're comfortable in someone else's skin, Ivana...". Fabulous!

When chatting about fitness and health, Dame Edna asked Ivana if she traveled with her gynaecologist (Ivana replied in the negative, but revealed that she travels with younger men). Our gigastar went on to tell her "I have a regular exploratory....I always choose an older man for my gynaecologist. His hand shakes a little, but that's not a drawback." Where else would we get such insights into the life of a gigastar? Classic Edna!

The best moments of the show came when k.d. lang joined the party. She brought Dame Edna a golden beer mug from Canada, to which Edna replied "Well, it's a horrible thing, but it's the thought that counts..."

k.d. clearly had a ball during her interview, giggling throughout the proceedings which was great fun!

They discussed the famous Vanity Fair cover k.d. did with Cindy Crawford, and remarked on the reversal of gender roles. Edna mused "Maybe I should play gender games? I don't think I'd make a very convincing man, k.d.", to which k.d. fell about laughing.

Then came the funniest moment in the entire series... Never one to shy away from controversy, Dame Edna said she wanted to talk about something personal with k.d. She warned that it might offend some viewers, but she wanted to bring it up anyway. She said: "There's no taboo. I make no apologies for the words, the terminology. When did you first know you were....

...Canadian?"

It was absolutely hysterical!

She went on to tell k.d. "People are shocked when you proudly flaunt your national emblems: your maple leaf, your mountie, your beaver...." And being an international guru and counsel to leading figures like Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama, she showed how truly 'nice' she can be by telling k.d. "I accept you as a gorgeous Canadian. I think more people would be happier and fulfilled if they embraced their inner Canadian."

Truly words to live by!

The entire show was filled with gems like this! Her other guests provided some moments of classic Edna too:

When Jeffrey Archer presented Dame Edna with his latest book, she replied "What is it? 'The Gospel According to Judas' ?" Jeffrey's spot later had to be 'aborted' by Edna, who, in a nod to her 1980s series, simply pressed a button on her console, and he disappeared from the set. Wonderful!

James Nesbitt also gave her an opportunity for some gentle probing. Edna noted that he had come to the spa in desperate need of follicle enhancement, and managed to get James to admit to a criminal past (stealing a Barry Manilow album as a child - how shocking!).

She also revealed to her audience that James had said that he loves David Beckham...."and that if there was a world crisis that could be solved if you kissed David Beckham, you would"......"What crisis would that be????" Poor little James didn't quite know how to respond....

And of course, the crowning moment was a show-stopping finale duet featuring Dame Edna and k.d. lang singing "I'm Every Woman!". It was fantastic, and an appropriate climax to this history making series!

But how sad it is that the series has come to an end! What will you do without your favourite gigastar/housewife on your television screens to brighten your dull lives, Possums? I don't think Saturday nights will be the same. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't!

Well here's hoping that we'll see another series soon, and that a fabulous DVD is in stores quicksticks so that we can relive each classic comedy moment. And don't forget to check back with us regularly to keep up with all the latest news about Dame Edna and her creator/manager Barry Humphries!

See you again soon, Possums! Bye-bye now! Bye-bye!