Barry Humphries, Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson in concert with the ACO
As Master of Ceremonies, Barry Humphries has invited the most popular and gifted woman in the world, Dame Edna Everage, and Sir Les Patterson, Australia’s number one cultural supremo, to appear on stage with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. We talk to the artistic director of the ACO, Richard Tognetti, about working with the trio.
Richard Tognetti’s set-list leaps from the genteel domains of Mozart, Ravel and Rachmaninov and then careens right over into a brassy number called Do Ya Think I’m Sexy. But Tognetti is unphased. This is an evening mastered by the inimitable Barry Humphries: a night full of split personalities, glamour, rapturous music and a touch of scandal.
“You can expect one helluva night out…” says Tognetti about the forthcoming concerts at the Arts Centre. “…As any night out with Barry Humphries is!”
Tognetti and Humphries have been friends for many years and had always hoped for to collaborate.
“Of course, Barry’s a one man show. You don’t direct Barry Humphries. So in a sense the collaboration isn’t about swapping ideas. It’s more about him strutting his stuff and us [the ACO] accompanying him.”
Humphries brought most of the musical program – a characteristically colourful affair – to the table himself. “A lot of people may not know that Barry is obsessed with music. He likes obscure music, music that is steeped in the jazz tradition.” As well as jazz-influenced classical numbers such as Ravel’s Violin Sonata No. 2 in G major, 2. Blues and Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Humphries has included a piece by Marcel Poot – one of the leading figures of early 20th century Belgian musical life - “…and you don’t get more obscure than that.”
The centrepiece of the show will be Humphries’ performance of Façade, Edith Sitwell’s eccentric nonsense poems recited over William Walton’s cheeky, jazzy, hummable instrumental backgrounds.
Beyond that it’s anyone’s guess. Dame Edna is threatening to break out one of her own little numbers and Sir Les has been warming up his favourite Slim Dusty and
Rod Stewart shower-songs.
“Barry’s just so clever…intelligent, perspicacious, and of course, needless to say, funny.”
Written by Ghita Loebenstein.
Read more about Barry Humphries, Dame Edna Everage and Sit Les Patterson in Concert with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on 16 - 17 December.
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