The Tree of Hope 2: Dame Edna in City Hall

One of the reasons the long speeches of the previous speakers were irritating was that they were delaying the arrival of the final speaker, none other than "Gigastar and Icon" Dame Edna Everage.



Thanks to a lovely publicist, I was given a pair of tickets to Dame Edna's show at the Post Street Theatre a couple of weeks ago, but didn't write about it because I left at intermission.



This had nothing to do with Dame Ednas' brilliance and theatrical skills (as channeled through Barry Humphries). It was more because I have a low tolerance for insult humor and one act was enough.



However, in the context of this tree-lighting ceremony in City Hall, Dame Edna truly was a Gigastar and I almost got trampled by a group of excited girls who wanted to take her photo.



Dame Edna made a number of her trademark jokes relating to her beauty and talent as opposed to the total lack of those qualities in the audience, and then she led us in a 10-to-1 countdown for the lighting of the tree.



It really was quite fabulous.



As Dame Edna was hurrying away to her 8PM curtain, I heard her say to one of her handlers, "Well, that certainly was a very MIXED crowd, wasn't it?"



Beth Spotswood's favorite chanteuse, Veronika Klaus, then appeared for a musical performance...



...as some people exited to Civic Center Plaza with its lavender lights on the "holiday" trees outside.