'Each of the other biographies streams easily from childhood, through to the early struggles of artistic exploration, to maturity and the many comedic and theatrical projects and ventures that the artist is involved with, and to the finale of a life well lived. The text jumps from university theatre where Humphries excels at creating grotesque characters, to a country tour of Twelfth Night directed by Ray Lawler where Humphries develops Edna as a cruel impersonation of CWA women, to the appearance of Edna in a Ray Lawler review just prior to the Olympic Games in 1955, to Humphries' first stage show starring Edna, A Nice Night's Entertainment in 1962, and so on. Max Gillies began his career through student acting at Monash University in Melbourne and from there joining the Australian Performing Group, working out of the Pram Factory in the inner Melbourne suburb of Carlton.' (Publication abstract)
