by Peggy Platt, the first and so far still the only woman to have won the Seattle International Comedy Competition, died in her sleep earlier this week. Platt was 58.
She won the Seattle competition back in 1985, and in the following three decades, served as a den mother for the city’s burgeoning and progressive comedy scene.
Her highest-profile moment nationally came in 1987 with this memorable appearance in the movie, Harry and the Hendersons, which filmed in the Pacific Northwest.
She also delivered regular “Plattitudes” for Seattle’s Sandbox Radio.
Hear here her monologue on being a spinster at 57.
Locally, she remained a beloved star, not just as a stand-up comedian in clubs around the Northwest, but also performing at benefits for other women as well as LGBTQ issues. She considered herself a feminist comedian. The community considered her an “honorary lesbian”
She also remained a visible presence on stage — whether in her one-woman shows, or her long-running Ham For The Holidays variety revue she put on at Theatre Off Jackson, then the ACT, alongside musical comedian Lisa Koch. Together, they performed as the duo Dos Fallopia.
Koch wrote: “I am numb. Processing the sudden loss of Peggy Platt, my dear friend, comedy partner, feminist sister and firebrand. Together as Dos Fallopia, we survived and thrived as a comedy duo for 28 years. Not together quite as long as The Rolling Stones, but damn close. We were like fire and ice, drove each other crazy, and somehow… it worked. I have never laughed harder with anyone, and I cherish our years onstage and off. I loved, loved, loved writing with you. We cranked out a lot of scripts over the years, and we were proud of most of them. We spent a lot of time onstage in weird wigs and costumes, and when we were on… boy, were we ever on. We were unabashedly feminist, political, and pushed the envelope of comedy. I am damn proud of our work together. I will miss you terribly, old friend. There is a huge hole in my heart, and the masses are grieving your loss. As it should be. You were one of a kind, Peg– and I was lucky to be connected to you all these years. Fly high, Pegster. I love you. Safe journey, and I’ll see you on the other side.”
Peggy Platt’s memorial service will be held at ACT Theatre on Monday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m., organized by theater group Sandbox Radio. “To honor Peggy,” Leslie Law of Sandbox wrote, “in lieu of flowers or gifts, please make donations to Planned Parenthood.”
