Eddie Izzard is the kind of comic who makes you feel better about yourself… ;that is unless you are not up on your anthropology, astronomy, mythology, geology, astrology, and all the other -ologies he runs past you in his 2 1/2 hour long, substantive, manic monologue. Although arguably sexy to some in his stylized outfits (re: show's title), he is something better, he is smart, and he makes his audiences feel smart, too, by never talking down to them.
For instance, Izzard just assumes you can follow his highly inventive version of the Greek's battle for Helen of Troy: "Achilles - get him in the heel-, Paris, a total dilettante, Odysseus, got there late in the last boat, and the Sirens -did they sing beautiful songs to seduce the sailors into dying on the rocks, such a girlie trick, or maybe they just imitated sirens - (this followed by several versions of recognizable siren sounds) – had to kill Medusa, a Gorgon from the cheese family, who was out buying snake food".
Preceded by audio visual effects worthy of a rock concert, he makes his entrance (he is a self proclaimed male lesbian, straight transvestite or whatever) in an ultra glam outfit: high heeled black boots, over black stockings, under a hip high slit sequined skirt, and black bustier barely covered by a jacket. He is lashed, bejeweled, miscarried and manicured.
Izzard starts out basically enough flaunting fondling and focused on his fake breasts (not implants, just "in's"), "you look thinner because they stick out", they are useful in distracting high officials and can double as ear muffs in a noisy plane, if they don't explode with the altitude. He will lump Superegos (all cross dressers) and transvestites because both have to change before they help except Transvestites take longer and get there too late. On Archeology: "we found something, we don't know what it is, but give us a toothbrush and ten years - could be a stone ". Marshall Arts: "I am a master of Sashimi - you flick fish at people". Is for a ban on all weapons "just allow artillery" and shows how it takes so long to fire anything ("what a tiring mime that was, Marcel Marceau' s are easier")
The pace is so manic that he sometimes gets lost (or so he pretends) and asks the audience "What was I talking about" looking pleased when they remind him, a clever way to keep us involved.
"50 000 years ago we all lived in Africa" he cites launching into a comparison between smokers and racists: "one may hear 'do you mind if I smoke?', never 'do you mind if I'm a racist?'", the closeness of Mars ("not very exciting"), the invention of fire by Jeff Fire, who was tired of salad everyday, the ingredients of balsamic vinaigrette – "vinegar and…model airplane wood?" Americans' obsession with ice: "were you deprived as children?" …
There are geography lessons as viewed by Americans, swipes at President Bush's nonresidential choking on a pretzel ("Where's the cover up for that?"). References to the French,for whom he often performs, in their language: "The French don't say 'je ne sais quoi' because they do know 'quoi'!". Izzard reminds us that "9/11 means the ninth of November in the European listing of day month year (you know there are other countries, don't you?)", the inadvisability of reading the Koran in the plane, and a lesson in comparative religion "Abraham (who founded them all) gets no press at all" and an expletive which he imagines Abraham would have exclaimed when he saw what became of it.
It is interesting to note that, interviewing Mr Izzard during his Tony nominated role in "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" on Broadway, offstage and not in "costume" he was tense, flat and introverted. None of that is evident as he paces around stage, creating imaginary dialogues between characters he has just created or simply playing Devil's Advocate with himself. A master of asides, he cunningly includes the audience in the whole process, commenting on and storing their response for future adjustments in his act or so he would have you believe.
As lofty as most of his reverences, a down to earth take on dentists is guaranteed to blow away any vestige of reserve to which you might have been clinging, and, if isolated, would make the best ever gift to any dentist you know. Speaking to his nurse in dental code: "T1, first tooth, OK, we'd better dislodge it with a mallet - 3rd tooth, the decay which I planted last time has taken hold…the water drill will be blown at MACH 2" and he concludes with a conversation between a Neanderthal and a post anesthesia patient both sounding strangely alike.
But lest you think it is all stream of consciousness Izzard will sneak in references to earlier riffs near the end of his labyrinthine comedic journey, tying the evening up in one gigantic fanciful balloon that will float out along with you. Rumor has it this show may surface in a videotape some months down the road. Grab it!!!
City Center, 55 th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, 5 performances only, Oct 7th – 11th