Advertisement

Comedy Culture

How Eddie rolls

EDDIE IZZARD: FORCE MAJEURE WORLD TOUR at Massey Hall (178 Victoria) from Wednesday (November 13) to November 16, 8 pm. $44.25-$73.50. roythomsonhall.com.

Eddie Izzard has been many things, from street performer to dramatic actor and serial marathon runner.

But comedy remains his comfort zone, and with eight successful specials to his name, it’s clear he’s pretty good at it. This week Izzard kicks off a stint at Massey Hall, part of the largest Canadian tour of his career and his largest worldwide tour as well.

“There’s no particular reason for it, but I suppose the extensive nature is probably to do with ego problems that I have,” says Izzard from somewhere in Scotland. “I’m an ambitious person, and if rock ‘n’ rollers and musicals are allowed to play around the world, then why oh why can’t I, as I think the song goes.”

Ambitious is an apt word for Izzard.

Before his trip to Canada, he finished a tour of France performed entirely in French. In January he’ll pull the same trick in Germany. Neither language was one Izzard spoke even five years ago.

“It’s a bit of a hassle to learn the language, but it’s a beautiful thing,” he says. “It’s like there’s a different version of me existing on another plane. About 15 years ago, I realized that in order to tour the way I wanted, there would have to be a certain change. I stopped writing national humour to focus on universal humour. That actually isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Really, only 10 to 15 per cent of your punchlines and maybe subjects need to be adjusted.”

There’s something about Izzard’s surrealist, stream-of-consciousness style that seems to reach broader audiences than the usual funny man with a microphone. Part of it is his subject matter, which incorporates untapped shared sources like history.

“It’s interesting that no one does history in stand-up, isn’t it?” asks Izzard. “That’s something I noticed around 1990 and picked up. I talk about human sacrifice in this show. I try to find subjects from history that I find intriguing and hopefully can turn into a compelling and bizarre piece. Monty Python are my comedy gods, and they did history and religion first, with Holy Grail and Life Of Brian. So I’m just trying to do what they did.”

Unlike Python, Izzard has never met with any resistance or controversy over his act. His wide appeal owes as much to style as content. He admits that the worst reaction was pretty tame.

“Someone made funny noises and wandered off,” he says. “That’s as far as it goes, and that’s how I roll.”

Interview Clips

Izzard on why he only does dramatic acting:

Download associated audio clip.

Izzard on his early days as a street performer:

Download associated audio clip.

Izzard on writing (or not):

Download associated audio clip.

Izzard on staying “match fit” for stand up between tours:

Download associated audio clip.

stage@nowtoronto.com

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted