In a superior stand-up comedy performance called Dress to Kill, Eddie Izzard spins free-flowing jokes about San Francisco (where the comedy concert was filmed), transvestitism, squirrels, American optimism, Hitler, the British royal family, mass murder, and Stonehenge–and that’s only the first 30 minutes.

The centerpiece of the performance is a retelling of British history from Stonehenge through to the Reformation. This is done with Izzard adopting a very Italian accent (and miming riding on a Vespa) to signify the Pope talking to Henry VIII (“who is Sean Connery for this film”) and explaining that he can’t marry as many wives as he wants to.

This is set against the backdrop of Martin Luther pinning his 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral, a paper that reads “Einen Minuten bitte. Ich habe einen kleinen Problemo avec diese Religione.” “He was from everywhere,” explains Izzard to great cheers from the audience. Similar to his use of Sean Connery as the voice of Henry VIII, he uses the voice of James Mason as the voice of God.

His mercurial patter is sprinkled with four-letter words, but his twinkling glances make this more mischievous than crude. Izzard has delivered some excellent performances in movies (like Velvet Goldmine and The Cat’s Meow), but it’s on stage that he really explodes with daffy wit and charisma. Simply brilliant and completely addictive; you will want to watch this over and over.

It’s as if this ingenious comedian says whatever comes off the top of his head, but giving that impression demands cunning and skill; Izzard romps through human history and transforms surprisingly complex ideas into biting satire–as well as knockout bits of sublime frivolity, like describing the movie Speed entirely in French. — (more…)

For more information about Steve Roye, author of this blog and the Killer Stand-up Online Course, click here.

It could be said that Eddie Izzard is one of those rare comedians who has the ability to produce and deliver intelligent high impact stand-up comedy material without talking down to an audience.

Few comedians can compare with Izzard, who can spin comic gold out of papal history, monkeys with guns, Jesus preaching to the dinosaurs, and cafeteria food on the Death Star.

Circle (DVD) is taken from his stand-up tour in 2000 and doesn’t have the astonishingly seamless free-associative flow of Glorious or Dress to Kill, his previous specials–which is to say, he’s only intermittently brilliant, instead of supernaturally nonstop brilliant.

We’ll take what we can get, because Izzard can slip in surprisingly stinging commentary about international politics and religion, yet his impish smile suggests that he’s only pointing out the obvious.

Izzard quickly tosses out an idea and then plays with it like a cat plays with a mouse, flipping it around, teasing it out, pouncing, and then letting it go, only to sneak back up on it just when you’d forgotten it was there.

Cheeky, subversive, and very, very funny. Enjoy the best of live comedy with the master of sublime (more…)

Please note that Eddie Izzard is one of the comedians featured in the Killer Stand-up Comedy System as a stellar example of the more new, more conversational style of stand-up comedy as opposed to the old school “set-up/punchline” sort of approach.

For more information about Steve Roye, author of this blog and the Killer Stand-up Online Course, click here.