cake or death: an eddie izzard site

Okay, so it's 16th December 1999, the concluding night of Eddie Izzard's latest tour, CIRCLE, and an exceptionally well-dressed audience arrives to welcome another night of surreal, intelligent and entertaining humour and observation. We're greeted by a stylishly designed set, featuring a backdrop of the universe and in contrast to this, the tour's emblem of the very tactile, giant purple rose in the foreground. There is also a continuation in the use of groovy lighting - sound & lighting synchronisation at the outset of the show, something which you'll recognise from the previous tours. Brixton Academy is an ideal choice as a stage environment for this performance, it's an epic venue, very theatrical, very encompassing as is Eddie, so it's a great combination. The show also has a new music theme (as you've come to expect), along with a new composer (Sarah McGuinness), less orchestral more dance inspired, and really well devised.

And cue, Eddie, making a grand entrance, to descend from the equally beautiful, purple rose, to the stage, in a (probably Jean-Paul Gaultier) black/charcoal pleated skirt and fluffy trimmed, sequined (according to Eddie) top, and some rather inspiring knee-length boots.

Eddie appears to be really captivating throughout this performance, and engages the audience fully, there is a sense that he is directing all his comedy energy at every individual in the venue, like a one-to-one tutorial with the roles of tutor and student being constantly reversed and exchanged. He brings along a new catalogue of themes and thoughts, as well as referring to previous subject matter but broadening it all the time. He also displayed his humour reflexes dealing with one of the night's sole hecklers who threw an inaudible, antagonistic comment at Eddie, whose reaction was like a rapid-firing shot, his defence was engaged and a nameless individual's comments were rendered ineffective and vetoed. Eddie advising the nameless figure to just kind of breath, relax and just generally Zen out a bit. Touche.

Much was said throughout the night, well, (that's what you'd expect anyway) much was also sung, including the Carpenter's, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody lyrics (Galileo, Galileo, will you do the fandango?) as an introduction of Galileo to Socrates and a singing Margaret Thatcher.

Eddie also makes clear references to his confessed love of film, speaking about Star Wars and it's new implications on child numeracy (thanks to this whole prequel thing) and the annoying lack of vocabulary of Jar Jar Binks plus his general character defaults. There are also observations on Darth Vader, and the notion that there must have been a canteen on the Death Star, followed by Eddie, placing Darth into the situation of queuing and not being recognised and also not following the unwritten rules of canteen culture. Resulting in Darth being confronted by a canteen lady who refuses to serve him saying, "You can't do anything in here without a tray," he replying "I can kill you with a single thought", and attempting to bypass this 'tray' rule. . Verbal table-tennis ensues resulting in Darth being beaten down by the canteen lady. A second battle occurs as he reluctantly gets a tray and then tries to return to his place in the queue and he starts to protest with "I've reserved an order (for an Italian pasta dish).". He's offered peas with it, trying to sound upper-class/ highly esteemed he refuses insisting that they are never served together but again he backs down and his artificial principals are withdrawn.

He also breaks into a monologue about Socrates and his over-philosophising tendencies along with the intrinsic problems of meeting someone like that. Namely the impossibility of having any kind of meaningful conversation, just a bombardment of eternal questions with no room for discussion - the who are you? what am I? what am I doing? what are you doing? are you okay? what is okay? kind of ponderences which would drive you to complete annoyance and possible destructive behaviour.

Circle also features regulars, Jeezy Creezy and God (James Mason), and the creation of Adam and Eve, in his image, but what was the whole dinosaur thing? Was he on drugs? The fact that dinosaurs have small arms, which are only really useful for playing piano and holding/ playing cards, and the strange thing of the brain in the tail and it being the size of a pea.

He also talks about the Cow situation in Europe and offers up the obvious but currently neglected thought that we should Feed them grass, it's free not endangered. Greenpeace haven't protested against endangered grass.They haven't jumped aboard their ship and sailed it to a large field. Whatever happened to grass? . On another animal area, there is Eddie's idea about dolphin song with his suggestion that "Dolphins are the DJs of the sea. Dolphin song, if you slow it down would actually sound more like I love you Baby, and if it's quite alright, I love you baby, da da dah dah da" kind of showbizy. Or doing a Carpenter's Song. With both ideas receiving audience acknowledgement, carried on a ethereal tidal wave.

Throughout the night, Eddie gave energetic and truly improvised displays of (in his own words) swooshy skirt action, leading to observations on Flamenco, and his amazing abilities of mime, including sponge walls, shelving, and feeling buttocks.

He also delved into the world of the Guinness Book of Records and the bizarre records contained within it. Plus the added feature of the B.C bug featuring donkeys with collapsing legs, and perculiarities.

After the gig, I was also fortunate enough to meet Eddie, who was friendly, gorgeous and really hospitable, who received requests for mesages on people's trousers, tops and various other locations. He was all that I expected and a little bit more.

*and there is also the reference to fashionability (from Glorious / Definite Article) - looking cool to looking like a dickhead.

And as a summary, it was an excellent show despite previous comments, brilliantly staged, with very energetic delivery and I look forward to the next tour and whatever projects Eddie has up his chosen sleeves.

I saw Eddie at Brixton Academy twice, and laughed both nights helplessly until I had a pain. I know that other people did too and his comedy belongs to us.Eddie's comedy is not part of the new short-attention-span world, it is not mediocre throw away new gags, it is classic comedy in the making. Our world is a world of Bees, Cats, James Mason and Sean Connery. Eddie's comedy is living, growing and evolving. We like the familiar bits, they make us laugh again and again and never seem stale.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the beginning of the tour in Portsmouth as planned, but I have a sneaking feeling that I would have enjoyed that too as I can watch his vids over & over again and find different bits funny each time.

I realise that not everyone will agree, and those people wrote to Watchdog and complained that they were cheated, but I always feel cheated when I watch so called 'new', 'fresh' comedy. I find a lot of so called comedy shallow and unfunny.

I had always thought of Eddie as a cult comedian who would not appeal to most people, but suddenly his comedy took off and he was flavour of the month on his last tour. With Circle, some people have done Eddie Izzard and it's time for them to move on, but for me, he is the funniest man in the world and I feel sure he will remain so for a very...........long.............time.

I had crossed the Atlantic with high hopes, high airfare, and high and mighty attitude with regard to anyone who agreed with the BBC Watchdog observation that the show was the same old S**T.

Most Americans have seen Eddie in Gaultier in the D2K tape and I was not prepared to see Eddie in a Frumpy below the knee leather skirt with ill fitting spandex top and very bizarre mother-of-the-bride reefer jacket that was way too long and mixed way to many fabrics.

Audio was really a problem, and kept cutting out. Eddie asked if everyone could hear and most of the audience agreed they could but the quality was lousy.

The new material he did was excellent and his ad lib moments were superb (i.e. when he cracks himself up with new bits and pieces he makes up on the spot).

But after rabidly defending his old material I was disappointed to see it delivered with very little energy. And enough with the French!!!!!

The lottery for "Eddie's Lips" was ill organized and I for one did not know where or when the drawing was. Found out two days later the numbers had been posted in the lobby at the end of the show! TCB were lousy purveyors of his merchandise. And forget about anything being true to size. Was it just me or did the beanies fit only babies or Smurfs?

Don't get me wrong. I will travel to see Eddie either in the U.K. or the U.S. but I reserve the right to do an honest review of the show afterwards.

When the lights go up on Eddie Izzard, perched atop a giant rose, silhouetted against a million stars, the crowd roars in a way that few comedians will ever hear. Look - it's Eddie! Eddie the executive tranny! Eddie the cuddly bunny! Eddie who says such silly things! This is going to be fun! The woman to my left begins to squeal; the man on my right wets himself. Bouncers faint; beer cans explode.

If ever a British comedian was loved, it is Eddie Izzard. All right-thinking people cherish his self-deprecating charm, his free-associating wit, his rampant xenophilia.

He is Saint Eddie, come to save us from Mail-reading, flag-waving, Frog-hating Little England. With a twinkle and a smile, some garbled French and a flounce of his little rubber skirt, he will blow away the fog that cuts off the Continent.

And Eddie works hard to deserve our affection. He gives the Academy audience almost two hours of floppy geniality, stream-of-consciousness waffle and absurd sketches. You would need your jaws wired not to guffaw at Darth Vader's clash with a stroppy waiter in the Death Star canteen, or Jesus's encounters with piano-playing dinosaurs. Chuck in a few history lessons, a little philosophy and huge dollops of pro-Europeanism, and you get a good-natured, big-hearted, enjoyable night out.

But not an outstanding one. For too much of this show, it feels as though Izzard is playing himself, telling the sort of tales an Eddie Izzard would tell, doing the sort of comic "business" an Eddie Izzard would do. It is more like character comedy than straight stand-up. And although Izzard writes all his material himself, you'd almost think he was following someone else's script.

It wasn't so noticeable when he played Wembley in February, with some of the same material, and all of the same tics. Perhaps it is because Izzard spent most of the summer and autumn as an actor, playing the foul-mouthed comic Lenny Bruce. Peter Hall, who directed the west end show, did a great job turning the very 90s, very English Eddie into the very 60s, very American Lenny, but it obviously marked Izzard. After so long impersonating a great alternative comedian, he seems almost to have forgotten that he can just be one.

(from The Daily Telegraph 12.14.99)

Politically leaden, but saved by the Force

FIVE, four, three, two, one - lift off! So begins Eddie Izzard's latest world-touring stand-up show, entitled Circle. Fans packing out Brixton Academy whooped in fond anticipation as the countdown reverberated round the auditorium and lasers swirled across the darkness.

However, what followed was not so much lift-off as let-down. Izzard has been the shining light of observational comedy through the Nineties, wittering away with surreal charm in a variety of snazzy frocks. But last night his genius seemed to have retired extraordinarily modestly under a bushel.

This should have been a grand show, as our Eddie stockily paraded up and down with a regal mien. Modelling a shiny, skin-tight mini-skirt and stiletto boots, he expansively surveyed the history of the planet. Topics covered include politics, philosophy, religion, scientific inventions and the arts, from Aristotle through Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci (the painter and decorator) to Star Wars. The set also suggests this is comedy on a epic scale. For Izzard initially appears atop a gigantic purple rose blossom with a galactic skyscape behind him. Yet, as soon as he starts his descent, tottering slowly down the rose's steep concealed staircase, one senses this is going to be a wobbly show.

The big snag is that Izzard has decided to do political material without coming up with many really storming jokes. His taking on of "issues" seems to be hobbling his imagination.

He didn't get much reaction from his young audience, asking which foreign nationalities we British hate most. He laid into Margaret Thatcher without much scintillating wit, suggesting that she might be strapped to Prince Philip and put to sea. Meanwhile he notes that, since the Queen Mum is now 99, she's an ice cream and we could stick a Flake in her.

Some of Izzard's gags are so uncharacteristically lame that I started thinking I was watching the support act. Maybe he has spread himself too thin recently, working on movies and playing Lenny Bruce in the West End.

Thankfully, he did get into his stride in the more exuberantly improvised second half, launching into giggly, split-personality conversations with himself. He is, at least, delightfully funny envisaging Jesus struggling to convert the dinosaurs, and Darth Vader menacingly huffing because he has burnt his tongue in the Death Star canteen.

The Devil will never find work for Eddie Izzard's hands. Since August he has done a 12-week run as Lenny Bruce in Lenny and acted the vest off every other actor in the West End; he has toured the UK, taken the act to France for a fortnight and done it nightly and insanely in French - and tonight he's here at the Brixton Academy, six hours off the Eurostar in a pair of four-inch heels, negotiating the gigantic black fibreglass rose he emerges from every night, without a day off in the past three months.

However, this battery-scheduling might explain why, on Sunday night, his show, Circle, was very much a creature of two halves. For the first hour, aside from a riff about the TV show Watchdog and a compelling mime of a man eating 168 bees and one accidental Sugar Puff, Izzard seemed to be struggling. He did not have the energy to fill the stage with his usual crowd of Old Testament characters, animals, actors who peaked in the 1970s and God, and instead attempted an unexpected and uninspired array of political material that depended, primarily, on saying rude things about Margaret Thatcher and General Pinochet, and rather desperately pointing out that despite labels like "German", "English", "French'"and "Belgian", "We're all humans, aren't we?" This last was met with the only embarrassed silence that I've ever heard at an Eddie Izzard gig, and Izzard himself looked mortified. He's not a polemicist, but a one-man wardrobe to Narnia - and there's no magic in old Thatch jokes and Brussels.

After the intermission, however, Izzard came across like a man who had had a spectacularly productive fag-break and thankfully forgotten all about the European Parliament. He took us through the 65 million years God spent between creating the dinosaurs and man; the disproportionate quietness of English movies ("If you're eating popcorn you have to wait for a gravel scene. Oh, how you long for gravel"); how the Star Wars sagas have taught our kids to count "4,5,6,1,2,3. Except it's really just 4,5,6,1 - because 2 and 3 haven't been made yet", and gives humanity a new aphorism: "Everyone believes in sandwiches and cowardice. We just want to eat stuff and run away from bad people."

He peaks with the idle thought that the Death Star must have had a canteen, which leads to a bewildered Darth Vader trying to order but being flummoxed first by a tetchy dinner-lady ("You'll need a tray"); secondly by the tray being wet ("Has anyone got a spare tissue?"); and thirdly by the blank refusal of the queue to let him back in once he has his tray. "I was here. I went to get a tray." Silence. Sulkily: "I could kill you all with a thought, you know."

At the end, about 12 people attempted an awkward standing ovation. While it was a drop-off from the screaming standathon Izzard used to get for the true genius of 1996's Definite Article gigs, it still felt appropriately Izzardesque.

Well, it had to happen.
It was only a matter of time.
Monday the 13th December had to arrive sooner or later.
And it did.
Last night.
And I saw Eddie for the first time LIVE!

What can I say?
Hmmmm?
What can I say that will really say it all?
FAN-F***ING-TASTIC!
Yep.
That about says it..

More details I hear you cry?
O.K.

First the lights and music - kindofa military drum beat with sexy undertones.
Then the set.
Truly fab in a kind of purple/black rose meets the milky way type way.
Then the man, fully skirted out in matching purple leather and dangerously high heels.

Superb.

He was on top form. None of your rubbish about repeats now.
The whole show was all the more funny for the fact that we felt part of the rebels against the same old s--- tour!

From the start which centred on topics as diverse as bees,dinosaurs,God and the world famous Thatcher sketch, to the fantastic 'revenge of the meek' and sewer workers singing Christmas carols, I can't even begin to express the brilliance.

Yes, I admit I had heard some before.
But..
Even the old bits were new, AND

Everything flowed with ease and an air of 'just having a chat with a few hundred of my close personal friends'.

Oh, and if you haven't heard the Starwars material, go to the show and see it (plenty of ticket touts about if you haven't got one - But I didn't say that!)

You will laugh till your ears drop off.

Truly the best show I have ever seen.

Brilliant, funny, witty, clever, any word you know that could describe a pure genius of the stand up comedy. Hi everybody, my name is Julien, Jools for my friends, I am french and as everybody here an Eddie Izzard's big fan. I went there with ten friends. I was waiting for my friends outside Metro Pigalle...And the Revelation! Eddie appeared from the metro! I swear it was him but I stayed there, paralysed...Then I went to the theatre to take the tickets and there again I saw him entering the place and for the second time I was paralysed. A rather small place but don't worry, the atmosphere was electric! Eddie was late, he arrived fifteen munites late but patience was rewarded. He started the show by saying he was doing his show in french although he was english and that it was a stand up so that we would not have any rest...I am not going to say he did that, he said that, he went there...No, just one thing just go and see him. But the most important thing is that Eddie is more than intelligent! There was a french dickhead always intervening during the show which was annoying but Eddie responded more than just well, he was brilliant, he just took the piss out of that bastard, that french twat I was talking about before. Eddie spoke for more than two hours!!! He did very well. I laughed a lot, so much so that my cheeks were painful! There are things that are not new but the rest is fantastic and even though he uses "old tricks", he does it in a pleasant and clever way. But the genius is that he learnt a lot about french manners and language. He adapted the show to the french language. But the important fact is he spoke french for two good hours! At the end, I decided to stay to talk to him...What a thrill! My heart beats a lot! So hard I think it is going to explod...He comes out of the backstage; he speaks to three people to whom he says that the stalker(remember the french twat?) went in for the third time this week! THREE TIMES SAYING CRAP THINGS... He arrives towards us(two friends are with me), he lights a cigarette and says:"Hello!"... and we start speaking for fifty minutes...Eddie was very nice saying he thought it was his best show since he started last week. He said he thought the stupid man was a translater he worked with and then he fired him and he (the french wanker) tried to help him by intervening all the time! Five minutes would be more realistic but I have the right to dream and tell stories! And I took a picture of him and I was happy and I drove back home and I wrote a review which I hope you enjoyed reading. Apart from the fifty minutes, everything is true, I'll send the photo as soon as possible. Good night!

Brilliant gig. A really tiny venue, held 150 - yes that's right. I counted the seats! The entire performance was in French, not something I'd have liked to attempt, but he pulled it off magnificently.

If anyone reading this has now seen the 'Je suis a stand up' footage, he does seem to have a tough time of it. Not so now. From time to time he asked to audience for a word he wasn't sure of, or to clarify a word, which was great, a bit of participation. Managed to establish that the French have a love-hate relationship with the English, which is pretty much how it is from our side! And at one point he was speaking French with an Indian accent, which was really funny.

This time, he wore black trousers with a black top, blouse thing. And the boots. He was onstage for about 90 mins.

Afterwards, a few of us waited outside, and after some requests, we were allowed to go back inside the club. Which was good of him, apparently his family was there. He appeared, wearing different clothes, and was very relaxed and happy to chat, have photos taken, and I got yet another autograph. No, sorry, not selling them. Not enough money in the world! It was a great atmosphere and I personally felt privileged to have been in on it. Yes, got another photo of me with him and also took another couple of him while I was in there.

The venue was very basic, very small. About 150 seats and a small, low stage. We got front row seats, which was a bonus.

Eddie did about an hour and a half, all in French, basically the same material as the English version, although it had changed quite a bit from when I saw it in Birmingham. He seemed to manage fine with the language,
asking the audience for a word or phrase from time to time. I think this was one of the highlights of the show because there was a lot of interaction with the audience and that produced some of the funniest moments. He asked the audience about attitudes amongst the French towards the English, whether they all hated us basically. Then he asked how they felt about other nationalities and seemed bemused/amused when they said they didn't dislike the Germans. 'So World War 2, the Vichy Regime, you're fine with that ?' He
also managed to speak French with an Indian accent which made me laugh. All in all, a very good night. We did speak briefly to a French girl after the show and she said that his French made it hard for a native speaker to
follow, but since it's about 10 years since I'd spoken French, I'll have to take her word for it. As far as I could tell, it seemed very good.

After the show, there were five of us waiting for autographs and he very kindly said we could go back in and he signed things and posed for pictures, which was very kind of him, especially since he apparently had family over
there that night and must have been exhausted from doing the show. I hope he
realises how much the fans appreciate that sort of thing, a lot of stars wouldn't go to the trouble.

So, all in all, a great night. It really is worth going, just to see him in a small venue, something I don't think I'll get the chance to do in England.

Saw Eddie again in Cambridge 23th November, was difficult to believe it had only been just over three weeks since the last time I'd seen the show. It had almost completely rolled over, and evolved into a new show! There was a bit of D2K in it, but even that was differently packaged. Most of the material was original, and he appeared to be on top form, riffing off at a tangent, working the audience as only he can. It was stunning, absolutely brilliant, and a relief, when the Cardiff show has seemed to be lacking much of this.

Clothes wise, he wore a knee-length leather skirt. (Assume it was leather, can't imagine it being imitation!), black lycra top, black knee-lenth coat and knee high stiletto boots. He managed to fall up the stairs in them - twice - but laughed about that! And that was with hoisting up the skirt first!

An outstanding evening, and we had 2nd row seats, so had the best view. Doing Paris at the weekend, should be interesting...

"There are two main things that make Eddie Izzard funny. One of which is his surreal, irrelevant humour. The other is his unpredictable stream-of-consciousness output which makes his act effortlessly flow. So when he comes on stage and starts talking politics, religion and history you know there is something amiss. But that could be forgiven, for Mr Izzard is a consummate comedian and just because he doesn't want to talk about cats drilling or earwigs making chutney, it should not necessarily be a bad thing. What is a bad thing is when you go to see the 'new' Eddie Izzard tour and you have heard every single joke before.

Yes, that's right, there was barely one original joke in the whole show. He even had the ineptitude to to 'the monkey is in the tree in French' sketch which he has been churning out for the last ten years.

Absolutely disgraceful. And to make a bad situation worse, his delivery wasn't even up to scratch. He took ages to warm up and even then he seemed to be on auto-pilot. The only plus-point to the entire show as a reduced number to 'jam' and 'Jeff', and the rather nice stage design, which all too often caught the eye rahter than the entertainer in question.

All in all, an utter disappointment. Comedy is obviously not the new rock and roll. If it was, you would be happy to watch two hours of 'greatest hits'. But to hear a professional comedian make exactly the same jokes that he has been telling for the last couple of years is sad and depressing. If you saw the show, try to get your money back. If you didn't, for the sake of all that is holy, please do not buy the inevitable video. Chances are, you've already got it". (MANCHESTER STUDENT DIRECT 29/11/99)

It was with a heavy heart that I approached the Portsmouth Guildhall, last night; Sunday, November 14th. I had heard so much, little good, that the show was ‘D2K rehashed, and I mean “hashed”’, that Eddie strolled through it
with all the conviction of a person with little conviction. They were wrong. From the second we arrived, we knew that something was gonna be different about tonight. The purple rose sadly showed us its secret stairs the second we sat down. There and then we placed bets. My companion, Dan, insisted that Eddie would exit via a secret door in the centre of the rose, I thought he would just walk off. The show started with a light and music show worthy of Disney Land, and when the silhouette of his Eddieness came into view, it was all we could do not to collapse and die. The show started on a solemn note.
“Many of you will have seen the advertisements on TV for this tour. God bless BBC 1’s Watchdog, eh?” He went on to apologise for what he dubbed ‘The Same Old Shit Tour’ which could not have been further from the truth. He immediately launched into the weirdest of material, all side splittingly
funny, about records. The Guinness kind. There were moments when he lapsed
into D2K mode, and although remarkably similar, the audience greeted their
favourites with applause! A remarkable piece on Star Wars followed (‘based’ on that of D2K, but oh so different) with Darth Vader burning his mouth on a hot potato. We were then treated to the crap British film stuff (You know- ‘What is it Sebastian? I’m arranging matches…) but with a wonderful twist. The British actor in question was arranging flowers for his dead mother. ‘She’s so dead that she smells’ was the statement. James Mason popped up only once, but met with cheers from the crowd. Sean Connery was obviously in his trailer. All in all, a fantastic night was had by all. Our party went on to meet Eddie at the stage door, and are thoroughly sky-high today! The photos say it all, really.

...the set is open, curtains drawn back to reveal a giant rose that looks like its been cut and dropped on a surface, it's in purple velvet and quite lovely, the rest of the stage is empty but the curtains around it are black velvet and the rose dominates. Lights and smoke are swirling and above the rose hanging from the ceiling a window looking out on the cosmos or space. Rock music bangs out to give it a dramatic feel.
The lights go down a voice says "Are you ready? Then I'll begin!" There's a countdown as the laser lights swirl meld together forming a screen and then as they drop a blonde head peeping out over the top of the rose as the music builds....he climbs down through the petals and onto the stage. We were then able to see that he was wearing a black three quarter length coat with top bodice in leather or pvc look,a black round necked top .......BLACK LEATHER SKIRT, BLACK
STOCKINGS AND BLACK BOOTS!!!!! THANK YOU LADIES!! IF IT WAS COINICDENCE GREAAAT but I prefer to think you asked and he answered!! From there he began. Someone shouted "show us your legs " and he did....sighhhh...liz is right they are fab.
Off we went into a mixture of old and new...the old being presented slightly differently and with additions. Greeted with pleasure from the audience and the new FABULOUSSSSS. Towards the end of Act one a noise like an electronic musical note set up and wouldn't stop!! He began by commenting and laughing at it and then wove a piece round it there and then....it was brilliant and proved that his work is spontaneaous...... the interval and back he began by finishing off the piece about the noise and then used a lot of new stuff and some old as well. I was laughing my head off (good its a mess) then all too soon it was over.The performance was a tour de force, the
use of stage, things happening around him and the material was impressive and NOTHING like looking at a screen image.......he is a talented
and charissmatic performer that hits you between the eyes and makes time fly.......
stagedoor...well a nightmare scenario sooooo many people with only the width of a pavement to work in. But credit to all concerned it worked and all were seen. Because of the sheer numbers he couldn't spend much time with anyone but time he did spend with each. My turn? Well I got right next to him and he moved to sign my programme and then turned to sign others..back to me and he took it from me...I said, "You were wonderful...thankyou very much" as he signed. "Not at all" he
replied without looking, gave me my programme and looked straight at me with a smile which he held!
I could have got a kiss or a hug if I'd asked but I was frozen. Then I moved away to make room for others. A load of people did get hugs and kissed him on the cheek and he was smashing about it then he went inside and was gone. Conclusion....great show, genius on stage, lovely man and now I have to add a little more to that list and the reason I was frozen: BEAUTIFUL WOMAN!! He really is! I've always thought of him as feminine and there was the reason right in front of me. I WISH I'D ASKED FOR A HUG but its done with now and I can't go back.....
Mr. Izzard it was a lovely christmas in Newcastle last night once again THANKYOU!!

I loved the set, the new beginning, but was a little concerned to see the man coming downstairs in lethal combination of stiletto heels and long black pleated skirt! I wouldn't like to do that.

Much of the stuff was D2K, although presented slightly differently. There were some new bits, which appeared to be under construction, but I have to say that although I did enjoy the show, there was something missing. I couldn't help but compare it to the two Lenny performances I saw, both times he clearly drifted from the script, riffing off at a tangent as only Eddie can, and bringing the cast, the audience and himself to helpless laughter. That magical stuff didn't happen last night, at times he appeared to me to be going through the motions, and whereas I've seen him really milk some stuff, these same things he seemed to cut short. A bit clinical almost. The audience wasn't the most responsive I've been in, maybe that had something to do with it. That said, a review of the previous night's performance clearly had yet another convert join the fold, so maybe I'm just suffering from over exposure?

When Pavilion staff take a night off to see the show, De La Warr patrons can be pretty certain that they are backing a winner. For a while on Sunday, however, there were doubts even amongst the fiercely partisan capacity audience of Eddie Izzard fans. Earlier, they had packed the bars with eager anticipation. From 8pm they had sat with growing restlessness waiting for Bexhill's own comedian to make his entrance.By 8.20 they were told he would definately appear by 8.30. Many retraced their steps to the bar.

Dressed in a tartan jacket and full length skirt the former pavilion cafeteria and Galley Hill ice cream kiosk worker launched into his one man act. Within moments he had the audience eating out of his hand. We rocketed on flights from the topicality of Pakistans military coup to thwarted ambition of joining the armyand becoming the first "action transvestite" in British Military history. Working his home ground Eddie dropped generous dollops of childhood memories like Galley Hill and Collington Wood. How thoughts about mass murderers Hitler, Starlin and Pol Pot led onto hilarious audience participation ( did Queen Victoria Empress of India, ever visit India?) defied description.

But it's all in a nights work for Eddie whom the incredible flow of non sequiturs appears both effortless and endless. Continuing a series of generous acts towards his own home which have included gifts to Sidley's young people centre, Eddie pledged to donate all proceeds to Sidley Community Centre where his Father John is the Treasurer.

Oh yeah "The Show" ... in short ... it was really good. You've probably already read all the reviews from Fridays show in Birmingham, but still here's my version.

Well we all arrived in good time, so that buying Eddie-stuff wouldn't be a problem. And so I did ... went straight into the Birmingham Hippodrome and bought my part of the stuff. I got a knitted blue hat with Eddie Izzard written on the front and "Circle" aswell (the name of the show). Of course I got the program and then they sold the coolest thing ... Eddie cigaret papers. You know "Rizzla's" ... well mine were called "Izzla" ... soo cool ... "Glorious Size" it says on the packet as well.

So yeah and then it was time to go find our seats. And actually we got pretty good stall seats. The scene was great ... beautiful theatre ... and the decorations with the big velvet rose ... fantabulous!!! And then a bit of music ... and so he entered! Cool ... so so cool! (applause). Well u know that he was wearing something else than on the other nights. I thought he looked great. But ... we actually had a good talk after the show on what he would be wearing on the next tour. Some said that now when he actually have performed in a skirt ... and not just something that looks like one ... then his next step must be a dress. I don't think so on the other hand. I know that if you look at what he's been wearing in his shows, it's true that it would be knida obvious that he will wear a dress next time BUT then again ... Eddie is not OBVIOUS ... so ... who knows ... I don't cause I have no idea .....

Anyway about the show ... I must say that I was surprised how much I actually laughed even though I new most of the jokes/lines ... It's just something completly else to see him live!!! And I agree with most of the people who's posted reviews ... his new stuff was great, some of the D2K material was much better than on the video and then some of it wasn't sooo all in all a really good night!!

("Official" Review)
STAND-UP comedian Eddie Izzard has kicked off the first leg of his British tour in his hometown Bexhill-on-Sea, where he spent much of his youth.

He was in fine form when he took to the stage in a floor length pleated black skirt, which he had great difficulty tyring not to trip over, and red tartan jacket to perform his new enigmatically titled show - Circle. On anyone else this skirt would have looked like a schoolteachers's uniform but on him it somehow looked cool. As he so aptly observes in his comedy there is a fine line between "looking cool and looking like a dickhead". The make-up and streaked blond hair were back with a vengeance after shedding his somber attire and jet-black hair donned in his recent West End show, Lenny. The effervescent comedian looked completely at ease as he sauntered on stage half-an-hour late. But the audience gave him a rapturous round of applause despite his fashionably late arrival. "How can I follow that welcome," he quipped to the audience. The comedy began before he even took to the stage as Hollywood searchlights, which had been strategically placed outside the theatre, could be seen sweeping the skies above, from miles around. The sight of local pensioners inquisitvely peering over their seafront balconies, to see what the excitement was all about, was priceless.

Much of his show was taken from his Dress To Kill tour but he cleverly managed to weave in new material. He remarked on Bexhill's amusement arcade being the nerve centre of the town's entertainment and how a simple change of name of Street to Boulevard could give Bexhill a whole new identity. He asked the audience what was the highlight in Bexhill and someone blurted out Tesco to which he joked that in his day there was not even a Tesco! It was a rare opportunity to see a master of comedy at work as he used the monosyllabic comments from brave hecklers in the audience to conjure up what will probably become part of his new show. Any wannabe comedians brave enough to take him on were soon kicked into touch by his quick-witted retorts. Eddie has been quoted as saying he develops his new show by working with old material and add-libbing in new, which is the laziest way he knows how to work. But no one could accuse him of being lazy as he barely had time to change his hair colour before starting his stand-up tour. Far from looking jaded from his nine week run of Lenny he looked radiant as he floated around the stage in his hypnotic skirt, while joking with the audience.

It is comforting to know that despite his heady heights of fame and fortune he is humble enough to perform in the not-so-hip town of Bexhill-on Sea. But it could take weeks before the sleepy seaside town of Bexhill recovers from such excitement.

Well, I wasn't disappointed.

Eddie looked amazing. Very, very nice ;oP~~~

I wasn't expecting new stuff since he told me in August that it would be D2K. I really think everyone expects too much. he has been doing Lenny for 12 weeks you know...

It was a perfect excuse to meet everyone and fabulous to meet Eddie again. He was really decent to sign all the programmes of people waiting.

The new material he did put in was great.

I enjoyed it. But that's just my opinion. And he did look gorgeous....*G*

Well, I wasn't that disappointed because I really didn't expect much new material - as he only writes when he's doing live stuff it figures that the beginning of one tour is pretty much the same as the end of the last. Definite Article/Glorious was similar in that respect. It just looks worse because some of the material has seen three different tours now. And because we've been spoiled in the past because his turnover of stuff has usually been pretty quick. (Anyone who remembers David Baddiel in about 1990 and has seen him on TV recently trotting out the same tired old gags will know what I mean!)

Anyway, I didn't come on here to join in the general 'were we ripped off?' debate - I wanted to impart a bit of trivia. I was crossing the road outside the theatre last night and Eddie's limo went past. I could see him in silhouette inside and he definitely still had the Lenny haircut - this was at about 19:15. Then at 20:30 - new cut, new colour! Is this why he was late on?

I went to the Bexhill gig last night. The 'new'
tour is called Circle but to be honest it might just as well have been called Dress to Kill, as
about 90% of the material came from that. I was
pretty disappointed, but had secretly wondered how he would have found the time to work on new material. Maybe the show will evolve as the tour continues. He was wearing a red jacket and long grey/green pleated skirt ! Gorgeous! Hair back to his spiked blonde best! God, he's lovely!!!!But you all knew that anyway! Loads of goodies to buy too-I bought black T shirt and a beenie hat! Dare
I wear them together!!!!!!

I've just got back to Lincoln after spending an estimated �78 to see Eddie in Bexhill, hoping for some new material and to laugh my arse off. Being a hugh fan i didn't mind the cost as it was my only chance to see him. Little did i know that "Circle" is just "Dress To Kill" under a different name with little new stuff, and jokes i found myself finishing before Eddie, i tried to get an autograph after the show to salvage my dissapointment but had to head home before i could get anything (i had 5 hours sleep before a 5 hour train journey). If Eddie reads these messages i'd like to first say wel done with the three from Eastbourne (if that's how it's spelt) but not so well done with the show, i wasn't the only one that left the pavillion a little disappointed...

I'd been greatly looking forward to the Bexhill gig for the six months since I'd bought tickets, it being the first time I'd get to see Eddie in the flesh, and more than likely to be a suitably memorable
fin-de-millennium affair.

After an entirely bearable wait for the man himself to appear on stage, he finally stepped forward amid glorious fanfares and laser-lights, sporting a particularly fetching red-tartan jacket and flowing black skirt. Thundering applause faded and he launched into a beautifully rambling opening monologue about being back in Bexhill, and of stuff
he'd seen on the news (Eddie's take on current affairs would, I suspect, make very good telly), and then...

Er, old material. Entirely from Dress to Kill, so far as I remember. There was some very occasional and very good original material ("Seals being good with balls; who'd have thought it?"), some superb meandering after occasional heckling (after a lone voice answered his "Did Queen Victoria ever go to India?" in the positive, but admitted to not knowing
when, he tangented about the potential of history teachers who just made it up as they went along), but the rest was taken depressingly verbatim
from the tape we'd had the naivete to listen to in the car on the way there.

The audience seemed to get a bit bored when they realised he wasn't saying anything new - the fact that most of the louder laughter towards the end seemed to go to the few occasions when he changed a random word in his script was, I thought, rather telling. I can't imagine there were many people in that theatre who hadn't seen Dress to Kill at least a few times.

I understand the proceeds for the performance went to local charities, which is a tiny bit forgivable, but having paid considerably for tickets, I can't help feel a little cheated. If the chap's been ill, or too busy
with the Lenny Bruce thing to finish his new material, or whatever, then all sympathy to him, but there's not really any excuse for walking onto
a dramatic new "Circle" set and then - without even the tiniest apology or explanation - going through old material so painfully word-for-word that he might well have been echoing it from a hidden earpiece.

If it had been *billed* as Dress to Kill, or if he'd just said at the beginning that there'd be nothing new this evening, I'd have been able to kick back and enjoy it for what it was; instead, I just kept
anticipating some wonderful new material and being increasingly disappointed when a brilliant tangent segued back to another D2K segment.

Whether new material will seep into the rest of the tour when he finishes polishing it, I've no idea; I only know that everywhere else in the country is now fully-booked, and my money is spent.

Eddie closed by saying, again, that he liked to end his gigs with a sort of "...unh" feeling. I'm rather afraid he managed it.