Public Servant Lifestyle

Edie Izzard, live in lingerie. In Eastbourne.

Sexie by Eddie Izzard

A good Christmas requires one item, and one item only, and it’s very Sexie. Sexie is the new Eddie Izzard live concert, which will be shot in that famously surreal centre of off-beat comedy. Eastbourne.

Like most of us, Eddie is a man who’s often queried whether the Grand Inquisitor played the barrel organ; like the majority of social commentators he’s wrestled with the question of what happens when you give guns to monkeys; but unlike most of us, he gets well paid for saying it to folk...saying stuff like: "...does the God Chaos live in a caravan? Did Flipper really say that Mao Tse Tung had taken over mainland China? What happened when Darth Vader tried to order Penne Arrabiata in a works canteen?"

Six Inch Black Stilettos

Resplendent in six inch black stiletto boots, Eddie is warmly welcomed by an audience that is deeply appreciative of the comedian’s off-beat style and iconoclastic take on the world and all things in it.

Sexie has just sold out in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and America. Tickets are no longer available through orthodox outlets. The only hope for UK audiences is a trip to e-bay (where tickets are currently changing hands at £500 plus) or approaching shady geezers in shell suits outside any of the arenas that will hosting the tour the length and breadth of these islands.

Over 400,000 people have seen the show so far, which (if statistics are of any concern) is more than four times the population of Eastbourne, although obviously (being Eastbourne) up to 10% of the 89,667 inhabitants (official government statistics, 2001 census) will have died since then. Tasteless gags apart; Eastbourne is a video homecoming for Mr Izzard. His last video was shot in New York, and the one previous to that (Dressed To Kill) was made in far-flung ‘Francisco.

As for what to expect? Well, the cliché - 'expect the unexpected' - really never meant anything until Eddie Izzard arrived on the comedy scene. His last release - Circle - established Eddie as "the funniest man in, well, pretty much all of the known universe" according to an understatement from the Los Angeles Times. Sexie makes similar demands on critical superlatives.

The Sydney Morning Herald described the show as "a helter-skelter ride: secure at its core yet risky at the edges. Izzard is a master of the verbal free fall, where logic is suspended, meandering side trips are taken and distorted images of people and events are conjured with abandon". It concluded that Sexie is "exciting...clever, semi-surreal and fetchingly off-beat". In Adelaide, The Advertiser opted for a simpler description: "Eddie is a true comic genius".

Celebrity

If celebrity interest is any recommendation, it’s worth noting that the front row at one gig in LA recently comprised (deep breath!): Jim Carrey, Mel Brooks, Anne Bancroft, Matthew Perry, Keifer Sutherland, Eric Idle, Rebecca de Mornay and Sharon Stone. Other Eddie audience members have included Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt, Bob Newhart, Barbara Sinatra, Elvis Costello, Harry Dean Stanton, Dick Martin, Larry Gelbart, Angie Dickinson and Robin Williams. How they managed to get tickets, no one knows...

Unlike many cut-and-paste live stand-up shows that turn up on video or DVD, Edddie’s is a classily produced piece of work. This follow up to the acclaimed – not to say giggled at – Circle (which was recorded live at The Town Hall, New York, and still available) - records the man in drag’s entire act, start to finish, with a rare gloss and style. For all serious students of lateral thought, this is essential viewing. For all sufferers from tunnel vision, this is essential therapy. Buy it if you can’t think straight.

See also on Lifestyle:

A Camp Comic Comp. - Eddie Izzard Box Set - Dress To Kill/Definite Article/Glorious/Unrepeatable.

For more information on all things Eddie Izzard, visit his official website: www.eddieizzard.com

Sexie is out now on DVD.

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More information available in Humour, DVD / Home Video