EDDIE IZZARD: "ONE-WORD IMPROV"
The Coronet Theater, Los Angeles, 11/29/06

By Brenda Cowan

There is only one word for comedy genius these days and that word is Eddie, as in Eddie Izzard. Recently, I had the rare treat to see Mr. Izzard perform one-word improv along with a small troupe from The Groundlings Theater. And a real treat it was! Izzard sells out large theaters that hold thousands of people, but that night, I was among around 99 other lucky souls crammed into the tiny Coronet Theater on La Cienega Boulevard in West Los Angeles, just up from the famed Beverly Center, to witness this rare phenomenon, a genuine star of the large stage opting for a small venue.

Izzard was greeted by an overwhelming response from the crowd (I am sure those passing in their Mercedes and BMWs on the street were wondering what the commotion was). He was sans his famous transvestite gear and was looking quite manly in his jeans, NIKE t-shirt, sports jacket and beard. He and his troupe immediately launched into the night’s main course, one-word improv, one of the hardest and most nerve-wracking of comedy exercises. Izzard invited the audience to start shouting out words and off he went. His mind works fast; with lightning speed, he ran down the comedy highway with the crowd's suggestions. His contagious grin was constantly present as he rapidly fired out the lines and situations of each scenario. The Groundlings (please forgive my lack of names here--no program was available) kept equal pace--and at times outpaced--the English jester at his own game. Izzard was quick to laugh along with the audience when his fellow performers got the better of the improv.

For almost two hours, Izzard and friends entertained the audience and each other with one outrageous situation after another: pirates lost in the fog, a killer octopus (Izzard using two chairs on stage to turn himself into the sea creature was classic), and space aliens being pulled over for galactic speeding. The list goes on and on. There were some misses to the evening, but to everyone's credit, they simply laughed at themselves for making a "muck" of it all. They even included one audience member in a "séance" sequence. Izzard rifled through the woman's purse until he found her digital camera and commenced to snapping away.

I could have sat there for two hours and just listened to Izzard performing solo, but frankly, any chance to sit in the second row and watch his genius in action is something I am glad not to have missed. The evening ended with thunderous applause and a slight headache on my part from laughing so hard. Izzard likes to keep in touch with the audience and work out his ideas and routines in small venues, so if you would like to have such a lucky treat yourself, go to his official website and register. That is the only way to get notice of his planned performances.

If you are not familiar with Izzard’s work, go rent or buy his comedy DVDs; you won't go wrong and cake will take on an entirely new meaning.

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