Eddie Izzard a 'Force' to be reckoned with

January 15, 2015 11:00 pm • Last Updated: January 16, 2015 7:39 am

By Rick Koster
Day Arts/Features writer

Comedian Eddie Izzard brings his "Force Majeure" tour to Foxwoods on Saturday.

Yes, when British comedian Eddie Izzard takes the stage Saturday in the Grand Theater at Foxwoods on Saturday as part of his "Force Majeure" tour, he'll deliver his routine in English.

If that sounds odd or obvious, consider the source.

"Force Majeure" is arguably the most extensive stand-up tour in history, one that, over the course of almost two years, has taken Izzard to all 50 states and 24 countries across Europe, Africa, Russia, the U.K., India, Nepal, the Far East and Australia.

Izzard did a lot of those performances in English, too - but he also did shows in French and German and, before he's through with the tour, plans to take the stage speaking Arabic, Russian and Spanish.

If this sounds perhaps unnecessary - or at least a hell of a lot of work - Izzard is a totally unique comic force. In the context of the scope of his tour -and his goal of performing to audiences he could not otherwise reach - the idea is remarkably fresh and innovative. And, in terms of such comedic templates as the rhythm of a joke or the familiarity of the subject matter, Izzard wasn't worried whether his bits resonate in different languages.

"None of that's a problem," he says by phone earlier this week. "A long time ago I came up with a theory, that humor is human and not national. For example, you can say 'American comics,' but what does that mean? It might suggest Patton Oswalt or Archie Bunker or 'The Simpsons.' Comics do whatever style they want to do, and it will appeal to certain people, but it's the references that are important. So for what I'm doing, I can't have a Hershey bar in a punch line because a lot of these audiences don't know what a Hershey bar is. I can't just say, 'What did they do in Parliament today?' or focus on sporting events. That won't translate. So I blocked out all of those sorts of references and just deal with broader and universal themes."

Promoters weren't onboard when Izzard came up with the original idea to play Paris and do three months of performances in French.

"I couldn't get anyone to back the shows," he says. "In the end, I sorta had to pay for them myself. I think we broke even, but I'll happily lose some money to get to a certain stage in my career. There aren't a lot of performers willing to do that, I think, but I try to think of the big picture and I'm very entrepreneurial."

The shows were a hit with fans. And, using the same altruistic spirit that, in 2009, saw Izzard run 43 marathons in 51 days to support a British sports charity, he endeared himself to World War II veterans last June 6 - the anniversary of D-Day. Izzard did three shows in Normandy that day - one in English, another in French and a third in German, with proceeds going to charity.

This is the sort of mindset that is typified by Izzard's onstage material. Far from a reliance on one-liners, beer humor or quick-hit pop culture references, Izzard's pieces are frequently grounded in history, religion, politics or philosophy - from which he gleefully creates a spin cycle of hysterical, free-flight, in-character monologues and utterly silly observations.

Since Izzard is dyslexic, he doesn't actually write down his material but compiles a list of ideas and topics that seem ripe for humorous exploration. To watch his act is to be reminded of the Kierkegaard diary entry in which the philosopher lamented that he had so many compelling ideas he couldn't possibly jot them all down. That observation causes Izzard to chuckle.

He says, "Well, I'd never compare myself to Kierkegaard, but I do think I have a lot of good ideas, whether comic or otherwise, that I don't get around to putting down. I don't worry about it because I choose to believe, if they're good enough, they'll come back to me. Otherwise, I'd be too pissed off at myself."

Izzard then loosely develops routines and observations on ideas - for example, the origin of human and animal sacrifice and the idiocy of doing so to appease God(s), or how the fall of the Roman Empire can be traced to the arcane declensions of the Latin language - and books a series of concerts.

"I don't just walk on-stage and create an entire show," he says. "For 'Force Majeure,' I did two shows a night for three months in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, and that's when I was creating and workshopping." He laughs. "I was a cauldron of ideas, and some of them were better than others. But you figure out what's funny - and even then, on-stage, there are always new things occurring to me that somehow end up part of the show from night to night."

Part of the sorcery of Izzard's comedy is that, even if he dives whole-heartedly into a relatively obscure historical topic, he provides enough context and archival details - in hilarious fashion - that audience members don't need PhDs to follow along.

Of course, the intellectual curiosity that feeds Izzard's comedy extends beyond making people laugh. Over the years, he's become an increasingly sought-after actor, with well-received dramatic television roles - "Hannibal" and "The Riches" - and in films like "Castles in the Sky" and "Lost Christmas."

Of his desire to take on serious acting, Izzard says, "It's been a long journey dating back to when I was 7 and I saw a play get an amazing reaction. I had a bloody awful puberty, though, and a terrible stage voice and figured out I could go the Monty Python route and get laughs. Then, once I was established as a comic, it took me 22 more years to get serious roles. It's been a source of consternation for managers. 'Just do one or the other!' But I bargain with them. 'I'll do a comedy if you let me then have a dramatic film even if it only makes a small amount of dollars.'"

Izzard has big plans for an even more serious role. He has announced that, in 2020, he'll run for public office - either Parliament of mayor of London. His goals are utterly sincere and, he says, pretty simple. "I hate extremists whether religious or political," he says. "Crimes against humanity are wrong. This has always been relative but maybe today more than in our lifetime."

In the meantime, he continues to make believers, one stand-up performance at a time. "I think I'm climbing a comedic mountain with this tour," he says. "I can't wait to reach the summit."

r.koster@theday.com

Twitter: @rickkoster