In French, the phrase “force majeure” literally means “a greater force.” The title of Eddie Izzard’s latest and grandest comedy tour is thus well chosen. Few people can impersonate an angry turtle like Eddie Izzard.
To lawyers, “force majeure” can also mean the sort of unforeseen occurence that can be used to get out of an agreement or a contract. That definition does not apply.
Since the spring of 2013, Eddie Izzard has brought his “Force Majeure” tour to dozens of different countries around the world. The 90-minute one-man show began in Bucharest, travelled for a year in Izzard’s native England and moved on to Russia, Africa and Canada and scores of dates in the U.S. Shortly after Izzard performs at Foxwoods Resort Casino’s Grand Theater on Saturday, Jan. 17, he’ll be taking “Force Majeure” to Australia and New Zealand.
In a phone interview Sunday, Izzard called it “the most extensive comedy tour ever,” and says nobody has challenged the claim. But as if his globehopping live show, wasn’t enough, Izzard has continued with numerous film and TV projects. Already known for his series “The Riches” and for supporting roles in movies as diverse as “Mystery Men,” “Ocean’s Twelve,” “Cars 2” and the recently released “Boychoir” (in which he appears alongside Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates and Debra Winger), he’s been filming the Sony Playstation Network series “Powers” (based on the graphic novel about mortal detectives solving crimes committed by people with superpowers) and making regular appearances on NBC’s “Hannibal.”
Izzard does some impersonations in his live show — one routine has God and Darth Vader fighting over cafeteria food. Another trashes Liam Neeson’s stint as Zeus in the “Clash of the Titans” films. In movie and TV shows he’s played such real-life characters as Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth II, Socrates. He’s also appeared in several documentaries as himself: doing bits for the “Secret Policeman’s Ball” charity productions, holding his own against some of the funniest comedians in the world all telling the same joke in “The Aristocats,” and starring in a special about how he became a marathon runner. In 2009, for the charity event SportsRelief, Izzard ran 43 marathons within 51 days.
“If you’re trying to do creative things,” Izzard says, “you want to do them big. Make a bit of noise.”
Eddie Izzard hopes to eventually play every state in the U.S. on this already record-setting tour. He’s brought “Force Majeure” to Connecticut once already. He performed in a small auditorium at Yale University last March when he was trying out a special edition of the show, performed consecutively in French, German and English, that he brought to Normandy on the 70th anniversary on D-Day.
Connecticut was also the launching pad, back in 1998, for Izzard’s “Dress to Kill” tour, its title referring to the comedian’s penchant for wearing women’s clothing. Izzard still remembers the audiences at the Stamford Center for the Arts, where he honed the show for New York consumption: “They thought I was going to be Noel Coward, and they got Monty Python.” Izzard’s been a longtime Python fan, and caught several of the troupe’s reunion shows last year. Other influences include Spike Milligan of “Goon Show” and “Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall” fame and American TV comedy pioneer Ernie Kovacs.
He accessed his multilingual abilities again last week when tweeting (@eddieizzard) about the “Charlie Hebdo” massacre in Paris. “Les extémistes ont peur des idées,” he wrote. “Ce n’est pas l’Islam, c’est juste des meurtes.” He followed this tweet with a translation: “The extremists are scared of ideas. This is not Islam, this is just murder.” In our interview, he elaborates: “It’s great to see millions out on the street condemning this act. It comes down to the point of Muhammad saying ‘Don’t make me an idol.’ That’s what ‘Don’t draw me,” is about. He never asked them to murder.”
Eddie Izzard often brings current events and tough political issues into his act. He openly discusses his own transvestitism and atheism. At times “Force Majeure” turns into a long, hilarious lecture on world history, referencing the ancient Roman Empire, King Charles I, Martin Luther and Richard the Lionhearted and Julius Caesar.
But he can also be absurd, goofy, reckless. When most comedians talk about how nothing is off-limits in their acts, they’re really just talking about bad-taste material and foul language. In Eddie Izzard’s tour-de-force show, “anything goes” includes intellectual diatribes about semantics, celebrity insults directed towards famous personages of centuries ago and lots of off-the-cuff social commentary — as well as sex jokes, short jokes and funny voices.
Asked to prepare Foxwoods crowds for what he does, Eddie Izzard replies forcibly. “If you like good, progressive, thinking-person’s comedy, you should come. And if you don’t think it’s funny, you’re wrong. ‘Cause it is.”
EDDIE IZZARD plays the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard Saturday, Jan. 17, at 9 p.m. Tickets are $45-$65. foxwoods.com
