I went to see Eddie Izzard yesterday. He is my favorite comedian. Not only is he funny, he is witty and sarcastic. His jokes are firmly grounded in an extensive knowledge of varied subjects and the audience needs to be well informed. My kind of humor. I went with Kristján and my three oldest children and lots of their friends. I looked forward to it.
The whole family enjoys his work and some of his phrases have become lingo in our home. When I am serving cake I have been known to offer “cake .. or death?” Or to refere to Europe as “the Place where History comes from”.

Initially I was shocked when he appeared on stage looking like an ordinary person. I had expected the executive-transvestite-routine and had to do a quick reset in my brain – which of course is no problem for such an adept mind…
He commanded the audience right from the beginning, very solid in his work. He did a routine on insects, managing to go on for ten minutes about your regular housefly. His timing is a work of art. I think he overdid a bit on the sound effects, but what the hell … the majority of the audience was in their tweens.
His references were well chosen. I only spotted two that did not automatically go home with everyone. One reference to Marcel Marceau and one to the brigde on the River Kwai. That one didn´t ring a bell with me either, so …

His jokes can be piercing, but never hurtful or demeaning. He does not elevate himself on the expence of others. You can sense an underlying respect for his “victims”. His language is nuanced and varied and his finest tool along with his timing. He also has considerable actingskills which he uses i his hilarious “dialogues”.
I enjoyed myself. Laughing is important. Guys like Eddie make the world a better place.