Eddie Izzard, Stripped

I turned 41 today and my family was kind enough to get me two tickets in row E to see Mr. Eddie Izzard perform at the Minneapolis State Theater. I'm not sure they had any idea what these tickets were for or what they meant, but a joyous thanks indeed! It was a splendid, splendid show.

My brain has a way of running manic quite often—visualize a squirrel digging for nuts if you can—it's topsy turvy, but oddly pleasant. Perhaps there's even a purpose to it; heaven knows it's helped pay the bills all these years. The neurons and synapses make these connections, these insights that would never come about in a million years of concentrated thinking. It's maddening that there appears to be no control to it, but a relief and a pleasure in the result.

Watching Eddie Izzard perform feels very similar. His show dodges left, right, back and forth...gets lost for a moment, does some dancing, has a discussion with a gazelle, then charges back over a previous scenario to emerge with new insight where you least expect it.

This new show, "Stripped," comes almost nine years after his infamous "Dressed to Kill" show (search YouTube or EddieIzzard.com). "Stripped" is just Eddie on stage for two hours with a microphone, no water, and a sparse set featuring elements of ancient languages scrawled on earthen panels. How he manages to carry on without even a sip is impressive. But more to the point, or as they might say in the comedy clubs, Eddie kills.

The show's basic outline is history. All of it. With a worthy dose of badgers, philosophers, stone age ruminations, dancing, a few minutes in French, German and other languages, the Bible, Latin, wars, Noah, TV, sheep, the Minneapolis skyway system, democracy, donkey cart accidents, and a good bit of conversation between God and Moses over the need for a commandment prohibiting the coveting of oxen. Or was it covering of oxen? Anyway, it all goes a mile a minute. And who knew Wikipedia was started in the late 1800s by Mr. and Mrs. Wikipedia and their son Jeff?

I can only hope it takes a long time to recover.

Thanks, Eddie.