Eddie Izzard’s one-person performance of Great Expectations was praised after Thursday’s opening night.
The gender-fluid trans woman is taking on all the roles in her adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, which runs at New York’s Greenwich House Theater through February.
Critics dubbed the show “penetrating” and praised the star for her “intelligence” on stage, where she performs in a frilly blouse and knee-high heeled boots.
Starring: Eddie Izzard’s one-man performance of Great Expectations was praised after Thursday’s premiere in New York
Thom Geier of The Wrap said of the show, “Purists may balk at this Cliffs Noted treatment of a beloved Dickensian tale, but the streamlined script serves its star, who proves adept at giving each of the characters a distinctive.” Adding presence without relying on over-the-top accents or other broad shtick.
“Izzard mostly plays things straight, although she does draw on her comedic instincts with unexpected line readings and pantomime moments.”
Naveen Kumar of The New York Times also gave a rave review, noting, “Untouched objectivity and succinct first-person narrative are hallmarks of Izzard’s comedy style, which is usually applied to sharply observed and often overtly personal anecdotes in specials like.” Wonderful from that year and Dress to Kill recorded in 1998.
One to watch: The gendered trans woman is taking on all the roles in her adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, which runs through February at the Greenwich House Theater in New York (pictured with director Selina Cadell).
Great show: Critics dubbed the show “penetrating” and praised the star for her “intelligence” on stage, where she performs in a frilly blouse and knee-high heeled boots
“But going on stage alone to dramatize a decades-long coming-of-age story is a steep hill to climb. (Izzard, who ran 32 marathons in 31 days last year, has a thing for endurance.)
“In that respect, Izzard’s performance here is impressive, although not without hints of the strain of the effort.”
The New York Stage Review awarded the performance five stars, with Sandy MacDonald writing, “Izzard transforms in an instant. The trick, if you can call it that, is that she never gives up her own essence, even when playing the final role, morphing with slight shifts in accent and affect.
Critics said, “The trick, if you can call it that, is that she never gives up her own essence even as she plays every role, morphing with slight shifts of accent and affect.”
They added, “The real breakthrough, however, is Izzard’s own tireless intelligence. She is in control of this story and we are lucky enough to be able to travel with her.
“The colorful characters come out vividly and in a flash – sometimes fast-forward mano a mano.
“The real breakthrough, however, is Izzard’s own tireless intelligence. She handles this story and we are fortunate to be able to travel with her.”
Speaking of her new show, Eddie told The New York Times, “Drama is something I’ve wanted to do from the start and just went a long way to get there.”
Adding that being gender specific with the roles helped, she explained, “I love the fact that I’m playing both male and female characters in this. And I hope that Dickens could think it was okay.’
Diversified: Eddie previously said that being gender specific helped with the roles, explaining, “I love the fact that I’m playing male characters and female characters in it.”
Discussing her extravagant stage attire, Eddie revealed, “If you’re trans, it’s probably better to be fairly well dressed…if you look stunningly feminine. Feminine. I mean, Marilyn Monroe once wore a potato sack to a photoshoot.”
Eddie rose to fame as a comedian who dressed cross-dressed but now identifies as a gendered trans woman.
Two years ago she announced that she would prefer female pronouns and wanted to act “in girl fashion from now on”.
Looking good: Speaking about her flamboyant stage attire, Eddie revealed, “If you’re trans, it’s probably better to be pretty well put together.”