The Catalyst interview: Eddie Izzard

One of Great Britain’s most insightful and cerebral comedians, Eddie Izzard is also a performer unlike any other; her seemingly stream-of-consciousness observations vacillate between high-energy hilarity and next-galaxy-over absurdity.

She’s also a trans woman, which adds another layer of complexity to her standup comedy, her acting roles and her full-throttle charity work (in the U.K., she once ran 43 marathons in 51 days). She fully intends to be elected to Parliament one day.

We spoke with Izzard via Zoom, in advance of her Oct. 23 performance in Morsani Hall, the big room at the David A. Straz Center in Tampa.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation, dealing with topics like early “surreal” comedic inspiration (the Goons, Monty Python, Billy Connelly), his/her beginnings as a street performer, taking on Great Expectations and Hamlet as one-person shows (she’ll take the latter on the road next year), re-inventing her “greatest hits” and the challenge of performing in countries (or, perhaps, certain parts of the United States) where audiences may not see past her appearance and appreciate her hyper-intelligent, rapid-fire comedy.

And yes, the interview (see below) is very, very funny.

Tickets to the Oct. 23 show are here.