The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
‘I’m a radical man with a moderate message’
Stand-up comedian Eddie Izzard on his maiden trip to India, linguistic dexterity and using comedy to call out insular ideologies
HAS THERE been a more ambitious standup comedian than Eddie Izzard? It’s a good question to ponder, when the man himself, speaking over the phone from Barcelona, says that he just realised he can now speak in Spanish. “This is true, it’s not just a line,” he says, “Ten minutes ago, I realised that I can speak in Spanish.” Izzard, of course, was already bi-lingual way back in the ’90s when he started doing bits in French, a language he was familiar with since school. Then in 2011, he began to create original material in French. The next move was to German, which was when Izzard first employed his methodical approach to learning language — translating the original material, committing the translation to memory, immersing himself in the linguistic nuances and then, slowly, learning to improvise. Like with Spanish, he had an epiphany with German too; it was while doing a two-hour radio show in the language that he realised he had become a fluent speaker.
Few stand-up comics can boast of such linguistic diversity in their material. And yet, that’s not the only yardstick by which to measure Izzard’s achievements. His on-going stand-up tour, the rather aptly-named Force Majeure, has been running for three years and counting and has covered an impressive 29 countries so far, with India — which he will tour next month — bringing the tally up to 30. “We’ve been planning to bring the show to India since 2013; we were in serious talks with a promoter for nearly a year and half,” he says, “I think the record for any tour is 51 countries and I want to break that record.” After the India tour, he will head to Nepal. “A man in New York came up and asked me if I would ever do a gig in Kathmandu. I said I would, if there were enough people to come watch it. This was in 2010 and here I am, in 2017, finally about to fulfil that promise,” he says.
It’s not surprising that Izzard nurses the ambition to take his comedy to as many countries as possible or that he should, after conquering French, German and Spanish, want to incorporate Arabic and Russian to his repertoire. The 54-year-old is, as he says in his Twitter bio, “a British European” who thinks like an American and was born in an Arabic country. He is, in other words, a truly global citizen who has, voiced the need for greater tolerance and unity particularly in Europe and has, through his comedy and otherwise, called out racism, sexism and other manifestations of insularity.
A longtime supporter of the Labour Party, Izzard was in fact one of the leading voices for the Remain Campaign ahead of the Brexit vote last year, even having the Union Jack and the flag of the European Union painted onto his nails.in three years time, he says, he wants to get into politics and run for Member of Parliament. He is even willing to endure extreme physical challenges to support his causes. He ran 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa to raise funds for Sports Relief, and as a tribute to Nelson Mandela, whom he deeply admires and who spent 27 years in prison during the apartheid years.
Why does Izzard push himself this way? “I’m a radical moderate; a radical man with a moderate message,” he says. Running in Africa, where many countries are not Lgbt-friendly, was additionally a statement of defiance for the comedian who came out about his transvestism in his 20s, and went on to perform for many years in make-up and women’s clothing. Will he be wearing make-up for his shows in India? “I haven’t decided yet, but I think I should,” says Izzard, “This is the third millennium, men and women should have the right to wear what they want. I came on in Istanbul wearing a skirt and I got an extra round of applause for that. I think people saw it as a pushback against the increasingly orthodox government. Politics in today’s world is going backwards to the 1930s when it was driven by fear and hate. Fear is the fuel of terrorism and hope is the fuel of civilisation. We should all be learning from each other, and I’m hoping I can inspire people to do so. The ‘melting pot’ is the way to save the world.”
Eddie Izzard will be performing Force Majeure on February 15 in Mumbai, February 16 in Bengaluru and February 17 in Delhi. For tickets, visit: insider.in WITHIN A cone of blue light on a darkened stage, Seeta Patel stands silhouetted as she prepares to tell the story of a nayika longing for her beloved, Krishna. The interplay of light and darkness stretches throughout the piece, Something Then, Something Now, while Patel evokes moments of bliss as well as the pain of parting. The work marks the debut of the London-based Patel, 36, in India. Even before she was chosen as a judge and mentor for television show BBC Young Dancer 2015, Patel was a star in Britain for her Bharatanatyam and contemporary performances and an experimental film, The Art of Defining Me. Born in London and brought up in Bristol, Patel began dancing at a Saturday school that was run by a member of the local temple. “I was too young to think of cultural identity or heritage. That thinking came much later and, by that time, the art form was driving me. The hunger I had for it went beyond an intellectual need or identity,” she says. Excerpts from an interview with Patel:
Why did you name a story of love and separation drawn from mythology, Something Then, Something Now?
When I thought about the title, I considered both the content and the form being presented. I wanted to highlight the relevance of classical work and how it can be appreciated in today’s world. Classicism is often relegated to a position of antiquity, or a dusty museum piece with no relevance to the ‘now’. I believe that classicism is timeless and is evolving all the time. I wanted a title that reflected the well-worn musical compositions I was working with, alongside the immediacy of the interpretation that I chose to present.the title is about highlighting that things from the past can come together in harmony with the now and create a relevant and meaningful work.
What are the universal emotions you explore in the varnam?
The theme of this varnam, as many varnams explore, is that of love in separation. In this composition the dancer is talking to her friend and asking her not to hinder her union with her beloved. She asks her to bring him to her. The object of her affection in this case is Krishna. I connect to the work in terms of its emotions. The work begins with lightness and playfulness. As the piece progresses, the intensity of all the emotions grow. The feeling of hope, agitation, expectation, interspersed with fear of the effects of Cupid’s arrows all reach a crescendo until finally the resolution emerges and the friend agrees to go and call the beloved as she waits in hope.
How does the dance interact with the lighting?
The lighting is there to accentuate the architecture of the abstract dance elements and the ebb and flow of emotions in the narrative sections. Lighting designer Guy Hoare worked in great detail looking at the way the compositions are structured and how the evening evolves and shifts. He took an idea and found several ways to develop it while keeping a core visual idea in mind. There is a simplicity and beauty to the design as opposed to trying to put too many different ideas into one evening of work.
Something Then, Something Now will be staged at Sri Ram Centre on Mandi House on January 20 at 7.30 pm. Contact: 23714307