Pardon the double post, also on our nightlife blog, but comedy is just that important.
I gleefully attended last night's Eddie Izzard show at the Majestic, and he was quite funny. His primary theme was a bit broad -- civilization -- but he mixed in some Dallas humor, including a nod to "that documentary in the '80s" about our fair city. And his take on dinosaurs and the Spartans were big giggles.
Couple of hiccups: When he got on a rambling roll, it was a little hard to make out every fast-paced quip, especially in the way-up-high seats. Maybe I'm just used to seeing him on TV, where you can actually see the words being formed.
But here's a message to a handful of audience members: Shut. The. [Expletive]. Up.
An amazing number of people kept screaming out approvals or rebuttals that distracted Eddie, who is already easily distracted in a quirky-ADD kind of way. Do you really need to debate the Druids' land of origin from your seat? Do you really need to scream out Eddie's catch phrases? I love "Do you have a flag?" as much as anyone, but the only one cringing more than me when someone screamed it was Eddie himself.
Now, if Eddie seeks audience input, then by all means go for it. Impress everyone with your screams that most won't be able to understand. But don't interrupt him.
Someone at one point yelled out "Doug Rich!" -- a character Eddie plays on The Riches. There was no point to it. He wasn't even talking about the show. The helpful fan just had to throw it out there and stop everything.
I was also unfortunately seated next to an over-laugher. Every word Eddie said sparked a HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! from this person. Now, there's not a lot you can do in that situation. You can't say "Please stop laughing" at a comedy show. But not every line is a laugh line. Control yourselves, please.
Loved Eddie. It felt like we missed a lot of HIS stuff since he was dodging the idiocy of the audience.
He is a smart, sexy man.
Come back Eddie. We're not all drunk cowboys.
Posted by monkey @ 8:49 PM Tue, Apr 01, 2008
i don't think mr. izzard was "dodging the idiocy of the audience" as much as he was taking control of the situation. he "heckler" are, after all, devout fans and he skillfully put those who interrupted him in their place without alienating the offenders.
mr. clark, i realize your comfort level was disturbed by your neighbor's laughing, yet, i hope remember that audience reaction is the only feedback a performer has if he's doing his job. dvd's are far superior to live performance with regard to sound, visual appeal and editing, but, a live performance has a certain synergy between the audience members and the performer that keep people flocking to theatres and clubs.
Comments (2)
Loved Eddie. It felt like we missed a lot of HIS stuff since he was dodging the idiocy of the audience.
He is a smart, sexy man.
Come back Eddie. We're not all drunk cowboys.
i don't think mr. izzard was "dodging the idiocy of the audience" as much as he was taking control of the situation. he "heckler" are, after all, devout fans and he skillfully put those who interrupted him in their place without alienating the offenders.
mr. clark, i realize your comfort level was disturbed by your neighbor's laughing, yet, i hope remember that audience reaction is the only feedback a performer has if he's doing his job. dvd's are far superior to live performance with regard to sound, visual appeal and editing, but, a live performance has a certain synergy between the audience members and the performer that keep people flocking to theatres and clubs.