Eddie Izzard in Toronto

Eddie Izzard at Toronto's Massey Hall.

With a show entitled “Stripped”, one might expect Eddie Izzard’s current show – which he’s toured with for exactly 2 years – to cover some sexy topics. But what Izzard unleashed on the April 30 crowd at Massey Hall (his first of four shows) was the history of the world, covering “everything that’s ever happened, along with a few gaps because it’ll be a long show.”

From even the requisite Canadian references off the top (“Thank you for World War II. Nobody ever says that, do they?”) Izzard was his regular top-of-his-intelligence self, downplaying his recent marathon of marathons as being “nothing” compared to Terry Fox.

He told us he doesn’t believe in God, but he believes in us, in humanity. That didn’t stop him from reenacting biblical touchtones like the animals boarding the arc and the genesis of the ten commandments. From the creation of Earth, to dinosaurs, the development of language, the Spartans, the Egyptians, and more, Izzard mixed his never-dry lessons with oddly perfect tangents about Shirley Temple, updating iTunes, and yes – bees.

Performing for about two hours and 45 minutes – minus a 20-minute intermission – his recent marathon project no longer seems as unfathomable.

About the Author

Sharilyn Johnson is the author of the book Bears & Balls: The Colbert Report A-Z. Called "one of the city’s most discriminating comedy critics” by NOW Magazine, Sharilyn has been covering comedy for longer than she cares to admit. She served as the comedy reporter for Winnipeg's Uptown Magazine for five years, and was the host of the radio show Laugh Tracks for three seasons. Her work has also appeared in the Toronto Star, the Winnipeg Free Press, The Apiary, and on CBC Radio's national comedy programs LOL and Definitely Not the Opera.