Eddie Izzard Plays All 23 Roles in Hamlet, Brilliantly

by Jenyth Jo

Precision without pretension: gifted actor Eddie Izzard brings great joy to our beloved Hamlet. From the be-bop jazz entry music to the closing scene, the comic performs 23 roles with flair and gender fluidity. The Eddie super fan to my left and the Hamlet scholar to my right agree: Izzard makes Hamlet accessible to all.

Less is more in this production. A few bare walls, creative lighting, and a perfect costume allow us to enjoy the rhythmic language, clearly delivered.

Costume designers Tom Piper and Libby Da Costa style a black jacket with a single military gold button securing a tight waist, wide shoulders, and flared skirt. Like Steam Punk designs, the jacket creates hips and waists for the female characters.

A quick lift of the skirt and Ophelia curtsies. For male characters, the jacket becomes a man’s doublet. Izzard keeps to her trademark leather pants, highlighting shapely legs, tucked into Beatle boots with Cuban stacked heels.

And the noise she creates with these boots! A clackety-clack announces Queen Gertrude, while Ophelia moves soundlessly across the stage. On her toes, Izzard pirouettes from one character to another. This pivotal move becomes crucial in the extraordinary solo fencing scene, when Izzard duels with himself!

How can one actor embody the entire cast of a Shakespeare tragedy?  Movement director Didi Hopkins accentuates Izzard’s comic genius. We remember the king’s regal arm and the queen’s hand on her breast, gestures of strength and weakness. Hamlet’s erect posture and Laertes’ vigorous body language stick with us as they swordfight across the stage—until Laertes is backed against the wall, sinking into confession. Izzard uses every inch of the stage during the fabulous, frenetic fight.

Appealing and sexy with a sword (or Yorick’s skull) in his hand, Hamlet’s charisma triumphs. In Izzard’s superb downstage soliloquies, we see many faces of the prince up close: grief-stricken, hesitant, and angry at himself as he struggles with his Ghost father’s command. Izzard breaks the “fourth wall” for comic relief, inviting the audience to share how current political problems can be amusing. These moments, paired with a wide variety of working class and upper-class British accents, remind us Izzard is in command of comedic timing.

Izzard follows Hamlet’s advice to the players: “Suit the action to the word, the word to the action . . .” without overacting. Using a Richard Burton baritone, Izzard imbues the ghost with a tortured but commanding voice. His slowed-down speech brings to life the world of the dead in purgatory.

Claudius accents the “s” to create snake-like sounds. Old Polonius has a limp, entertaining us with his shifty political calculations. Izzard knows how to laugh at cruel authority.

The slippery duo of false friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear as hand puppets. Izzard characterizes them with hilarity, especially when her scarlet fingertips snap: “My Lord.”  Izzard’s Hamlet invites us to find humor in exposing the treachery of his two college friends. Who knew a half-inch hand movement could be so funny?

For fans of tragedy and comedy, “Izzard Hamlet” is a once in a decade show. Come watch fear turn into laughter.

 

“Izzard Hamlet” —adapted from Shakespeare by Mark Izzard, directed by Selina Cadell, set design by Tom Piper, lighting by Tyler Elich, costume by Tom Piper & Libby Da Costa, movement by Didi Hopkins, at ACT, Strand Theater, San Francisco. Info: act-sf.org – to April 20, 2025.

Cast: Eddie Izzard

Banner photo: Eddie Izzard. Photo by Carol Rosegg