Eddie Izzard acts the Dickens out of ‘Great Expectations’

The Rundown:

‘Tis the season for solo Dickens. While Jefferson Mays is Bah Humbug-ing it up on Broadway eight times a week in his acclaimed one-person presentation of A Christmas Carol, downtown in New York City‘s West Village, Emmy Award-winning actor-comedian Eddie Izzard is presiding over hatched plots, stopped clocks, and a rotting wedding cake as she takes on 19 roles in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.

Izzard delivers a whirlwind performance as she quickly shifts from one character to another without benefit of costume changes. Fans seeing this singular above-the-title talent won’t have their own great expectations dashed. However, those with a deep familiarity with the epic story (as adapted by her brother Mark Izzard) may have hard times with the truncated text. But whatever camp you fall into, when even diluted Dickens is presented by such a talent, it’s best to enjoy the ride and not nitpick(wick) yourself out of a good time.

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No Tea, No Shade:

For those unfamiliar with the novel, Great Expectations is Dickens’s classic tale of love, loyalty, friendship, morality, revenge, and redemption. It follows Pip, an orphan boy raised in bucolic surroundings by his cold sister and loving brother-in-law. One day, a chance encounter with an escaped convict on the marshes finds Pip in the first of many moral dilemmas, leading him to a large fortune (his great expectations) from a mystery benefactor. Throughout the story, the naïve Pip becomes educated as a gentleman, intoxicated by wealth, deserts his true friends, and eventually is humbled by his own conceit.

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The many unforgettable characters — including the kindhearted blacksmith Joe, unattainable love interest Estella, and enigmatic convict Magwitch — provide Izzard more than ample opportunity to chew designer Tom Piper’s simple but effective scenery. But Izzard really makes her meal in her portrayals of legal double-speaking Jaggers and reclusive iron-hearted spinster Miss Havisham.

Joining the ranks of heavy hitters Anne Bancroft, Gillian Anderson, Helena Bonham Carter, and (most recently) Olivia Colman, Izzard is suitably over-the-top for the larger-than-fiction Havisham and is fascinating to watch as she plots, manipulates, and ultimately redeems herself. And though, at times, she may feel like she’s channeling Norma Desmond and Baby Jane Hudson, Izzard is never anything short of captivating in the role.

However, where Izzard both excels and falters is in her portrayal of Pip. A feat of heavy lifting, Pip must carry the epic story. It is here where Izzard gets to use her stand-up comedy skills with asides and stage bits that make a cheeky connection with the audience. It is here that she is a hoot to watch. On the downside, the sometimes-breakneck pace of Selina Cadell’s direction and occasional unevenness of Mark Izzard’s adaptation makes the first-person narration feel, at times, like a second-hand retelling.

Let’s Have a Moment:

One of the best sequences of Mark Izzard’s adaptation comes early in the evening when Pip first meets Miss Havisham and later Estella. After an odd request from Miss Havisham to watch the two children play for her amusement,  Estella hurls insults at Pip. When asked his opinion of the girl, Pip describes her as “proud,” “insulting,” and ultimately pretty. The sequence sets up the characters’ relationships with each other throughout the piece.

With a tilt of her head, raise of an eyebrow, or purse of her lips, Izzard exquisitely embodies each of these characters and their very specific fears and motivations. It is the clearest moment where actor, director, adapter, and Dickens are all on the same page and thrilling to watch.

The Last Word:

Izzard comes well-prepared for this evening, having recorded a 20-hour unabridged audiobook of the novel in 2018. So, for someone who has bragging rights to running 27 marathons in 27 days, a two-hour show with an intermission is akin to a sprint. Izzard fans are guaranteed to be delighted. Dickens purists may have to manage their own great expectations. The evening is a pip.

Eddie Izzard in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations runs through February 11, 2023, at New York City’s Greenwich Street Theater.