By Jessica Taurins
Suzy Eddie Izzard has spent much of her extended career doing standup and other silliness, titillating her audiences with sharp punchlines in all formats (stage, screen, probably radio, so on and so on).
So, I would expect some audiences to be a little apprehensive of her ability to perform – solo! – one of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies.
Even for a full cast, Hamlet is not an easy show. The concepts seem easy – love, vengeance, loss – but the presentation, with typical Shakespearean phrasing and remarkably long soliloquies, can be difficult both for the actors and their audience. If the performance is too faithful, it could be dry, yet if it’s too modern, it can swiftly lose its meaning.
A comedian, I hear you ask? Doing all that by herself?
Yes. And she’s bloody good at it.
I will admit that even as a self-proclaimed Shakespeare enjoyer, it took me a few scenes to really pick up what Izzard was putting down. The show is stripped to its barest bones, just the script, the actor, and a spotlight raining down upon the back of the stage. She has no set, no sound design, no props, nothing except her talented self in some leather leggings and a peplum jacket.
And yet, she does put on one of the best performances of Hamlet I’ve ever seen.
She opens her show with a reminder that the show isn’t a comedy, yet that isn’t technically true. Hamlet is a tragedy to be sure, and Izzard presents it as such, but her occasionally scenery-chewing comedic scenes are bright sparks among an already great performance.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are hand puppets – funny, as the puppets of the murderous king – and all of their scenes are a joy to behold as she makes faces and argues with her hands. Hamlet’s mockery of Polonius during their first meeting is enhanced with sneers and confused looks, making each character feel truly unique as she rapidly switches between them.
Izzard’s choices for each character are so evident that it becomes easy for the audience to see who speaks, even if their names aren’t mentioned. Polonius’ limp, Hamlet’s confidence, Ophelia’s softness and naïveté, all of these elements subtly weave together with Izzard’s mastery of the text and her incredible skill for wordplay to thrill the crowd.
While I did love Izzard’s Tragedy of Hamlet myself, and highly recommend it for most audiences, I’d say it may not be worth it for a more casual viewer. My partner, love him though I do, is not a Shakespeare fan and struggled to follow the story beneath her changes. Izzard makes the comedic moments incredibly accessible, but those unfamiliar with decoding the bard’s language may miss hints or conversations that lay the groundwork for the story’s tragic end.
However, for those most keen, this is a must watch. I’ve always wanted to see Izzard live and I’m glad this was my first opportunity.
Her final words rang with me for the rest of the night – after the tragic final scene, she said it was a good time for a transwoman to be performing Hamlet and pissing someone off somewhere, and I fully agree.
Please, see this all-transwoman performance of Hamlet. Tell everyone you know about it. Tell everyone in the world about it! In a time where diversity is rapidly being stripped from us, we must put our love and support into a show like this.
