Review: Does Eddie Izzard Live Up to Great Expectations?

Photo: Carol Rosegg                                                                    

By Brian Scott Lipton

Given the flexibility of the Greenwich House Theater, one can’t help but wish that the producers of “Great Expectations” had replaced the theater’s uncomfortable seats with cozy couches, all the better to fully appreciate Eddie Izzard’s extremely engaging recounting of Charles Dickens’ beloved 1860 novel.

Under Selina Cadell’s savvy direction, Izzard keeps us rapt for two hours as he moves about the simply decorated stage (by Tom Piper) and wearing a quasi-Victorian yet decidedly modern ensemble (styled by Piper and Libby DaCosta), which proves to be an ideal symbol of Izzard’s gender fluidity. (For the record, Izzard now uses she pronouns.) Continue reading...