Great Expectations opens in New York

Eddie Izzard's one-woman production of Great Expectations opened in New York last week, generating positive reviews including this one from New York Stage Review. Before departing for New York, Izzard previously performed the show in the Dell theatre at Eastbourne College, raising over £5000 for Eastbourne Foodbank.

Izzard (Pennell 1975-80) plays 19 characters in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, a classic tale of convicts, mystery, friendship, rivalry, unrequited love, revenge, and redemption at The Greenwich House Theater (27 Barrow Street). Dickens’ novel was adapted for the stage by fellow OE, Mark Izzard (Pennell 1973-78).

Actor, comedian, and multi-marathon runner Izzard’s boundary-pushing career spans all of these with record-breaking comedy tours and critically acclaimed film, TV, and theatre performances. But few know that acting was her first love. This show offers the chance to see Izzard in a solo performance of the master storyteller’s beloved epic, Great Expectations.

Izzard, who is dyslexic, had never read a great work of literature, but knowing that she was exactly 150 years younger than Dickens (7 Feb 1812 to 7 Feb 1962) decided to start by reading Great Expectations. She was then inspired to develop it as a solo performance for the stage.

Izzard said, 'Charles Dickens loved performing his own works in America, and so I thought it would be a wonderful idea to launch Great Expectations here. I always feel at home in New York, and I believe if Charles Dickens were alive today, he would feel at home too.'

To book tickets, please visit: www.eddieizzardgreatexpectations.com