Eddie Izzard to headline Hollywood Bowl concert

The Hollywood Bowl is a venue that has pretty much seen it all -- classical, rock, jazz, Broadway, dance and more. On July 20, British comedian Eddie Izzard will appear in "Stripped to the Bowl," a concert performance that the Los Angeles Philharmonic is billing as the venue's first-ever all-comedy presentation.

Those with long Bowl memories may recall another comedy presentation -- Monty Python's sketch show that played at the historic venue in 1980 and that was later turned into a popular concert film. Whether this counts as theater or live comedy can be debated by Bowl fanatics, should they so desire.

Izzard, who starred in the FX series "The Riches," is known for his manic, stream-of-consciousness comedy style. His stand-up acts often include celebrity impersonations, and he has been known to cross-dress during performances -- though he recently has preferred men's attire over high heels and ball gowns.

It's unclear how similar "Stripped to the Bowl" will be to the comedian's 2008 touring show "Stripped," which played in Britain, Canada and the U.S. The show covered such topics as atheism, religion and the comic's own experience with dyslexia.

In 2008, Izzard performed "Stripped" at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. In 2010, Izzard appeared at the Nokia Theatre in downtown L.A. as part of a tour, "Stripped Too."

Izzard's prolific acting career includes an upcoming role in the third season of  Showtime's "The United States of Tara," beginning this month, and voice-over work in the Pixar animated movie "Cars 2," opening in June.

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-- David Ng

Photo (top): Eddie Izzard. Credit: Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times

Photo (bottom): Hollywood Bowl. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Stephaney Lloyd]

Any Eddie Izzard performance is a master class in acting. He is absolutely true to himself, and while he's one of the funniest people alive, he strikes a deep chord with everyone in the audience (although I think the chord may be different for each person), making us think and feel quite differently from just laughing. I've only seen him on video, in both English and French, and he never strikes a false note. Would that we had more like him!