By Ernio Hernandez
16 Jul 2003

Promotional art for Sexie.

Recent Tony Award nominee Eddie Izzard, who won praise for his turn in the Broadway revival of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, launches his new international tour in Australia, July 16.

"I'm going on a world tour of the world," Izzard previously told Playbill On-Line. "And I would do other planets, but they're not open yet."

The British actor described his show as "Just me talking rubbish, I don't know what I'll be talking about because I sort of work it out when I get there." And what will he be wearing? "Clothes, mainly clothes. We have thought of wearing actual live cultures."

As previously reported by Playbill On-Line, the show titled Sexie, will make its way to America Aug. 29-Nov. 8 before going on to the United Kingdom.

Beginning in Vancouver Aug. 29 after stints in Australia (July 16-Aug. 2) and New Zealand (Aug. 6-16), the new show will play venues stateside in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Baltimore, Boston, Washington D.C. and Toronto before finishing up in Philadelphia.

"We're planning on a southern swing in January, but that's not definite yet," said WestBeth Entertainment president Arnold Engelman, adding Sexie "will play mostly larger venues — 1500-seat venues — so that everybody can get to see him."

When asked about the unique spelling of the show's title, Engelman laughingly replied "That you have to ask him, he makes up his own titles." Engelman witnessed Izzard's rise in the U.S. from humble beginnings at the now-defunct Westbeth Theatre Center on 151 Bank Street in New York City to international fame with the double Emmy Award-winning show Dress to Kill. WestBeth subsequently produced his Circle tour and will present his Sexie at NYC's City Center, Oct. 7-11.

Izzard's past solo shows have included Live at the Ambassadors, Unrepeatable, Definite Article and Glorious. The Yemen-born Brit, however, is also a viable actor boasting many London stagings to his credits — among them the title role in the once-Broadway-bound Lenny Bruce bio of Lenny and the world premiere of David Mamet's The Cryptogram. His film turns include "Velvet Goldmine," "Shadow of the Vampire" and portraying Charlie Chaplin in "The Cat's Meow."

Dates and venues for the North American leg of the tour are as follows:

Aug. 29-30 Vancouver, Canada - Vogue Theatre

Sept. 2-3 Portland, OR - Newmark Theatre

Sept. 4-6 Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre

Sept. 9-13 San Francisco, CA - Orpheum Theatre

Sept. 16-20 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theatre

Sept. 22-23 Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre

Sept. 26-27 Minneapolis, MN - Pantages Theatre

Sept. 30-Oct. 4 Chicago, IL - Shubert Theatre

Oct. 7-11 New York, NY - City Center

Oct. 14-15 Pittsburgh, PA - Byham Theater

Oct. 17 Cleveland, OH - Allen Theatre

Oct. 18 Detroit, MI - Music Hall

Oct. 21-25 Boston, MA - Shubert Theatre

Oct. 27-28 Washington, DC - Warner Theatre

Oct. 31-Nov. 1 Toronto, Canada - Music Hall

Nov. 4-8 Philadelphia, PA - Merriam Theater

For more details on the upcoming Sexie tour and more information on Eddie Izzard, visit his recently redesigned website at www.eddieizzard.com.