Live at the Ambassadors

Eddie Izzard’s West End debut captures a comedian right on the precipice of international fame, working out the tangent-heavy rhythm that would define her career. Filmed at London’s Ambassadors Theatre in 1993, the show presents a pre-glamour Izzard. Wearing jeans, a jacket, and just a hint of nail varnish, she relies entirely on a sprawling stream of consciousness. The set jumps unpredictably from Agatha Christie trying to spell the word “ant” to the tactical warfare of supermarket checkout queues.

This performance introduced several premises that became staples of her repertoire. Izzard imagines cats operating power tools behind the living room sofa, dissects the futility of high school French lessons featuring monkeys in trees, and points out that Doctor Who’s Daleks can be completely defeated by a flight of stairs.

The original four-week run was extended twice due to ticket demand. It won a British Comedy Award for Top Stand Up Comedian and earned an Olivier Award nomination. Despite the critical validation, Izzard notoriously disliked her physical appearance on the tape and was dissatisfied with the performance rights. As a result, she blocked a DVD release, leaving this recording as a rare VHS-era snapshot of a performer finding her footing.