cake or death: an eddie izzard site

Location	Broadway
Genre	Drama
Previews from	March 14, 2003
Opened	April 15, 2003
Closeed	June 1 , 2003
B/O Price	Orchestra & Front Mezzanine (A - D) - $65 Rear Mezzanine (E - G) - $55 Box Seats (partial view) - $40
Tickets	Roundabout Theatre
Performers	Eddie Izzard (Bri), Victoria Hamilton (as wife Sheila), additional cast will be announced
Director	Laurence Boswell
Design	Es Devlin
Lighting	Adam Silverman
Synopsis	The drama concerns Bri and Sheila, and their severely mentally handicapped child (nicknamed Joe Egg) aged 10. The parents invent conversations and personality traits for the child, even though it seems unable to communicate in any way itself. As Bri and Sheila begin to fabricate scenarios, their marriage comes under increasing strain.
	SEATING CHART
Eddie's "Bio" thanks Randi	Eddie Izzard (Bri). West End: Henry IX, The Two Losers, Geoffrey of Kent, The Death of Everything (Brixton drama nomination), Give Me Some Soap Mister, Jack and His Bench (from the German), Let Go of My Head, What! (RSC), Bad Day at the Kangaroo Court, That's My Lung, Good God Give Me Gravy (Trevor) and Sod Off.
FAN PHOTOS
OTHER PHOTOS

ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents a new Broadway production of PETER NICHOLS' play, A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG, directed by LAURENCE BOSWELL and starring EDDIE IZZARD as Bri and VICTORIA HAMILTON as Sheila at The American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd Street). Previews begin on March 14th, 2003. This is a limited engagement through May 25th, 2003.

Additional cast members will be announced shortly. The sets and costumes will be designed by ES DEVLIN.

A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG concerns Bri and Sheila, and their handicapped child (nicknamed Joe Egg) aged 10. The parents invent conversations and personality traits for the child, even though she seems unable to communicate in any way. As Bri and Sheila begin to fabricate scenarios, their marriage comes under increasing strain. Roundabout Theatre Company staged a production of A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG in January 1985 which won two Tony® Awards including Best Revival and a Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Revival.

The Roundabout production was directed by Arvin Brown and starred Jim Dale as Bri and Stockard Channing as Sheila (Tony® Award for Best Actress). A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG was first presented at the Glasgow Citizen's Theatre in 1967. That same year it was produced in London where it won the Evening Standard Award as Best Play of the Year. A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG premiered on Broadway in 1968.

Ticket Information: Tickets for A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG will go on sale in February 2003 and are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212) 719-1300 or at the box office at the American Airlines Theatre at 227 West 42nd Street. Ticket prices range from $40-$65. www.roundabouttheatre.org

In Person:
American Airlines Theatre
Box Office 227 West 42nd Street
Open 10am - 8pm Tues. - Sat. for advance sales
Open 10am - 6pm Sun. & Mon. for advance sales
The Box Office will close at 6pm on any evening with no performance.
Tickets ($40-$65)

Offer available from 25 Apr 2003 to 01 Jun 2003
Exclusive $40 ticket offer for A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg!

Order now for performances to June 1. There are three easy ways to get your tickets:

3. Bring a printout of this email to the American Airlines Theatre box office, 227 West 42nd Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue, Manhattan).

Conditions: Valid on select locations only, subject to availability. The offer is valid for performances to June 1st. Not valid on previously purchased tickets or in combination with any other offers. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Telephone and internet service charges may apply. 6 ticket limit per order.

SEE Eddie win his Drama Desk award! Scroll down to clip #22. You can also view a short backstage interview (scroll down further). You'll need Windows Media. (thanks Lise & Carole)

Really. It is. So what if Brian Dennehy won instead of Eddie? Eddie still looked smashing. Screencaps HERE.

From NY Daily News:
"EDDIE IZZARD and Victoria Hamilton sounded like the married couple they portrayed in "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" as they walked down the red carpet. They got into an argument on the red carpet over whether New York or London puts on the glitzier awards show. "It's nowhere like it is here," said Hamilton. "Yes it is," countered Izzard, a Best Actor in a Play nominee for the show, which had a limited run on Broadway and closed June 1. "We pull out all the stops over there." "What are you talking about?" said Hamilton, who was nominated as Best Actress. "We do much less of this [the glitz] than is done here." "Well, I think we do just as much as Broadway," said Izzard. " (thanks Donna)

Congratulations Eddie for winning FAVORITE LEADING ACTOR in a Broadway Play. (thanks Maria)

Congratulations to Eddie for winning the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play. Joe Egg also won Outstanding Revival of a Play.

The Outer Critics Circle is an organization of over 75 out-of-town critics and writers, whose annual Award nominations unofficially kick off New York's theatrical awards season.

Winners of the theatrical prizes were announced Monday, May 5, and the annual Gala Awards Party is scheduled for Thursday, May 29 at the famed restaurant, Sardi's. (thanks Peggy)

Congratulations Eddie for winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play! UPDATE: You can watch an interview with Eddie HERE. (Windows media 7.0 required)

The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of A Day in the Death of Joe Egg is packing 'em in its last weeks on Broadway. Last week the revival filled the American Airlines to 101.20% capacity. That was the highest capacity figure of the week--just edging out the hit musical Hairspray, a considerable feat for a dramatic piece. Joe Egg--which received a Best Revival Tony nomination as well as nods for stars Victoria Hamilton and Eddie Izzard and director Laurence Boswell--will only be on Broadway until June 1. (thanks Peggy)

Congrats to the cast and crew of Joe Egg who won the prestigious Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Revival.

Harvey Fierstein beat out Eddie for Distinguished Performance. You can read more HERE.

Broadway.com has a clip of parts of the shows and talks to its stars including a big chunk of Eddie! You'll need either RealAudio or Windows Media Player (WebTV works as well) (thanks Peggy)

"A few revivals seem worth the effort. It was probably too soon to bring back A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Peter Nichols' 1967 play about a couple with a severely retarded child (it had a perfectly good revival in 1985 starring Stockard Channing and Jim Dale), but its brutally unsentimental treatment of a touchy subject, the experiments in narrative and a galvanizing performance by comedian Eddie Izzard give it the immediacy of a spring thunderstorm. And a revival of Flower Drum Song earlier this season gave that politically incorrect Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about Chinese Americans a smart and satisfying rewrite (not the way people remembered it; the show closed)." Read the full article HERE. (thanks Judith)

The nominations were announced today, Joe Egg received one in the revival category. There's only one acting award--"Distinguished Performance". This is the oldest theater award in the US, I believe. Eddie received a nomination. The bad news is, so did just about everybody else who stood on a stage this season (except Victoria, I'm very surprised). The winner will be announced Thursday. (thanks Peggy)

Playbill.com has confirmed that Joe Egg will be extended to June 1st. The Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Peter Nichols' A Day in the Death of Joe Egg which opened April 3 to positive reviews will extend to June 1. The revival, directed by Laurence Boswell, began performances at The American Airlines Theatre March 14 and was originally scheduled through May 25.

Eddie Izzard's name value, plus good reviews, has turned "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" ($241,916) into one of the Roundabout's better-performing dramas: Overall B.O. rose $40,089 from the previous week.

(From Liz Smith) IT WAS a starry opening night for "A Day in the Death of Joe Egg" last week. Celebs galore welcomed Eddie Izzard and Victoria Hamilton to the Great White Way in this still-vibrant, very black comedy. Things are going well now for Izzard since he was locked out of his theater after nipping out to a local deli. He had to bang on a corrugated iron door for 20 minutes to be readmitted to backstage . . .

- Theatremania Speaks to the Director and Starts of Joe Egg (04/03 | thanks Peggy)

Peter Nichols (author of Joe Egg) talks about taking Joe Egg to Broadway HERE. RealPlayer required to listen to the audio clip.

"Next on her horizon is the Roundabout production of Peter Nichols's A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, in which she will join British stars Eddie Izzard and Victoria Hamilton. The production is scheduled to begin previews in mid-March." You can read the whole story HERE. (from Theatremania.com / thanks Peggy)

Eddie Izzard is to take his hit play A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg to Broadway in March.

Izzard, who started playing the play's lead role of Bri on London's West End stage last year to critical acclaim, will begin a New York run with the Roundabout Theatre Company.

The play, written by Peter Nichols, is a dark comedy about a couple with a handicapped girl and the strains put on their marriage. Preview performances will begin on 14 March , and the play is expected to run until 25 May.

It will be at the American Airlines Theatre. Nichol's play was first performed in New York in 1968. The Roundabout theatre last ran it in 1985, starring Jim Dale and West Wing-star Stockard Channing. It won two Tony Awards for best revival and best actress (Channing).

The play was also made into a film in 1972, starring Alan Bates and Janet Suzman. Stand-up star Izzard stepped into the role after Croupier actor Clive Owen. Izzard's character is a teacher who tries to hide his despair with sick humour and jokes.

Clive Owen played Bri before Eddie Izzard Izzard will be joined in the New York run by Victoria Hamilton, who was also in the recent London run.

Izzard, whose surreal stand-up routines have been a huge hit in the UK and Europe for around a decade, is also becoming a name to watch in the US. He releases a DVD of his live tour Dress To Kill in the US this month after sell-out tours in North America. Fellow British actor Jude Law is also tipped to take the role of Doctor Faustus, from his London run this year, to Broadway in 2003.
(from BBC News)

Peter Nichols is a not quite unsung yet still underrated hero of the British theater,an accomplished author of plays that breathtakingly skate the razor’s edgebetween comedy and drama, or even tragedy.

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg simultaneously tickles the ribs and pierces the heart: From bitter personal experience, Nichols created a comedy about how a young couple, Sheila and Bri, invents games to stifle the grief over a daughter, Joe, who is a vegetable. Bri is a schoolteacher and amateur painter; Sheila, an amateur actress. Though they have other problems as well, the biggest is coping with the spastic Joe for what by now is an exhausting decade of improvising vaudeville skits- often based on actual experiences with unhelpful doctors and bumbling clergymen- meant to alleviate an irremediable situation. Even if Nichols cheats a bit about a few details, he makes his main characters tragicomically true to life, racily human enough to wrest sympathy from the sourest souls. He also gives the subsidiary characters- a married couple and a meddlesome mother-in-law- meaty roles whose farce is grounded in wry truth.

Admirably, Joe Egg allows neither laughs nor tears to obscure its point: that accommodation is as close to contentment as we cancome, and that, finally, this isn’t enough. The fabric of life (or tissue of lies) eventually rips, and then whoknows what awaits? Laurence Boswell has resourcefully directed a well-designedand trenchantly performed revival.

Dana Ivey, Margaret Colin, Michael Gaston, and little Madeline Martin contribute staunch support; for rarer than rare perfection, there is Victoria Hamilton,whose Sheila warms the spirit even as it breaks the heart. Not far behind is Eddie Izzard, better known as a stand-up comic, with an intricately devised Bri. Miss Joe Egg at your own peril.

"At Joe Egg's opening-night bash, I asked co-star Eddie Izzard if the play's "wegetable" child is a metaphor for the forces that drive couples apart, etc., etc. "Give me a day," he said, then amended that to "Actually, I don't think it is a metaphor because [author] Peter Nichols really had a disabled child." I gasped in horror, ate for an hour, then asked Nichols himself, who said, "It didn't drive me and my wife apart—but we had three other children. I wouldn't try to explain it. It's a fact of life and an act of God." Waaa! "

"Seen on Broadway: A Day in the Death of Joe Egg is back, as hilariously sad, as bitterly funny as ever. It’s one of the best British plays of the 1960s and time has done nothing to erase its power. In this revival, which the Roundabout Theatre Company has brought from the West End, Eddie Izzard and Victoria Hamilton are Bri and Sheila, a thirtysomething couple whose only child, a 10-year-old girl named Jo, suffers from multiple disabilities, leaving her, in Sheila’s resigned words, "a living parsnip." Playwright Peter Nichols probes how they cope, on a daily basis, with the unthinkable, inventing personalities for Jo and making hilarious comedy out of their encounters with a cruel and insensitive medical establishment. (The long first-act sequence, in which they recount Jo’s birth and its aftermath is played so inventively that you’ll swear that Izzard and Hamilton are making it up.) Underneath the laughter, a marriage is falling apart. Joe Egg is unique--a compassionate black comedy, a sad story told with such insight that its powers to amuse and devastate are totally intertwined. The stars receive first-rate support from Michael Gaston as a wealthy meddler, Margaret Colin as his shallow wife, Dana Ivey as Bri’s clueless, malicious mother, and little Madeleine Martin as Jo. Es Devlin’s living-room setting is a distinctive piece of design work, expertly detailing Bri and Sheila’s lower-middle-class Bohemian lifestyle. The set’s low ceiling poses a challenge for LD Adam Silverman, who brilliantly uses frontlight to emphasize the play’s presentational scenes. Devlin’s costumes are very well-judged, as well; the outfits worn by Hamilton and Colin reveal volumes about the social gulf between their characters and Ivey is a riot in her dowdy old-lady costume, bewigged by Paul Huntley. A Day in the Death of Joe Egg is, hands down, the best revival of the season, and, as of today, Izzard and Hamilton will be the names to beat when acting awards are handed out. "