Press Release Source: EDDIE IZZARD

EDDIE IZZARD Earns TONY NOMINATION for Best Actor in Debut Broadway Role

Monday May 12, 9:55 am ET NEW YORK, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- EDDIE IZZARD has landed a TONY NOMINATION for "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play" in his Broadway acting debut for his performance in the critically acclaimed Peter Nichols play "A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG." The play also garnered nominations for VICTORIA HAMILTON for "Leading Actress," LAURENCE BOSWELL for direction and the play itself for "Best Revival of a Play."

IZZARD, who earlier this month picked up THE OUTER CRITICS AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACTOR IN A PLAY, has won glowing reviews for his performance as BRI, a young father struggling to come to terms with the burden of caring for his severely brain-damaged daughter. "A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG" also won the award for OUTSTANDING REVIVAL OF A PLAY.

In THE NEW YORK TIMES, Ben Brantley said that IZZARD and co-star VICTORIA HAMILTON are "so funny that they break your heart." He added, "It is unlikely that anyone this season is going to top Mr. Izzard and Ms Hamilton." Meanwhile, John Lahr of THE NEW YORKER claimed "Bri is brought to magnificent life by the comedian Eddie Izzard whose disarming lightness of touch and swiftness of mind make him just the right messenger for Nichols's sulfurous irony," and THE NEW YORK POST's Clive Barnes declared, "Izzard is extraordinary ... He pulls compulsive laughter out of pain like a funny hat from one of those English Christmas crackers." Elsewhere, Richard Zoglin noted in TIME MAGAZINE, "its brutally unsentimental treatment of a touch subject, the experiments in narrative and a galvanizing performance by comedian EDDIE IZZARD give it the immediacy of a spring thunderstorm."

The production has transferred to Broadway from an equally acclaimed production in London, where IZZARD was hailed as "a revelation" in THE DAILY MAIL, and DAILY TELEGRAPH reviewer Charles Spencer commented that "Izzard puts me in mind of Olivier's Archie Rice in 'The Entertainer.'"

A delighted EDDIE reacted to the nomination by saying: "This is a great honor and I feel very lucky to be here. The last time I was nominated for an acting award was The Eastbourne Gazette Drama Awards (Schools section) in 1979."

Further nominations for EDDIE include THE DRAMA DESK AWARD for "Best Actor." EDDIE and VICTORIA received nominations by DRAMA LEAGUE for "Distinguished Performance," the play itself won for "Distinguished Production of a Revival."

Despite his stage success, IZZARD has not forgotten his live stand-up roots, and will be embarking on a WORLD TOUR this summer, taking in Australia, New Zealand, North America, culminating in the UK later in the year.