British standup comedian Eddie Izzard brings ‘fresh and bubbly,’ yet history-heavy show to First Interstate Center for the Arts

The quick-wit and historical dialogue combined with a seemingly ever-constant streamline of logic and commentary make it difficult to define the comedy stylings of Eddie Izzard, but they also make up the many variables that have made her on-stage antics so special over the years.

Although one could easily assume Izzard’s many interesting (yet intricately detailed and historically accurate) plays on events that fascinate her are the result of painstaking hours of intentional writing, this isn’t necessarily the case, at least not anymore.

While one may go about their day without thinking of a single detail of Julius Caesar’s military campaigns or the slight absurdities of the chicken-brained reptiles on steroids we call the dinosaurs, it’s exactly what comes to Izzard’s brain on any given day. In the shower, on a long flight, even in interviews such as this – Izzard’s mind is impossible to shut off.

Between the constant observations and use of workshops, where she tests potential material in front of small audiences across the world, Izzard has much of her creativity on lock. Although, this wasn’t the case a few decades ago; about 35 years to be exact.

When she was first breaking out in Great Britain’s comedy scene, Izzard made heavily conscious efforts to find bits. To be fair, it wasn’t all that different from her natural state today – constantly surveying the world around her and finding the unseen quirks in every piece of information her hungry mind obtained. Notepad after notepad of ideas were filled.

“Initially I was just trying to get anything funny or silly, but it could also be kind of pointless,” Izzard said. “Now I try and make the silliness have a resonance.”

Her comedic prowess may be more defined and fleshed out all these years later, but that doesn’t mean she can’t look back and continue to enjoy the hits. After all, that’s what garnered her the initial attention to begin with.

This is where the Remix Tour comes into play.

Although bands may always play their greatest hits, the industry standard isn’t quite the same for comedians of the modern era who spend a select amount of time performing a routine and change it up after a few years.

“The Stones have to go on and Mick has to not get any satisfaction, even though you’d think surely he’s got some by now,” Izzard said.

But for the purposes of the Remix Tour, the transgender comedian has taken some of her most popular routines and “remixed” them by finding new angles and continuing to freshly riff on the material. With every show, she finds new ways to adapt.

Some of the jokes may find their roots in Izzard’s past, but fans can still expect the sensations of surrealism, historical facts and interesting points of view when she comes to the First Interstate Center for the Arts on Sunday. Comedy has taken her to all 50 states and 45 countries, but this will be her first trip to town – although she only recently learned the correct pronunciation is “Spo-can” and not the ever-lasting curse of “Spo-cane.”

Nonetheless, Izzard is excited to venture back to the Northwest with material for fans of all eras of her career.

“I do try to entertain myself, so I keep it fresh and bubbly and moving things around,” Izzard said. “I hope (audience members) can go away with the idea that their mind was rested from everyday troubles and maybe they’ve learned a bit of history, a bit of this, a bit of that, a bit of weird stuff about Henry VIII.”