The Show
Eddie Izzard goes over many Americans' heads, as they aren't quite sure what to make of this rather intelligent, accented man in a dress. Even today, after several DVD releases, a successful run on HBO and several movie roles, he's still marginalized as "that transvestite comic." So one can only imagine how people felt about him back in 1994, when he filmed this special at Albery Theatre. He wasn't really even dressed up this time. In fact, he doesn't look to be wearing any more make-up than your average actor. So what's the problem?

After introducing the world to his unique comedy in 1993's "Live at the Ambassadors," the pressure was on to deliver with "Unrepeatable." Though he's far from the polished raconteur he is in "Dress to Kill," the base of his incredibly funny style is easy to see here, as he muses about cats drilling behind your couch, "bizarre wash" and new phaser settings. His set about the Secret Service's complete breakdown in a crisis is priceless, as he talks about the way the agents take out an attacker. There's something about the way he sounds when he yells to "Kev" that gets me laughing every time.

One of the biggest developments in this show, as far as his act goes, is the perfection of his "voices," as he spills the thoughts of blue pants and cats and dogs. When he divulges the truth behind the special-ops missions going on in your washing machine or the happy-go-lucky thoughts behind a game of catch, he touches a comic nerve like few others. In my head, I can hear "Hello! Blue pants here!" anytime, day or night. His ability to give a voice to inanimate objects that sound like you'd think they would is excellent. There are more hilarious bits in this show than in most comedians' careers.

The DVD
"Unrepeatable" finally hits DVD in a neat little package, delivered in a keepcase that comes complete with an insert that lists the chapter stops. The disc opens with a static full-screen menu presenting a choice of English, Spanish and French menu options and subtitles. This is followed by an animated full-screen menu with access to chapter selections, subtitles and special features options. For the aural virgins among us, the special features menu provides the opportunity to select a bleeped soundtrack which eliminates dirty words from the show (in case you want to watch the transvestite comic with Grandma.)

The Quality
The video is presented in full-screen, which looks solid. The set was nearly perfect, with dark black and blue in the background, defining a brightly-colored Izzard well. His striped shirt causes some occasional Moire-effect problems and he wonders out of the stage lighting, but overall, it's a a good presentation. The audio is simple 2.0 stereo, which does the job of making sure Izzard and the audience don't clash. The jokes all come across clear as day, whether you listen to the show bleeped or unbleeped.

The Extras
In comparison to the other two recent Izzard releases, "Unrepeatable" came up a bit short. Instead of an entertaining featurette, this disc has a rather plain animated slide show. Thankfully, it still has a commentary by Izzard, as well as a subtitle "trivia track." The trivia track provides...well, trivia, about the many disparate topics covered in Izzard's stand-up act, filling in some blanks on the less mainstream topics. The commentary, recorded by Izzard in 2004, is, like the track on "Definite Article," a more subdued affair than his stand-up. Reflecting on one of his earlier performances, he presents a mix of philosophizing, remembering and explaining. This isn't his favorite show it seems, but there's some sentiment involved. Once in a while, Izzard seems to lose himself watching and laughing at the show, and it seems like you're just watching alongside him.

The Bottom Line
"Unrepeatable" shows a confident, yet still developing Izzard; a comic just finding his voice. The focus on religion and politics is much tighter than his later, more chaotic shows, which has it's good points and it's bad. Instead of a scattershot comedy assault on life, that results in a multitude of hilarious moments, this is closer to the standard stand-up act, with a "Star Trek" bit here and a Horror Films bit there. Of course, there have been times when I wished he would do more on a certain topic, but now I see that's a bit constricting for him. That's not to say that "Unrepeatable" doesn't have some funny bits that stand amongst Izzard's best. This is just a different show for those who met the trendy tranny in "Dress to Kill." It's a no-brainer for Izzard fans.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.