English Comic Eddie Izzard in Concert at Byham; Backstage Bar Hosts Roger Humphries (Tues., 5/28/19)

1) English comedian Eddie Izzard visits the Byham Theater on his Believe Me tour. Bizarre and flamboyant, Izzard feverishly muses over questions we didn’t realize we had—and comes to conclusions we didn’t realize we needed—on a slew of subjects, ranging from history to religion to popular culture. Sometimes intellectual, sometimes merely silly, Izzard is a raconteur in the truest sense of the word. His imagination is incredibly active, brimming with absurdity, and he’s been bringing it to life before audiences (often improvised) for more than 25 years now. His career is nearly as chaotic as his stand-up routine. He didn’t begin appearing on this side of the Atlantic until the late ’90s, at which point he was quickly embraced by American audiences. Since then, he has appeared publicly in an impressive range of capacities—stand-up comedy, theater, television, film, commercials, even political activities. His new tour is called Wunderbar and is billed as “a delicious insight into the surreal and fantastical world of Eddie Izzard.”  Izzard is also a successful author having penned, Believe Me: a memoir of love, death and jazz chickens. 8 p.m. 101 6^th St., Cultural District. (EC, RH)

2) If you’ve heard Horace Silver’s immortal bossa nova standard, “Song for My Father,” then you’ve heard Roger Humphries. The brilliant percussionist has played virtually every major venue in the United States with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Ray Charles to Pittsburgh natives Nathan Davis and Pete Henderson. An accomplished solo artist in his own right and the leader of RH Factor and Roger Humphries’ Big Band, Humphries has also left a lasting legacy in Pittsburgh as an educator, having taught at the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, and elsewhere. Catch the legendary drummer with his band RH Factor during a free public performance at the Backstage Bar at Theater Square at 5 p.m. 655 Penn Ave., Cultural Trust. (EC)

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