Rialto Chatter: Eddie Izzard Headed to Cort Theater in 'Accidental Death of an Anarchist'?

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reports this morning that British producer John Gore has been seen scouting out Broadway's Cort Theatre for a possible production of Dario Fo's 'Accidental Death of an Anarchist' which would star Eddie Izzard. The producer is also currently hunting for a director and a writer to do a fresh adaption of the play. 

Click here to read the full story in the NY Post. 

The play is based on events involving a real person, Giuseppe Pinelli, who fell - or was thrown - from the fourth floor window of a Milan police station in 1969. He was accused of bombing a bank (the Piazza Fontana bombing). The accusation is widely seen as part of the Italian Far Right's strategy of tension.

The events of the play itself, however, are fictional. The play opens with Inspector Bertozzo interrogating The Maniac, a histrionic character, on the third floor of the police station. The Maniac, however, constantly outsmarts the dim-witted Bertozzo and, when Bertozzo leaves the room, intercepts a phone call from Inspector Pissani. The phone call lets the Maniac know that a judge is due at the police station to investigate the interrogation and death of the anarchist. The Maniac decides to impersonate the judge, and successfully does so. He gets the police to re-enact the events, in the actual fourth floor room, and also involves a woman journalist who is trying to probe the events.

The play was first staged by Dario Fo on December 5, 1970 in Varese, Italy.This production toured Italy playing to audiences totaling more than a million by theatre group, Collettivo Teatrale La Commune.

An English translation was published by Suzanne Cowan in Theater Magazine in 1979, and led to subsequent productions in Minneapolis in 1982,

In February 9,1984,a stage adaptation by Richard Nelson, directed by Doug Wager, opening at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.. The show made it to Broadway starring Jonathan Pryce and Patti LuPone in 1984, but closed after 20 performances and 15 previews.

In 1980,The play was staged in Britain at the Wyndham's Theatre in London. It had a highly successful run in the heart of London's theatreland, from 5 March 1980 to 24 October 1981. The production was nominated for a highly prestigious Laurence Olivier Award.

British television adaptation in 1983 on Channel 4, which mixed the original Italian setting with contemporary references to Thatcher's Britain.Starring Gavin Richards as Maniac,directed by Alan Horrox and Gavin Richards

In 2003, a new translation by Simon Nye was performed at the Donmar Warehouse theatre, London, starring Rhys Ifans Directed by Robert Delamere.

Izzard recently reprised his appearance in "Ocean's Thirteen" and earned a Tony Award-nomination for his turn in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.

Izzard's past solo shows include the double Emmy Award-winning show Dress to Kill, as well as Live at the Ambassadors, Unrepeatable, Circle, Definite Article, Glorious and Sexie. Izzard's London stage credits include the title role in the once-Broadway-bound Lenny Bruce bio Lenny and the world premiere of David Mamet's The Cryptogram. His film credits include "Ocean's Twelve," "Velvet Goldmine," "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and the forthcoming "Across the Universe."