A Stunning Broadway Debut for the 2025-2026 Season
The 2025-2026 Broadway season kicks off with Call Me Izzy, a one-woman play that is both comedic and devastating. Starring the incredible Jean Smart, this new drama balances sharp humor and painful realism with finesse and power. Smart’s performance is a masterclass in emotional range and stage presence.
Jean Smart’s Captivating Performance
From the moment she steps on stage in a tattered teal robe, Jean Smart fully embodies Izzy—Isabelle, a woman trapped in a small trailer park bathroom in Mansfield, Louisiana. With only a roll of toilet paper and a mascara pencil, Izzy pens secret poems during the few quiet hours when her abusive husband sleeps. These moments are not just acts of defiance but small breaths of freedom in a life suffocated by fear and repression.
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A Poetic Story of Resilience and Courage
Call Me Izzy, written by Jamie Wax and directed by Sarna Lapine, tells the story of a woman with intellectual brilliance and literary passion who was denied the future she deserved. Once a gifted student with a college scholarship, Izzy’s life was derailed when she fell for a charming, older man who quickly turned into her tormentor. Her talent, wit, and spirit never faded—but they had to go underground.
Despite her husband’s cruelty and control, Izzy writes in secret, hiding her notebooks and scribbling poems on toilet paper. A secret adult literature class, a hidden library card, and a friendship in the trailer park offer glimmers of hope. But even those sparks carry dangerous consequences.
A Bold and Emotionally Rich Production
The production is staged almost entirely in a small bathroom, designed flawlessly by Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams, emphasizing Izzy’s isolation. The lighting by Donald Holder and sound by Beth Lake create an atmosphere heavy with tension, but also humanity.
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As Izzy finds small victories—submitting a poem to a magazine contest, winning $15,000 and a writing residency—we are reminded that survival can be its own form of rebellion. The twist? The winning poem wasn’t the one she sent—it reveals the harsh truth of her life in raw, unfiltered language.
Final Thoughts
Jean Smart’s performance is a revelation. Guided by Sarna Lapine’s careful direction, Smart delivers a character who is vulnerable yet unbreakable, silenced but never voiceless. The ending doesn’t offer easy answers, but Izzy’s tenacity lingers long after the curtain falls.
If Call Me Izzy is any indication, Broadway’s new season is off to a fearless and unforgettable start.
