CALL ME IZZY Reviews- Page 2

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 6/22/25 at 12:15am

i understand Jean Smart wanting to play this part--and play it she does!-- but the script isnt strong enough to fill Studio 54, which feels ENORMOUS for this tiny little show, but especially when its empty. As it was tonight- id be shocked if the theater was more than 50% full; the mezzanine was at least 2/3 empty. 

This belongs in a small off bway space that lets Smart soar. Shes lost here. The play picks up a bit in the last quarter, even as it gets loopier and less believable, and Smart is undeniably charismatic in a role that requires her to talk at us for a solid 90 minutes. 

I couldnt help but compare this to Angry Alan- another celebrity driven one man show (sorta) where the performance itself cant save the story itself. Angry Alan, though, kept me interested plot wise at least. Call My Izzy is a little less cohesive.

Kudos to Jean Smart, though. 

[rburton66]

Posted: 7/1/25 at 9:28pm

I went into this thinking I’d watch Jean Smart read the phone book and left feeling like she had. While I understand and appreciate her passion for the character and the subject matter, the writing is a stratosphere away from her talent level.