Call Me Izzy – 12 July 2025

I attended a performance in which Johanna Day played the role of Izzy.

It seems like it would be a daunting task for one woman to create an entire world on a big Broadway stage, but Call Me Izzy is a perfect paragon of theatre as a deeply collaborative art where many creators tell a story and many are not on stage. Though Jamie Wax’s memoir style writing was spellbinding on its own and when brought to life by Johanna Day’s acting performance, there were many more forces at play elevating Call Me Izzy from a story into a world.

Scenic design (Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams) played an intensely symbolic role in showing how trapped Izzy (Johanna Day) was by her abusive husband, Ferd. At times when Izzy‘s world felt like it was shrinking, the windows/doors to the outside world shrunk accordingly. At times, she could see hope outside, but other times, the set trapped her. Special attention was paid to props – which things were permitted in Izzy‘s world and which were forbidden.

Lighting design (Donald Holder) represented Izzy‘s inner world, showing Izzy bathed in blue lights at times when her writing set her free and trapped in blinding harshness at times when she had no control over her world. This was supported by a constant, dynamic soundscape (Beth Lake) that helped show the audience when Izzy was calm, when she was experiencing trauma, when she was yearning for more, and when she was making a decision. In some cases, the absence of sound highlighted a salient moment of clarity.

Izzy’s costumes (Tom Broecker) were largely flannels in a limited range of muted feminine colors. It begged a question about how much Izzy is allowed to express herself. Though the colors indicated that these (probably) weren’t Ferd‘s clothes, they did seem thoughtfully selected to keep her down – especially knowing that Izzy felt most liberated in blue – reflected in the bathrobe she wore in the opening scene, introducing the concept of her secret bathroom writings on toilet paper.

Acting conventions wise, Call Me Izzy opted out of much of the standard fare for one person shows. When Izzy spoke in another character’s words, Johanna Day’s attempt to give them a specific voice or embody their character were minimal. This established an intimacy with the audience in which it felt like Izzy was telling her story, the same way that one might in the real world – when I was told this, I reacted this way – I wouldn’t imitate that person’s voice in real life unless I was making fun of them. Johanna Day also did not break the fourth wall – and I appreciated the serious commitment she made to showing Izzy’s strength despite her pain,  such that my pity was fleeting and my desire to applaud her courage was strong.

Call Me Izzy is a beautiful memoir with a fully fleshed out world – not a one woman stand-and-deliver. It deserves a much larger audience than it is currently attracting. The story is engaging, meaningful, and intentional. This highly collaborative experience is worth the price of admission.

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.