Episode Overview

Podcast: Broadway Breakdown
Host: Matt Koplik
Episode: Matt Reviews CALL ME IZZY
Date: June 17, 2025

In this solo episode, Matt Koplik delivers his signature irreverent, incisive, and passionate take on two current NYC theater productions: the Broadway premiere of Call Me Izzy starring Jean Smart, and the New York Theater Company’s inaugural production of Machinal. The episode is framed by Matt’s classic tangents—ranging from laptop woes to Tony Awards hot takes—which ground his theater criticism in personal candor and humor. The main focus is a deep-dive review of Call Me Izzy, including robust discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of both the play and Smart’s performance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Quick Personal+Show Update & Listener Interaction

• Laptop/Tech Woes ([00:23–04:30]): Matt opens with a saga about his 12-year-old MacBook dying just as the episode and a Substack launch were due; this sets a candid, conversational mood:

  "Shouldn’t I be rewarded for taking such good care of my baby? And Apple’s like, oh, sweetheart, no, this is a capitalist society. You get penalized for not buying new more frequently."

• Podcast Housekeeping: New Substack launch for more writing and bonus content.
• Listener Review Read-Aloud ([04:30–13:32]): Matt responds to a mildly snarky Apple Podcasts review, defending his Tony predictions, providing insider commentary on how Tony voting actually works, and offering a dash of Andrew Lloyd Webber gossip:

  “Sir Lloyd Webber does not care for this Sunset Boulevard... The only reason he moved it to Broadway was because it ended up being a sellout success and winning a bunch of Olivier Awards.”

2. Mini Review: Machinal (NY Theater Company at City Center Stage 2)

Timestamps: [13:32–29:39]

• Context: Explains the play’s expressionist roots and its basis in a real 1920s crime—the first American woman sentenced to the electric chair.
• Production Approach:
  • Small, intimate, presentational staging with tap-dance as percussive soundscape; ensemble mostly female, non-binary, or trans actors, with only the husband played by a cis man, perhaps to literalize his presence as oppressor:

    “Everyone else is... female identifying or non binary trans... I would imagine... to give the contrast between everyone else and her husband.”

  • The set and sound: “A percussive sound that is always... nagging at you and giving you this undercurrent of dread and drive.”
• Major Performances:
  • Praises Soph Metcalf (as “the lover”):

    “They have that great balance of masculine energy that doesn’t feel put upon... and has a charm and a swagger, a little bit of sexiness... just plays for connection.”

  • Some “swings that didn’t really do it for me,” but generally appreciates the risk-taking.
• Overall Impression:
  • Engaged by the experimentation, though not wowed:

    “Would I recommend it? Sure. Take a look... I’m always a big fan of just seeing things outside of your comfort zone... Even if it’s something you don’t always like... it’s good to go back to that.”

3. Main Review: Call Me Izzy (Broadway, Studio 54)

Timestamps: [29:39–42:50]

The Play: Structure & Themes

• Summary: Play follows Isabel (“Izzy”) in rural Louisiana from age 17 to present, charting her survival in a violently abusive marriage and her fight to express herself through poetry.
• Dramaturgy:
  • One-woman show format, often “tricky” by nature—demands a dynamic performer and/or exceptional script.
  • Matt finds this play falls short on both writing and staging; despite some humor and sensitivity, the execution is “by the numbers” and at times clunky:

    “I can’t tell you that I think the play is terribly good. It isn’t bad. It’s not the worst... it’s no smash and it’s no left on 10th. [...] It was pretty by the note—sorry, by the numbers. A lot of Jean Smart getting up off a toilet seat, getting back on the toilet seat, the toilet seat moving up 5 inches, down 5 inches…”

  • The production’s choppy pacing, with frequent, energy-sapping breaks for offstage costume changes instead of working them fluidly into the action, further undercuts momentum.

Jean Smart’s Performance

• Talent and Nuance:
  Matt delivers a glowing but measured tribute to Jean Smart’s authenticity and skill, differentiating between earnest and truly “honest” acting:

  “Smart is such a smart actress, but she’s such an honest actress. It feels so incredibly organic to watch her on stage… Even if... you find your mind wandering from time to time and the pacing can be a little choppy, it’s not hard to watch her... She provides all the pathos and gregariousness that I don’t think is necessarily there in the writing.”

• What Holds Her Back:
  • Laments how Smart’s impressive efforts outstrip, rather than are served by, the material and production.

    “I would stop short of saying that she’s great in the show just because she’s not being supported by anything else... It’s a great achievement that she’s as good as she is, considering I don’t think the rest of the show is up to her standards.”

  • Compares to other powerhouse performances in so-so vehicles (e.g., Joaquina Kalukango in Paradise Square).

On Domestic Violence, Creativity, and Character Joy

• Avoiding Clichés:
  • Praises Smart for not reducing the battered wife narrative to “super boo hooey drama” but acknowledges the play doesn’t quite articulate the protagonist’s inner joys and connection to writing as deeply as it could.
• What’s Missing:
  • Matt wishes the play better explored the why and how writing poetry is a source of structure and joy for Izzy:

    “I wish that the play actually explored that a bit more... It’s not that she thinks it makes her important; it’s just what her brain understands.”

  • Cites Amadeus as a positive example of dramatizing a character’s need to create in order to make sense of the world.

Notable Final Moment

• Open-Ended Staging:
  • The show’s closing beat is praised for its ambiguity and subtlety (“nothing to do with words... it is a moment of story that is staging and lighting and Smart’s face”). He notes that audience interpretations vary widely, which he views as a mark of a great performer:

    “You see all of the warrior in those eyes, and you see all of the fear in her mouth, and you see all of the tension in her shoulders, and it could mean absolutely anything.”

Would He Recommend It?

• Measured Recommendation:
  • If you love acting, yes—come for Smart, not for the play:

    “For me, I would say Jean Smart is an example of extremely good acting and even more impressive considering the material itself is not really quite up to her level.”

  • For groundbreaking drama? Not so much. A polite but honest shrug for the play itself.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On expressionism, sound design, and modernity in Machinal:

  “It’s a real fucking upper of a show.” ([19:35])

• On reviewing performances in weak material:

  “It’s an agility test of her being able to endure… and watch her map out an emotional arc that doesn’t exist, and watch her survive a vocal test that shouldn’t have to be so difficult. And the same is true of Jean Smart in this.” ([37:00])

• On the ambiguity and openness of great stage acting:

  “You see all of the warrior in those eyes, and you see all of the fear in her mouth, and you see all of the tension in her shoulders, and it could mean absolutely anything. And that is what makes her such a wonderful actress.” ([38:45])

• On the state of the new Broadway season:

  “The thing about Call Me Izzy is it’s a perfectly fine start to the season because while the play itself for me is not embarrassingly bad… nor is it crushing… it’s sort of, you know, perfectly fine with a really lovely performance at the center.” ([40:42])

• On what he wishes Call Me Izzy better explored:

  “We gravitate towards the joy of characters, of what they like to do, of what they’re fighting for. And we only get snippets of that in Call Me Izzy.” ([41:55])

Important Timestamps

• [00:23] – Show start, laptop/tech/housekeeping banter
• [04:30] – Listener review read-aloud, Tony Awards hot takes
• [13:32] – Introduction to Machinal, expressionism explanation
• [22:12] – Analysis of casting choices in Machinal
• [25:45] – Performance highlights, recommendation for Machinal
• [29:39] – Call Me Izzy: setup and production style
• [30:47] – Critique of playwriting and staging
• [33:55] – Deep-dive on Jean Smart’s acting choices
• [37:00] – Challenges of great acting in weak shows
• [38:45] – Open-endedness and audience interpretation in theater
• [40:42] – Where Call Me Izzy fits in the Broadway season
• [41:55] – On missed opportunities for character joy
• [44:05] – Episode sign-off and music outro

Summary Assessment

If you want unfiltered, honest, and smartly irreverent criticism of new Broadway fare, this episode delivers. Matt goes beyond surface description, interrogating both production choices and the underlying dramaturgy. His love for theater, critical eye, and affection for great acting come through loud and clear. Call Me Izzy is ultimately recommended only for fans of Jean Smart and acting clinics—less for those seeking an unforgettable new play. Machinal gets a curious thumbs up for theatrical risk-taking and a breakout supporting performance. There's plenty of insider dish, performer analysis, and a dash of industry gossip to make theater lovers feel right at home.

End of Episode: Musical Outro

• [44:05] – Krista Moore sings “Stars” from Big the Musical.