Summary
Set in 1989 rural Louisiana, this solo drama follows Isabelle “Izzy” Scutley, a downtrodden housewife who secretly writes poetry on toilet paper to mentally escape her abusive marriage. While her husband controls every aspect of her life, Izzy hides her work in tampon boxes until a prestigious writing residency offers a potential lifeline.
Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 8:00 PM May 28, 2025, 8:00 PM
Most people who see this show won’t have spent any time in the Piney Woods. It’s a pretty distinctive place. The trees are weird and tall, the pollen coats your car, and you have to stay vigilant for wild hogs. The people tend to be on the traditional side and that isn’t, in every respect, a bad thing - there are many wonderfully kind folks there, and if you’re very lucky, one or two of them might even make you a hospitable pot of étouffée or sweet potato casserole. (I have the recipes. 🤤) It’s physically and culturally challenging to leave the woods, and that can be profoundly isolating for some.
The most impressive thing about Jean Smart’s gutwrenching 90-minute one-woman character study is how efficiently she and playwright Jamie Wax are able to establish tension and authentic sense of place. I sat down with zero advance knowledge of the show and it took about two minutes of her well-studied accent work, the particular dry sense of humor, the colloquialisms, and (seriously) just mentioning those pines to convey very clearly where this story was going - all before the first beat, no exaggeration. It leaves a lot of space for Jean to occupy her character and develop a connection with the audience. You could say it’s “predictable,” but I’d go with “inevitable.” (Supplemental listening - Kacey Musgraves - Merry Go Round)
Isabelle - Izzy - never stood a chance. Married off at 17 before she had a chance to nurture her gift for poetry, she learned to conceal her joy from her abusive husband. This kind of story is, unfortunately, not uncommon in this place, and identity has a funny way of eventually breaking loose.
The prevailing feeling for most of the runtime is dread. To be sure, there are brighter moments peppered in there - Izzy is very funny, and she experiences uncommon kindness & escapist flights of fancy - but she and we both know that we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop. Jean shows off some serious range, but I particularly want to highlight the way she transitions from emotional lows to highs. She gives the distinct impression of a woman compartmentalizing, masking, doing what she has to do in the interest of self-preservation. She broke my heart.
I’m not sure that this story or its setting will resonate with the larger crowd quite as much as it did with me; Jean seems to be a big draw, but otherwise it feels like it might play better in a more intimate venue. My audience seemed quite smitten after the show, though! (I heard Tennessee Williams comparisons.) In any case, I, for one, am definitely glad I got a chance to see this and reflect on a particular time and place. Thanks, y’all. 🤭