Review: Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End by Austin Playhouse
by Hannah Neuhauser
Over the decades, the social construct of “femininity” has been evolving in waves of rage and regression. In the 1910s, suffragettes tied themselves to iron rails. In the 1960s, housewives were tied to ironing. Not everyone was Betty Freidan, whose landmark text The Feminine Mystique called out the supressed anger of modern mothers trapped in domestic dollhouses. Frieden's book was insightful. And insulting.
What about the ordinary feminists? Freidan never married. Or had children. Women couldn’t relate to her untethered cynicism, but they did relish validation from women like Erma Bombeck. Bombeck’s humorous column At Wit’s End reached 30 million readers via 900 newspapers, encouraging women across the nation, messaging to them that they were doing okay.
Austin Playhouse’s At Wit’s End is a 65-minute beauty packed with verbal punches, playful banter, and striking political commentary. Sarah Fleming Walker brings the incomparable Erma Bombeck to life in her first one-woman show. She absolutely kills it. Every gesture is empathic and organic. The studio is small, no more than 40 seats – intimately gathered around Bombeck’s living room to drink in the chaos. There is nowhere to hide, either for Walker or for the audience. Nothing about her performance is forced. She merely responds to us as friends. Walker and Bombeck are ordinary feminists. Raw. Resilient. Remarkable.
I don’t have children, but At Wit’s End made me ask myself – could I do it? Could I be a good mother and a feminist? Looking back on my own mother, who married young, I can’t help but wonder, how did she do it?
How did she make it through each dentist appointment? Shopping for my brother’s soccer meets, organizing my Girl Scout troupe, attending PTA meetings, cooking every meal, running my father’s dry cleaning – all unpaid labor, while still keeping her sanity intact? I don’t recall my mother every joining a feminist cause or acting in political intrigue, but she never gave a damn of what people thought of her. “If you’re living your best life and not harming anyone, who cares?” In spite of societal restraints, women live their best lives. They love their families, they make the best of every situation, and they keep working. With light, humor, and love.
Austin Playhouse's description is spot on: This one-woman show is a frank, poignant look at Bombeck’s ambition to define herself beyond the roles of wife and mother—while still embracing how these “ordinary” things can bring extraordinary joy.
At Wit’s End is a brilliant production. Take your mothers. Take your children. Take your friends. The show has graciously been extended until June 14th, so please go see it.
Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End
by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel
Austin Playhouse
May 22 - June 07, 2026
May 22 - June 7, 2026
Fri – Sat at 7:30 p.m. | Sun at 2:00 p.m.
Austin Playhouse, located in the heart of West Campus at 405 West 22nd St., Austin.
Free street parking is available with paid parking conveniently located one block away at the UT Co-Op Parking Garage at 2214 San Antonio St.
