Mustard written and performed by Eva O’Connor.

Directed by Hildegard Ryan 

Review by That Guy In The Foyer, John Doherty

★★★★★

Fishamble in association with Sunday’s Child & Joanne Hartstone

The Arch,

Holden Street Theatres, Hindmarsh.

Feb 14 – March 19.

Great theatre always moves us, impacts us, changes us. “Mustard” is such theatre and not for the faint hearted! Martha Lott’s programs at Holden Street Theatres always deliver gems and this is no exception. Irish actress and theatre creator Eva O’Connor, with long- time collaborator Hildegard Ryan, lands a lot of heavy blows with this powerful sixty- minute monologue. English mustard, that yellow, piquant condiment, loved by some, loathed by others, serves as an effective symbol for obsession, heartbreak bordering on mental illness, and grief. Here, mustard serves as coping mechanism. I mean, who hasn’t found themselves, after a hard day’s work, or emotionally charged exchange with a loved one, wanting more hot mustard on the cheese? It’s addictive, right? It’s a coping mechanism, yes? No? Well that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

The monologue opens with a frank, confronting account of the kind sex that, well, is like mustard- strong, powerful, sharp, sometimes painful, lingering, burning, spicy to the point of unbearable, yet exquisitely “more-ish” – or so I’ve heard! “E” recounts the beginning of a relationship- more an “arrangement” -that can only end one way as she unpacks jars of mustard from her bag,

 A twenty something “clueless Irish girl, fresh off the boat with a suitcase full of kindling wanting to start a fire,” her fire, her passion, E lives in London. But London is a very big place, a lonely place, an amoral place, and E finds herself in a club, the Elephant and Castle, disenchanted with her tenuous friendship group, seeking more. She finds solace in randomly acquire MDMA and encounters a charming, athletically built man at precisely the time she realizes she’s “chewing her face off”- a side effect of MDMA – speaking with a frankness only such a heightened state can bring in such a setting. What ensues can only be described as witnessing a most harrowing relationship breakdown and the subsequent trauma of a broken heart born of unrealistic expectation, as if from the inside! It’s painful but, perversely, like mustard, extremely satisfying! O’Connor is one of a number of extraordinary performers from the UK and Ireland assembled by Martha Lott for the Fringe over the years. This is a remarkable brave performance that leaves O’Connor raw and vulnerable- and probably smarting from the powerfully symbolic use of mustard. Will you enjoy “Mustard?” Do you enjoy the bite of mustard on cheese? I do! And I loved “Mustard!”