Reviewed by: The List
Review by Jo Laidlaw | 22 February 2024
Tatiana Hotere is talking about the things no-one talks about, and good on her for that. This solo play is about grief, god and ‘gasms. It’s an exploration of how it feels to lose someone and find yourself, and your sex drive, all over again, played out against a background of that most unfashionable of topics: faith. Three years after losing her beloved husband, Hotere’s Eva is still raw. But she has an itch to scratch and, thanks to the wonders of technology, lots of ways to do it, thanks to mail order sex toys and the bewildering world of data apps. The script beautifully contrasts Eva’s experiences as a young girl (guilt and shame around her burgeoning sexuality) with her experiences as a mature widow (guilt and shame around her burgeoning sexuality), indirectly examining the role that church and community play to keep women in their place. It’s interesting to see such big topics played out in such a small life: Eva is not asking for very much, yet the forces ranged against her are huge. There is plenty of humour, with hilarious prop work and some cracking one liners (which is where Hotere shines). The script does feel a little repetitious at points; a tighter edit would perhaps focus the lens more clearly on Eva’s transformation. That said, this is a deft exploration of an under-discussed subject with plenty to admire.