Arcola Theatre, London – until 3 June 2023
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
4****
Mustard is described as “a one-woman show about heartbreak, madness, and condiments” by Eva O’Connor, the writer and performer behind the show. And that is exactly what it is. Originally performed at the Fringe in 2019, this show is about the relentless nature of grappling with mental health and how we cope, or don’t, in our own way.
We start at the end of a broken relationship that is maybe on the way to being mended, full of hope but still fragile. The main and only character known as E and played by Eva O’Connor enters carrying two shopping bags and a tale to tell. As the shopping bags are emptied over the space of an hour, she tells the story of how she met a handsome cyclist at a club, and ended up moving into his house in North London. What follows is a journey through the ups and downs of intense new love, and then an abrupt ending followed by a mental unravelling that takes her back to Ireland and a mother she has disconnected from. There is one constant throughout: mustard. A stinging coping mechanism available by the jar.
The story telling is vivid and coupled with an excellent use of the space. Directed by Hildegard Ryan, every inch of the stage is covered with props emptied from the bags. At one point a clothes line is unwound from E’s body, and clipped across the front of the stage whilst O’Connor never once breaks the rhythm. Nimbly moving through the prose, there are some light moments scattered amongst the darker tragedy of the piece.
By the end of the performance, we hope that E can find some inner peace, and that the mustard will loosen its grip. Self harm, heartbreak, and a general unravelling are tough topics to talk about let alone perform on a stage non stop for an hour (with a paddling pool full of mustard), and Eva O’Connor tackles them with a deft touch that is raw, powerful, and triumphant.