Maddie’s father shot himself and no one is willing to admit it. Without the help of family and friends, she deals with the pain alone, becoming an agoraphobic recluse. Diving further into her erotic drawings, Maddie sees her comic strip’s protagonist slowly come to life. The sudden appearance of her grandmother and her boyfriend forces Maddie to deal with her closeted issues. Coming back full circle, “Esther’s Moustache” humorously portrays Maddie’s solitary life and triumphant rebirth. The realistic characters and their believable circumstances materialize into a credible plot, teeming with adult content.
The writer/director Laurel Ollstein uses her sharpest wit to create the play. illed with hilarious one-liners, “Esther’s Moustache” does not allow for any banal moments. Even cooking comes with a kick. Sitting at her stool, Esther (Ellen Ratner) carefully peels a potato. Maddie (Joanna Strapp), frazzled at her grandmother’s appearance, belittles Esther’s Jewish heritage and her cooking methods. When Maddie spitefully asks why the potato, Esther answers without missing a beat, “Everything starts with a potato.” Symbolizing Maddie’s rebirth as an individual, the potato brings the story to a close. Filled with ample foreshadowing, the play is Ollstein’s victory over theatrical prose.
As much as Ollstein’s writing and direction influence the show, the characters would lack their undeniable pizzaz without the “Moustache” actors. Superbly cast for her role as Maddie’s comic strip goddess, Mara Marini is everything that a sex-loving goddess should be: bossy, sassy and provocative. With a satin-gloved hand on her hip, Lilith demands Maddie’s full attention, even in the presence of the hard-to-resist Gerd (Burt Grinstead.) Like a parrot on Maddie’s shoulder, Lilith refuses to be disregarded and raises a fuss when she is. Marini’s performance mirrors Lilith’s unceasing requests: It’s hard to ignore.
A tribute to Ollstein’s writing genius, no character remains static in “Esther’s Moustache.” All develop and change to realize their full potential. As much as she claims to be a spokesperson for tradition, even Esther changes. Finally admitting her son’s suicide, Esther wears Venice-bought sandals, much to the surprise of her granddaughter. Representing a fundamental departure in her belief system, Esther accepts Maddie’s boyfriend, Gerd, as an apprentice to Jewish culture and beliefs. Most importantly, however, Esther finally acknowledges and respects her granddaughter’s decision to become a cartoonist.
In addition to being demonstrative of their personalities, each character’s wardrobe represents his or her inner state. Reminiscent of a flawless mythological being, Lilith sports the most ornate outfit: marine-green sequenced dress with long gold satin gloves. Representing a conservative Jewish grandmother, Esther completes her look with a floral skirt and a bulky sweater. To show his transformation from an obedient German messenger to a nice Jewish boy, Gerd dresses in the traditional Orthodox suit, including the shtreimel. Finally, Maddie shows her remorseful torment through her choice of clothing: bacon and eggs pajama pants and an oversized T-shirt.
An integral part of “Esther’s Moustache,” the music adapts to the prevalent themes. Running away from her sordid parents to Venice Beach, Maddie steadily comes to spurn her Jewish heritage. The corresponding background music echoes beach sounds like gentle waves crashing languidly on the shore and seagulls greedily begging for food scraps. As Esther moves in, Maddie begins to value her Jewishness and understand its place in her modern life. Because Maddie reinvents herself vis-a-vis her history, the music changes to an electronica remix of the Jewish classic “Hava Nagila.” Masterfully done, the music signals the show’s subtle thematic nuances.
Battling with her inner demons and her outer circumstances, Maddie confronts her lost culture and her deceased father through Esther and Gerd. Playing at the Studio/Stage Theater in Hollywood, “Esther’s Moustache” tells a superior tale of family, sex and love and excels on all theatrical fronts.
Natalia Evdokimova has been involved with theater throughout her life and has reviewed theatrical productions for local and citywide publications since 2005.
