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. Filled 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.