Mush and Me by Karla Crome.
Directed by Rosy Banham. Designed by Carla Goodman. Composer David Ridley. Lighting Designer Chris Withers. Presented by Holden Street Theatre Co. Inc., Lip Sink, Francesca Clark productions in collaboration with Richard Jordan productions. The Arch. Holden Street Theatres. Adelaide Fringe 2015 February 10 - March 15.
Reviewed by Peter Wilkins
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| Jaz Deol as Mush and Daniaella Isaacs as Gabby |
When you read the programme for
Mush and Me by Karla Crome, it is easy to realize why this show resonates with
such truth, such honesty in performance and such a powerful, heart-warming impact
on an audience. Mush and Me, the tale of a difficult love between a Muslim man
and a Jewish woman has been inspired by the true-life experiences of actress and
co-creator, Daniella Isaacs. Her 102 year old Great Aunt fell in love with a
non-Jewish man, but refused to marry him for fear of her family’s reaction. As a result of this decision, she remained
single for the rest of her life, denying herself a family of her own and
happiness with the man she loved. In a world so torn apart throughout the
centuries by conflicts, waged in the name of one’s faith, Mush and Me focuses
on the lives of two young people from different faiths whose natural love
threatens tragic consequence.
Mush (Jaz Deol) and Me (Isaacs)
work in a Call Centre for Central Office Solutions. Initial rivalry turns to
attraction; attraction blossoms into love; love flounders on the rocky road of
relationship. The death of Me’s father fosters reunion and reunion inspires the
Muslim Mush and Jewish Gabby to confront the families in an expression of mutual
love and respect for each other. It is a respect that must overcome the differences
in culture and custom. Mush must respect Gabby’s decision not to eat pork.
Gabby must understand Mush’s rituals of prayer and Ramadan. Both must come to
the realization that they are indeed the descendants of Abraham, born of the
tribe of Isaac and Ishmael.
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| Mush and Me at the Adelaide Fringe 2015 |
It seems both ironic and
appropriate that the production should be staged in a Christian church that has
been converted into a theatre space in suburban Hindmarsh. Carla Goodman’s
simple set design is quickly converted by the actors to represent the office, a
mosque, the father’s respite home and his final resting place. Against this
setting, Crome’s play sparkles with humour, touches with pathos, confronts with
ideas and debates with notions. Audience are left with a deeper understanding
of the human spirit and a higher hope for compassion and resolution to the
forces of hate that would destroy the ideals of happiness and harmony. In our
contemporary world it is an enormous act of courage to live the dream of Mush
and Me, but this touching one act drama pints the ideal and offers hope for
those who will not and need not live a life of denial like Isaacs' Great Aunt.
As the lovers, Mush and Gabby,
Deol and Isaacs are superb. Their youthful vitality, natural appeal, papable
chemistry and absolute conviction in character make them a delight to watch as
they travel the journey of this rollercoaster ride through love, life and
religious expectation. At times, in the Arch at Holden Street, words became
lost and voiceovers difficult to decipher, at times intentionally, but at
others through the acoustics of the space, the speed and overlapping of the
dialogue, or the hearing of this reviewer. It was a slight distraction that
never overwhelmed the thought-provoking, heart-warming and revelatory impact of
this relevant and illuminating performance.
For those fortunate enough to be
in Adelaide during the Fringe, this is not to be missed theatre. It is another
feather in the cap of the entrepreneurial Martha Lott and her selection of
first class offerings at Holden Street Theatres. Mush and Me leaves one with the fervent hope that we may all live
in a world free of religious intolerance and misunderstanding. Perhaps Mush and Me offers comforting assurance
that the day will come when true love may conquer all.