Lyn's Picks: 30 Nov

Mustard (Streaming, Tue 1 Dec - Sat 14 Dec )

One of the hits of Edinburgh 2019 (which seems a very long time ago), Eva O’Connor’s show, produced by that fine Irish company Fishamble, is a story of love, heartbreak and mental health. Oh, and the yellow stuff that in its most pungent form can take the roof off your mouth. E, a young Irish woman suffering heart-break in the aftermath of her relationship with an English professional cyclist, has a compulsion for mustard. But not for eating it, but rather slathering it all over her body. O’Connor’s show features smart writing (love hits E “in the pubic bone like a train”), an inflatable paddling pool and, of course, copious amounts of mustard in a show described by the Irish Times as “part Fleabag and part Marina Abramovic.” Available via the Traverse website.

What a Carve Up! (Streaming, Sat 31 Oct - Wed 2 Dec )

Extended to December 2, it’s your last chance for this all star online adaptation of Jonathan Coe’s satire on 1980s greed, corruption and individualism. The Lawrence Batley in Huddersfield, the New Wolsey in Ipswich and the Barn Theatre in Cirencester have joined forces to create an exuberant online version of the novel that employs graphics, animation and retro footage and the not inconsiderable talents of Alfred Enoch, Stephen Fry, Tamzin Outhwaite, Celia Imrie, Samuel Barnett and more. Framed as if it is a true-life podcast investigating the deaths of the scheming Winshaw family, this has got plenty raving that its murderously good fun.

Sh!t Actually (Rose Theatre Kingston, Thu 3 Dec - Sat 5 Dec)

If you want to start celebrating early and you want to do it in a theatre surrounded by an audience, then there’s unlikely to be a more joyous and chaotic way to do it than in the company of Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole of Sh!t Theatre, the brilliant and highly deceptive company who combine mess with acute social and political insight in one untidy package. It may look badly wrapped, but every Sh!t Theatre show is cunningly constructed. And such wayward fun. Promising gratuitous nudity, goody bags, songs and queer love stories, this will be the deeply annoying movie as you’ve never seen it before. Look out too on December 13 for the duo’s Sing-a-long Muppets Christmas Carol which will be live streamed for one night only.

Cover photo: Rebecca Biscuit and Louise Mothersole in Sh!t Actually.

You can find hundreds of streaming theatre shows - many of them available for free - in our Streamdoor guide

And live theatre is coming back! Check out what else is opening in December here.