Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

Review: LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS, Harold Pinter Theatre

An intriguing idea that needs further exploration

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons LemonsFirst performed in 2015, Sam Steiner's Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons is an intriguing idea; a love story played out under a new law that restricts every person to 140 words a day.

Box office draws Jenna Coleman and Aidan Turner play Bernadette and Oliver who bounce between pre and post life under restrictions, giving glimpses of what drew them together and how life without words threatens to tear them apart.

Josie Rourke directs with typical interest and fluidity against Robert Jones' interesting backdrop of endless shelves of household items highlighted by Aideen Malone's staccato lighting.

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons LemonsThe actors lack tangible chemistry, but both hold their own with convincing characterisations. Lemons forces the audience to contemplate the horror of a wordless life, but outstays its welcome. The intrigue of the concept is unexplored; it remains an idea, not a fully-formed conclusion.

In the spirit of the play, the above review is 140 words.

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 18 March. After its London run, the show will play Manchester Opera House and Theatre Royal Brighton.

Photo Credit: Johan Perrson



Related Stories

From This Author - Aliya Al-Hassan

Aliya Al-Hassan is UK Managing Editor of BroadwayWorld. A London-based theatre critic and journalist, she has a life-long passion for the arts, with a focus on theatre and opera. She is a... (read more about this author)


Photos: First Look at THEY DON'T PAY? WE WON'T PAY! at Mercury TheatrePhotos: First Look at THEY DON'T PAY? WE WON'T PAY! at Mercury Theatre
March 24, 2023

All new production photos have been released for Mercury Theatre's production of They Don't Pay? We Won't Pay! by Dario Fo and Franca Rame. Check out the photos below!

Guildhall School Announces Summer Events Season 2023Guildhall School Announces Summer Events Season 2023
March 24, 2023

This summer, Guildhall School of Music & Drama presents a varied programme of events for the public to enjoy, including concerts, drama productions, opera and jazz.

Tickets from £9 for BLANKET BAN at Southwark Playhouse BoroughTickets from £9 for BLANKET BAN at Southwark Playhouse Borough
March 24, 2023

Following a SOLD OUT Edinburgh Festival Fringe run, as winners of the Underbelly and New Diorama Untapped Award, hit-show Blanket Ban transfers to Southwark Playhouse Borough.

David Hare Thinks Musicals are 'Strangling' Traditional TheatreDavid Hare Thinks Musicals are 'Strangling' Traditional Theatre
March 24, 2023

Sir David Hare has lamented the ‘squatting’ of musicals at theatres such as the Royal Court and Wyndham’s which were once home to ‘straight plays’.

BBC Suspends Proposed Closure of the BBC SingersBBC Suspends Proposed Closure of the BBC Singers
March 24, 2023

The BBC Singers, based at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios in London, have now been granted a temporary reprieve as alternative funding models are sought. The choir performs across the UK and around the world, making annual appearances at the BBC Proms. Most of its performances air on BBC Radio 3.