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Ed Fringe 2016: Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at Summerhall Roundabout

August 7, 2016 by Alex Wood Leave a Comment

Review of: Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons at Summerhall
Produced by:
Walrus
Price:
Various

Reviewed by: Alex Wood
Rating:
4
On August 7, 2016
Last modified:August 7, 2016

Summary:

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is a play with a conceptual quandary at its core - an exploratory piece trying to discover something new and invigorating about ‘words’.

More Details

Sat in the technical marvel of Paines Plough’s Roundabout, I spied a single bottle perched between a woman’s legs – the bottle with a label, BITTER LEMON written in farcically bold font. It was almost a deliberately placed pun – a hint of the emotional turmoil to follow in what is sure to be a Fringe hit, now in its second year running.

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is a play with a conceptual quandary at its core – an exploratory piece trying to discover something new and invigorating about ‘words’. Oliver and Bernadette, a new, seemingly millennial couple, push through the issues and grievances within their relationship in the midst of a great communication upheaval – no longer is speech left unchecked, now there is a quota – a maximum daily limit for the number of words spoken. How do you articulate everything going on in your head when there’s so few words with which to say it?

Two microphones and an empty Roundabout stage provide the ideal, spartan backdrop for this verbal exploration. The audience are thrust back and forth temporally, witnessing Oliver and Bernadette both before and after the introduction of the quota. It’s a startling transformation, the new word limit keenly and unsettlingly felt as the sheer frustration of not being able to articulate ideas seemed to unnerve both spectator and character. This use of form is exhilaratingly new – something as simple as constantly making audiences aware of words – is a wonderful concoction and unlike anything seen at the Fringe (which is quite a feat!).

There are indeed dozens of two hander shows that attempt to deal with modern questions of ‘relationships’ (nonetheleast a rather fantastic iteration of Lungs that played at Roundabout in 2015), but Lemons is a play cut from an entirely different cloth. For all the chemistry between the two performers (Beth Holmes and Euan Kitson, who, after 3 years on the project, show that they wear the characters and concept with ease), it’s fair to say that the real star here is Sam Steiner’s central concept, his own personal thesis.

NDT-BANNER-PHOTO-cred.-Giulia-Delprato

It’s entirely feasible that this reviewer came away mulling over very different questions to the rest of the sell out crowd, but one of the more striking points seemed to be that, while to limit someone’s word usage seems abhorrent, is it not also feasible that to leave things unsaid could be, perhaps, preferable? That to cut away any irrelevant or irrational words and leave only what is most essential – the expression of love, or anger, of bitterness even – may actually allow for a more cohesive existence?

Dozens of questions were floating around the Roundabout as the play ended with a gutwrenching abruptness, and the audience left, almost ironically, speechless. This is a performance with a long future, and it will be exciting to see where Steiner turns next.

Alex Wood

Author: Alex Wood

Alex is the former reviews editor at Theatre Bubble, but since changing position now contributes occasionally. He has been writing reviews for a number of years, as well as seeing his own shows performed. He has produced and marketed a number of performances at venues in London, Oxford, Edinburgh, including the world premiere of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke.

Filed Under: Review Tagged With: Edinburgh Fringe 2016

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  • Alex Wood

    Alex Wood
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  • August 7th, 2016
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