Lemons, Cake, Pasta and more Lemons

We started off the day at the V&A with a wander through the Reimagining Musicals exhibition which was an interesting and timely look at how original works are adapted to land for new generations and sensibilities.  Then we had a wander through the other Theatre and Performance rooms.  Probably my favourite bit was picking up the end of the public tour, and taking a look at Sandy Powell’s autograph suit, signed by stars at the Baftas and Oscars and auctioned to help preserve Derek Jarman’s Dungeness home.  Least favourite bit was paying more than 8 quid each for a cup of tea and piece of cake.  Although that was possibly trumped by the sad lukewarm courgette pasta we had for dinner later (even if they did give us an apologetic discount) ….Anyway….

The main event of the day was Lemons Lemons Lemons at the Harold Pinter Theatre with a starry cast of Aidan Turner (Oliver) and Jenna Coleman (Bernadette).   The last production we saw here was Good, and I can see there is a loose theme linking them together.

Lemons Lemons Lemons explores what would happen if there was a law introduced to limit the number of words to 140 words per day.  That’s already a dystopian nightmare right there for anyone calling themselves Chatterbox.  A two-hander on a simple set, running through with no interval and a non linear timeline, we have a romcom style meet cute in a pet cemetery and a relationship which quickly becomes more complicated as the personal and political implications of the change take effect.

There’s a political group proposing a clamp down on the freedom to use as many words as you like, being called ‘Quietitude’ or ‘Hush Law ‘depending on the side being taken in the debate.  Protests are held; Oliver is an active protester whilst Bernadette doesn’t think it will happen but it wouldn’t be that bad if it did. When the law is passed though, the problems become clear, and we start to see the ways that those in power find ways to create exceptions for themselves.   I liked the exploration of how shared language binds people together, the shorthand used within relationships and what happens when those aren’t available.  The importance of language in protest and power was also tested a bit – what can you do when you are not allowed to have the words to object? 

Apparently this was written in 2015 but it works as a pretty clear metaphor for the Brexit debacle to me, or maybe even the covid years.   So, a fair bit of bleakness but also moments of joy as the couple find ways to circumvent the new restrictions being placed on their lives, for example spending their remaining words on singing together.  

In different times this could be an interesting exploration of how creative language can be, and a cute romcom about how words aren’t always needed, but it felt a bit weightier than that.