Review: LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS, Harold Pinter Theatre

First 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.

The 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