LEMONS LEMONS LEMONS

Giorgio L, Year 9 writes...

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is a play centring around two characters, Oliver and Bernadette, who have a limit of 140 words per day.

At the start, we have a mixture of flashbacks, before the “hush law”, the ruling that limited the amount of words said, was put in place, and afterwards. The playwright uses flashbacks to contrast the difference in their lifestyle and communication. For example, before Oliver and Bernadette would frequently converse, revealing the full extent of their thoughts and feelings, and speak in a fast-paced way. After, they spoke in clear and concise ways, careful about what had to be said.

Oliver and Bernadette met at a funeral of a cat and, before the law was in place, there was an almost comical and humorous atmosphere around the absurdity of the conversations they had, such as Bernadette, being a lawyer, discussing her work, and Oliver (a musician), being almost jealous of her role in society. They became closer and closer, until they eventually married. Yet, afterwards, the playwright emphasises the cruelty of the law through the sadness in their voices, and the lack of energy and enthusiasm they comported themselves with, especially compared to before the “hush law”.

When the creation of the law was being put through, Oliver, having a slightly rebellious side to his character, decided to immediately protest by making as much noise as possible, yet Bernadette was more resigned to her fate and more worried about the further consequences the protest may inadvertently cause. Then Bernadette, when realising the true gravity of the situation, agrees to argue against the idea, but both of them do not succeed and the law is put through.

Throughout the rest of the play, the playwright explores their emotions in vastly different ways after the law was put in place. Before the actors would reveal their thoughts solely through the utilization of the voice, after they would rely more on gesticulations and facial expressions. Yet, despite the dark and grim atmosphere that follows, the playwright does provide occasional moments of comic relief, perhaps attempting to reveal to the audience that, even after such catastrophic events have occurred, brief moments of joy may ensue, despite the challenging situation. Furthermore, the utilization of lighting in Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons highlighted the various, and often contrasting, emotions felt. For example, at the start, there were bright and more colourful lights shining on the characters. Afterwards, there is a more monotone colour, usually grey, perhaps to show the sadness that the law has caused.

I believe Lemons Lemons

Lemons Lemons Lemons was a fantastic play, as the actors were able to show their emotions very clearly, as well as through their movement, voice, facial expressions, and gesticulations. Furthermore, despite the focus on a dystopian environment, the playwright correctly added moments of comic relief to keep the watcher’s attention.

I would give it a 5 out of 5.