Relationships are deepened but passion is lost in this dance adaptation of Lemons Lemons Lemons
While past generations had to edit 15p texts down to 160 characters and keep pay phone conversations down to the minute, today's culture is marked with information overload. The Limit, a dance adaptation of Sam Steiner’s original play Lemons Lemons Lemons, sheds light on this luxury, investigating the inept power of the spoken word.
Bernadette is a hardworking, meticulous lawyer proud of her ability to defy the odds; Oliver is a free-spirited activist with a morality complex. We begin with a government trying to pass a law that will limit everyone's daily word count to 140, and as they succeed, we follow this already fragile couple as they are forced to reimagine language and rebuild communication.
Dance shapes each scene with distinct movement styles, moving between humour and grace, freedom and restraint, but the greatest strength of this choreographic adaptation is its ability to breathe new life between Steiner’s short scenes. Set under the glow of neon cylinders brought to life and an enchanting live music score by Isobel Waller-Bridge, dance invites us into the journey between moments, deepening their relationship and our investment in it.
Campbell and Hayward shine through poise and precision, and although the acting often feels a bit too clean, the two are dynamic and articulate. The fact that we never hear any heavy breathing in their mics as they speak after a dance break is a triumph in itself.
The couple's movements controlled movements in Act 2 convey life under a fascist government, however, all the anger and stress the couple unleashed in their exhilarating last moments of unlimited words is stifled with it. Instead of this passionate energy bubbling beneath, it dissipates completely, and with it so does any building tension.
One reoccurring critique of this text seems to be in the flawed nature of the law itself (Ex. Why they try Mores code but never mention writing). To me, this absurdity feels deliberate, as it releases the audience from today's political context, allowing them to focus on the effects instead. For this reason, I think the newscaster's voice worked against itself as it brought us back to present-day politics.
Although Oliver brings up well-informed points about the unequal effect of laws, Steiner's text is more about how a couple communicates with different world views, and its political statement is in the feeling we leave the theatre with: We are free to speak and each of our words holds power.
The Limit
Based on Lemons, Lemons, Lemons by Sam Steiner
20 – 28 October 2023
Royal Opera House
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