Chesil Theatre 
Chesil Theatre, Winchester 
Mark Ponsford 
18 May 2025
Starting with a rant. The very polite pre-show request to silence all digital devices also applied to you, person in row D at the Sunday matinee, and I’ve no doubt that cast and audience alike were less than impressed by the several MINUTES of electronic bleeping which detracted from the mood and atmosphere towards the climax of the performance. It’s regrettable that such pre-show announcements have become obligatory in recent years, and doubly regrettable that there’s still the occasional person who disregards them. And now, to matters more pleasant.
At first glance, Sam Steiner’s Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons might seem to boast one of the most preposterous plot premises (let alone titles) since that of the darkly hilarious musical Urinetown… although that’s where the similarity ends. We are shown a world in which the new “Quietude Bill” has rationed each individual to speaking a maximum of 140 words a day, and anyone coming in “blind” to the piece – as I did – might initially wonder whether it might be an idea too ludicrous to sustain for much longer than… well, than it takes to speak 140 words aloud. But when we look at some of the Bills being passed in the Real World these days, maybe it’s not so far-fetched after all.
In terms of sheer excellence of production, the Chesil has been enjoying a triumphant season, and their current offering shows no sign of letting the ball drop. David James’ set design may at first seem a basic one, but don’t be fooled – as the play progresses, it becomes an increasing, almost claustrophobic presence, and ultimately a dominating one, enhanced at every turn (and there are many) by Tony Rogers’ lighting, sound and projection. The current production is unique in many ways, not least for being double cast, with two couples sharing the roles through alternate performances, and I regret not being able to see both sets of performers – it would be fascinating indeed to observe two contrasting renditions of the piece.
At Sunday’s matinee, we were privileged to see Tom Dangerfield and Rachel Potter in their opening performance as Oliver and Bernadette respectively, yet another instance of the Chesil’s casting from strength. Tom, a welcome regular with the company, is a young actor with real fire in his belly, and his multi-layered performance here is mightily impressive. He is partnered by Rachel Potter as Bernadette, making a welcome and highly impressive debut on the Chesil stage, and these two performers work seamlessly together, slick and assured under the detailed, complex and energetic direction of Tom Humphreys. There are laughs, there is poignancy, there is frustration and tenderness, a dual tour-de-force made all the more admirable and impressive by the play’s constant leaps back and forth in time, demanding countless instantaneously changing levels of emotion and attack.
It’s an intriguing and insinuating play, whose 90 uninterrupted minutes inevitably leave one with much to ponder, discuss, and perhaps debate, even if one can’t help noticing that no measures appear to have been introduced to ensure the individuals’ adherence to the 140 word daily limit, thus affording one the option, at least in the privacy of one’s own home, to natter away without restraint to their heart’s content! But it might still serve as a reminder of the ludicrous and sometimes appalling bills and measures Those in Charge are capable of introducing, and which, for better or worse (or even worse), we are reluctantly obliged to fall in with.
