Play for study: Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons by Sam Steiner

Sam Steiner's 2015 play Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons (or Lemons x5) follows Bernadette and Oliver's romance as they negotiate a society in which a law is imposed permitting each person to use only 140 words a day. It is an amusing examination of romance, from the couple's meeting in a pet cemetery, to Bernadette's jealousy of Oliver's ex Julie and Oliver's problems with Bernadette's career as a lawyer.

It explores their differing perspectives on the impeding ‘quietude bill’. While Bernadette approaches the law naively, claiming that ‘apparently it's been really good in Norway’, Oliver joins a march against it. However, as Steiner's non-linear narrative unfolds, questions emerge about the importance of language for communication. When the bill is passed, the couple have to choose what to talk about and how many words to save to share with each other. The play ends with Oliver confessing his infidelity with Julie, with Bernadette (running low on words) replying coldly, ‘I think I knew’. At these heightened moments, Steiner strips the text and characters to their emotional core.