Bitter Lemons Review

August 30, 2024

Bitter Lemons Review

27th August – 14th September 2024

When a significant moment in history occurs, you can remember exactly where you were when it happened. Your grandparents may remember the moon landing; your parents probably remember where they were when they found out that Princess Diana had died; and Gen Z remember where they were when Roe v. Wade was overturned.

The landmark decision in 1973 protected a woman’s constitutional right to terminate their pregnancy. In 2022, the decision was overturned, effectively granting individual states permission to ban abortions.

In the aftermath, writer and director Lucy Hayes put pen to paper, and the result was Bitter Lemons which, following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023, made its London debut last week.

“The audience roared with laughter, pondered deeply, and fought the urge to burst into tears”

Hayes said: “I wrote the play in part as a response to the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022 and was blown away by the audience’s impassioned response. It highlighted to me the vitality of stories that address stigma and shame in nuanced, funny, and surprising ways and puts a fire in each and every show”.

I would argue that Hayes achieved exactly what they set out to achieve. The audience roared with laughter, pondered deeply, and fought the urge to burst into tears, as we quickly realise that life doesn’t always give you the type of lemons you can turn into lemonade.

AJ (Chanel Waddock) and Angelina (Shannon Hayes) are at the top of their professional game. As AJ, a professional footballer, gears up to her most important match to date, Angelina is preparing for a pitch which, if all goes to plan, could skyrocket her career to the next level.

However, life has a funny way of working out sometimes and no matter how many times AJ’s coach tells her “predict the future, don’t anticipate”, there are still things you can’t predict: getting pregnant being one such example.

As the characters come to terms with their news, making the difficult decision to terminate their pregnancies, AJ and Angelina’s stories are brought to life with breathtaking attention to detail including: a briefcase carrying nothing more than lipstick and birth control; oat milk cappuccinos; and a signet ring-rubbing colleague, which sets Bitter Lemons up as an effective portrayal of contemporary times.

This attention to detail is supported by mesmerising dialogue. Presented in monologue form for the majority of the play, it is dynamic, easy to follow, and extremely well executed despite the choppy-changey nature of two parallel storylines.

Finally, if you’re to take away one piece of advice from Bitter Lemons, I would say that despite life sometimes giving you lemons you definitely can’t turn into lemonade, there is always a silver lining waiting to be found.

And yes, sometimes that silver lining will be that you now have “a bit of an arse” thanks to the multiple pairs of nappies you’re having to wear, but it’s an an excellent example of making the best of a bad situation nonetheless.

Maggie John