Angelina and AJ both work in traditionally male-dominated worlds, and both are preparing for the biggest opportunity of their lives. Angelina (Shannon Hayes), works for a big city bank and is preparing to pitch for a promotion. AJ (Chanel Waddock), a goalkeeper, has just been told she can play in the league final. But unexpected circumstances bring their two very different worlds together.
In Lucy Hayes’ Bitter Lemons, currently running at North London’s Park Theatre, Angelina and AJ present their stories in the form of monologues. The script rapidly switches between the two characters, with a single word often the trigger for the focus to change. Hayes also directs the two actors skilfully, as they act as mirrors to each other in some scenes, and move apart and collide to emphasise the parallels in their stories.
It is difficult to describe too much of the plot without revealing the big twist, which comes around halfway through the 60-minute play, but suffice to say that this does feel very much like a play of two halves.
The first half is often light-hearted and funny, as the two characters reveal the background to their careers. This is not to say that it does not touch on serious themes. Angelina worries that she is being tokenised by her superiors, and battles against micro-aggressions in the workplace. AJ is facing the recent loss of her father, as well as her mother’s indifference to her love of football. But there is still wit and humour in the script, and AJ’s sections in particular can be very funny, with Waddock dynamically filling the stage with movement.
After the twist, the story becomes much darker and often more metaphorical, as well as confusing in places, although this can echo the characters’ confusion as they each face a big decision. Overall, AJ’s story feels stronger than Angelina’s, although both Hayes and Waddock are excellent, breathing life into their characters and interacting continually with the audience in the small space. However, there are so many layers to Angelina’s story that it sometimes becomes difficult to pick out a clear thread of narrative, although this is of course representative of human experience.
Roisin Martindale’s set is simple but effective, a tiled floor with microphones set at the front (these are used when the actors portray secondary characters) and two cubes which the actors sit on, retrieve props from, and also move about the stage during the transitions. Ed Saunders’ lighting design and Hattie North’s sound design also contribute to the tension during these transitions, although the sound was a little crackly in places.
Powerful and moving, Bitter Lemons is a well-pitched two hander which will leave its audiences with plenty to mull over after the curtain falls.
Bitter Lemons runs at Park Theatre until 14th September. For more information and tickets, follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Alex Brenner
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