Minnesota Fringe Festival

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A twist of fate brings together an awkward woman and a party girl. Their friendship develops through erotic stories about love, sex and how one doesn't always mean the other. Accompanied by live solo guitar.

Capsule review: Rate playwright Keri Healey's well crafted two actor comedy is one of the best shows at this years fringe. Smart, sassy and sexy, it revolves around stories exchanged by a free spirited party girl (Keira McDonald) and a woman who does not know much pleasure (Megan Hill.) After a chance meeting, the two discuss love, loss and psychotherapy, accompanied by a mood setting acoustic guitar. There's is a lot of sex talk and sex simulation in the fringe. But in this show, whose title refers to an encounter that one of the women has with a sailor, the mature vignettes are clever, funny and touching. And they stay with you after the minimal set pieces are cleared. I can still see one scene of an anonymous encounter sketched so vividly by McDonald.
-Rohan Preston, Star Tribune/Vita.mn

"Keri Healey's plays are tender, humane, and very smart. They indicate a deep compassion for human failures, but a cutting wit that understands that our tragic weaknesses are also comic..."
-Brendan Kiley ( the ones to watch) -The Stranger, October, 2005

"...The best-written new piece I've seen; an intelligent, funny, and moving exploration of love, friendship, and sex by Seattleite Keri Healey. Sure this maybe run-of-the-mill material, but Healey's writing is so beautiful, wise and hilarious, it may as well be the first time the story is ever told. Solo guitar accompanies the whole excellent piece."
-Rebecca Brown, The Stranger

"Sex these days isn't easy. Take for example, the two women in Keri Healey's exceptionally written comedy-drama. Laugh-out-loud comedy mixed with bittersweet moments that make you realize that the hardest part of relationships is trying to let them go. Live solo guitar provides excellent backdrop..."
Grade: A
-Seattle Post Intelligencer

"Cherry Cherry Lemon is as fine a piece of theatre as I have seen. While Healey's shrewd command of language makes Cherry a delectable variation on that most durable of themes--It is also hilariously frank, but an undergirding sadness makes the laughs empathetic, and therefore all the heartier...much of the immediacy, of course can be attributed to the expert timing of the performers, both of whom are impeccably restrained and masterfully concise..."
-Sean Nelson, The Stranger

"Love is a gamble. But playwright/director Keri Healey's Cherry Cherry Lemon demonstrates how losing at love can play in spades when it comes to friendship. Healey weilds fer pen with unflinching honesty and gets it right.."
-Suzanne Beal, Seattle Weekly

"It's not just chatter. Cherry Cherry Lemon is in part how certain friendships offer a safety net at critical, transitional times, where one needn't worry about being judged or rejected for extreme displays of grief, lust or solitude."
-Tom Keogh, The Seattle Times

In this remounted version original cast member/creator Keira McDonald will be joined by New York actor, Megan Hill and guitarist Sage Price

Keira McDonald

Cherry Cherry Lemon

Fri., Jul. 31 @ 10:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 2 @ 8:30 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 3 @ 8:30 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 5 @ 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 8 @ 4:00 p.m.

Warning! Adult language

Venue Intermedia Arts
For ages 17+
Written by Keri Healey
From Seattle, WA
genres Comedy, Drama
subjects Relationships, Relationships
features Regional premiere (Minneapolis-St. Paul), Original script/choreography, Original music, First-time Minnesota Fringe Festival producer

Overall rating

User reviews

Cherry Cherry Lemon- DELICIOUS!
by Jordana Kritzer Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This show was amazing! The performers were fantastic and the overall production was incredible.

Top Notch
by Waylon Werner Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Very Very smooth and put together show. These ladies are a class act and their story telling is fawless.

Cherry Cherry Lemon
by greg tromiczak Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Must see. Storytelling at its best. Excellent staging. They had me laughing, crying, and much more.

Meh
by Val Rigsbee Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
These girls are very talented, but the script was extremely labored and didn't go anywhere. I would love to see these two performers in something else, as they are obviously extremely talented. I really wanted to like this show. Not the worst of the Fringe by any means, nor the best - I give it a solid "meh."

Wonderfully Fearless and Amazing
by Ralph Remington Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Cherry Cherry Lemon is a tour de force of fearless acting and amazing character development. It's the best show that I've seen at the fringe this year and possibly the best female performances that I've seen on any stage in quite awhile.

The performances are simply top notch! Every note is played perfectly including those by the lone guitarist who accompanies McDonald and Hill onstage. Every movement and every single beat carries nuance and carves finely crafted emotionally textured tapestries into your psyche. I can't remember being so moved by such a compact piece in a long time. The writing is exquisite. This performance goes there! Keira McDonald and Megan Hill are absolutely fearless and the performances are sexy, endearing, touching and spot on.

Many things that you may have wondered about in regards to male/female interplay or sexual/love relationships and peccadillos are explored intimately, saucily and wonderfully with outstanding commitment and artistic integrity. Run, don't walk, to see these folks before they leave. You won't be sorry. Bravo!

Wonderful
by Brian Kitzerow Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
This was amazing. The actors were perfect. The story was compelling. The direction fantastic. I loved it. The only reason I knocked it down 1 kitty was because it was just a little too sexual for my personal taste. But other than that is was thrill to witness. Check it out - a must see.

A Fringe Gem!
by Amy Lewis Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
I was very impressed with this show. First of all, I could relate to just about every situation these talented women portrayed, as I'm sure many of us can. In addition to this, Kiera and Megan flowed together flawlessly, and the characters were very believable.
Equally funny, sweet, touching, and sad, (and a little naughty--yea for Fringe!), it was a real treat to see all portrayed so skillfully and successfully at a Fringe show. I went with my ex, and he enjoyed it too! Kudos to these talented women. Go see this show!

Cherry cherry cherry!
by Sharon Kahn Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
A wonderful surprise in an otherwise disappointing evening. Honestly, we only attended this one because it filled in the time between two other shows we wanted to see, but "Cherry, Cherry, Lemon" turned out to be the hit of the evening.

I'm not sure I have much to add to what other reviewers have said, but wanted to add my 5-kitty vote for one of the best shows of the Fringe so far. A few reviewers felt it lost energy towards the end, but it was the opposite for me; I thought it got better and better as I got to know the women better. There was no big ending, but that was fine - it was more a slice of life than a drama arc.

Highly recommended with one small caveat - be aware that there is some very frank (and funny) discussion of the women's sex lives in fairly graphic terms. Might or might not be your cup of tea.

cherry lemonade
by jennifer phillips Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
A mature telling of love in modern times. Love stories without the ribbons and bows and a pretty wrap up. Loved the music, felt it was a perfect match for poetic like musings.

Excellent
by Catelin Hoistad Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
As a self-proclaimed "almost girl" the concept of cherry cherry lemon thoroughly describes my love life. I was pleasantly surprised by the emotion evoked by the final vignette. The actresses were dead-on in their delivery. They seemed to truly understand their characters. My one gripe is that at times the storyline seemed a bit random and hard to follow. Overall though, I very much enjoyed the show. Kudos to Keira and Megan, and the wonderful guitarist for a job well done!

A Macguffin Not A Lemon
by Marvin Joel Rubin Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
The concept of a "party girl" and a straight edge friend, could have been a disaster. Instead it left cliche behind, and was a touching story of friendship.

Some say in their reviews, the illness idea was extraneous. I'm borrowing a movie term, macguffin to explain why it worked. According to Wikipedia a macguffin is, "A MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction."[1]

Sometimes, the specific nature of the MacGuffin is not important to the plot such that anything that serves as a motivation serves its purpose. The MacGuffin can sometimes be ambiguous, completely undefined, generic or left open to interpretation.

The MacGuffin is common in films, especially thrillers. Commonly, though not always, the MacGuffin is the central focus of the film in the first act, and later declines in importance as the struggles and motivations of characters play out. Sometimes the MacGuffin is all but forgotten by the end of the film."

The characters were sweet, showing both strength and vulnerability. The music added to the show, without overpowering it.

See it.

Is it a Lemon?
by Cody Stewart Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
7-31-09 @ 10pm
Intermedia Arts

Beautiful, yet verbose poetry scattered this piece. The show is more a collection of stories and monologues than an actual play. There really is no over-arching character journey for either of the leads. At times the portrayals sparkle and at other times are weak, but I feel it is the fault of the weighty words that the actors had to recite. The guitar music was a nice touch and added sweetness to the piece. I was disappointed to see the characters (through dialogue) never really listened to each other much because this is a series of monologues. I rate this one a 2 out of 5.

Loved it!!
by Mary Keepers Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This is a smart, witty, touching piece of theatre! Actors Megan Hill and Keira McDonald are engaging, honest and articulate in this tight, refreshing duet about the mysteries and surprises of sex. Sage Price's nuanced guitar accompaniment adds just the right amount of underscoring to this well written saga of friendship, love and loss.

A favorite
by Kelly Glader Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
This show caught me completely off-guard. I didn't know what I was getting into. But I am sooo glad I got into it! These two women are brilliant actors, delivering a brilliant performance with a brilliant script and a brilliant live guitarist. The story is a beautiful one of love, sex, death, but above all: friendship. It may be one of the most heart-warming yet realistic (note: NOT CHEESY) depictions of a friendship I have ever seen. It will make you want to go and hug all your friends afterwards. So GO SEE IT!

Best I've seen
by Roy Turenne Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
The writing was excellent to be sure. These 2 women delivered a play that was so engaging, emotional, smart, and seemingly, real; this is how stories are meant to be told and why I love live theatre.

Best thing I've seen
by matthew vaky Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Here's the problem with reviews: When did you see it? What were you expecting? What do you like to see? I saw this show Sunday night and I really didn't know what to expect. What I like to see are smart, funny, touching plays, that are well wrtten and present TRUTH without being trite. I like to see well directed actors who perform with energy, depth and skill. Thats what I got!!!!!

Intriguingly funny
by Giuliano Porrumba Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
An interesting take to be sure. The acting may have been a bit lacking in energy, but a strong script to fall back on nonetheless.

A Sweet and Juicy Cherry
by SJ Chiro Follow this reviewer
Rating 5 kitties
Cherry, Cherry Lemon is one of the finest plays about love, sex, alienation and friendship I have ever seen. It will break your heart even as you are laughing out loud. This play must not be missed.

Go See? Above All Other Sex Comedies
by Nick Decker Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Someone should tally the percentage of Fringe shows devoted to sex; I imagine they make up a sizable chunk of the Festival's subject matter (aside from musicals, perhaps). Most are rote sketch-comedy shows that use sex to shock, yet say nothing of gender politics or the act itself. Cherry Cherry Lemon, by contrast, creates an air of honest discussion by laughing at sex, not as a punchline, but as an undeniable urge of human nature.

Keira McDonald and Meghan Hill introduce two characters who appear as little more than the cliché female roles prevalent in so many sex-themed comedies, yet patience reveals deeper levels of complexity. And while the ending remains unsatisfying, it's clear that these women have traveled their full developmental arcs.

disappointed
by Jeff Miller Follow this reviewer
Rating 2 kitties
This seemed such a promising play and I expected much from the preview and previous Seattle reviews. Missed cues and flagging energy brought it down. I did enjoy the music very much.

Cherry, Cherry, Lemon
by David Otto Simanek Follow this reviewer
Rating 4 kitties
Raw, exciting, sexual, sensative, and well played. Music interlude on guitar, right on!

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad
by Reid Gagle Follow this reviewer
Rating 3 kitties
The title of this piece mirrors my reaction -- initially promising, ultimately disappointing, but still not bad by any means. The two actresses tell their separate stories of life and men and gradually the stories weave together. Unfortunately, some major pieces of the story didn't fit as well into the mosaic as others. Still, worth seeing if you have an open timeslot.