Blue/Orange at the Arcola

 

When I learned that we were going to be watching Blue/Orange, an all woman cast at that, I was extremely excited because it seemed like a thought provoking play. And it delivered in that sense, but I had mixed feelings about it. Although it seemed to have all the pieces right, I was bored nonetheless.

One thing that can’t be critiqued is the acting- it was absolutely brilliant. I was particularly impressed by the actor playing the mental patient, Juliette, she embodied the character to such an extent that I couldn’t even tell that she was acting. When I saw her on the tube coming home from the play I almost couldn’t separate the actor from the character! The supporting actors were superb as well, though their performances didn’t stand out as much to me. I loved Juliette though, so they had a lot to compare to! Their chemistry worked very well together however, which played into the story since they would have had a very long relationship in the hospitl. None of the performances painted the characters as one-dimensional, they all had subtlety that made the people in the play seem real.

The set also helped to continue this image of reality. Walking into the venue I was surprised by the stage because it wasn’t raised, instead an entire room was created with spaces where the windows would be. While the lights were off everywhere else there was a lone spotlight on the bowl of oranges, a brilliant connection to the title of the play. When the play began and the lights turned on I realized how brilliant the set design was- it really made me feel as if this story was happening and I was just a spectator peering into the windows of a mental hospital. It also had a feeling of being closed off, claustrophobic, which played nicely into the feeling of Juliette not being able to escape the hospital. It was a nice small venue, which I enjoyed because you were in close quarters with the actors which gave the play a very intimate feeling. Since the play was more a story about three women, and not an epic tale, the small scale worked well.

Overall, I enjoyed the play but felt that it was very dialogue heavy. They would wax philosophical on things and go back and forth with no resolve about the issues, which allows for the audience to do the same and engage with the topic, but it got tiring after awhile. Sometimes I wished something would happen, instead of characters just talking for 2 ½ hours, but I do see why the playwright would want to let the audience engage with these big issues and come to their own conclusions. However, it got extremely repetitive. I would recommend the play to others, but only if you’re in the mood to philosophize. 

-Kelsey Weber