Blue/Orange: A Review

Initially, I must admit I was hesitant about seeing Blue/Orange.  This was mainly due to the fact that I had no idea what it was about, it was in a theater clear across town, and I really had no idea how to get there.  Later my hesitation was compounded as I realized, impatiently waiting for the tube, that I was going to be late for this far away play I knew nothing about.

After being ushered quietly in, the first thing I noticed was the set up.  The audience was in folding chairs, flanking the “stage.”  This was not an ordinary stage, however, it seemed like some awkward and out of place piece of architecture.  Large rectangular pieces were cut out of black walls, revealing a stark white room fashioned after some kind of medical office.  This set-up was interesting, allowing the audience to become more of a voyeur, to peer in to the lives of these three characters.  This also allowed for a different view of the performance figuratively speaking, what with the audience being closer to the performers, but also literally speaking.  The audience was now positioned differently, with a more intimate appeal.  Because I was late for the play, my choice of seats was limited.  The seat I ended up getting was right on the corner, blocked by one corner of the large black walls.  I ended up missing out on a few scenes because of this, which was frustrating.  Beyond bad architectural planning, I really did not have anything else to complain about regarding the play, the directing, or the performances.

The story itself was compelling and held my interest for the entire length of the play.  Being a psych major, the lingo thrown casually about by the doctors almost made me feel as if I was in class again.  I understood what both characters were trying to diagnose Juliet as, and the ease with which they used the terms made it seem very organic.  The only problem I had with the constant back and forth banter was the lack of a resolution.  After two and a half hours, one would think two well educated doctors would be able to reach a consensus.  Nevertheless, I was actually very impressed with all the actresses in the play.  They were skilled at incorporating the mannerisms, gestures, speech, and the like into fully fledged characters that the audience could relate to on some level.  At various times throughout the production, one could almost feel Juliet’s frustration, Emily’s desperation, and Hilary’s utter superiority. 

 After getting over my initial hesitation, Blue/Orange was an intriguing and thought-provoking play.  The set could have used some work in order to be fair to all patrons, but the acting was top notch, and the story was well written and well directed.

Samantha Fiacco

UCSC