Blue/Orange

      Blue/Orange is a play written by Joe Penhall in the year 2000. Prior to watching the play, I did not know much about it, however, I did hear that it was a really good play and watching it would be a great experience. As I entered Studio 1 at the Arcola Theatre to take my seat, the stage set up was a bit different from what I am usually accustomed to in a theatre setting. Usually I am accustomed to a theatre where the audience sit before the stage. This stage was set in the middle of the studio with four corners of seats surrounding it. I did not know really where to sit but I ended up taking a seat on the left stage corner and hoped that I got a good view of the play and had the ability to watch everything comfortably.

    Blue/Orange is based in a psychiatrists office and only has three characters; Emily who is played by Esther Hall, Juliet who is played by Ayesha Antoine and Hilary who is played by Helen Schlesinger. Throughout the play Emily, Juliet’s psychiatrist, tries to convince Hilary that Juliet is not ready to be released and sent home after she suspects that Juliet is a schizophrenic. She tends to believe and see things such as thinking oranges are blue. However, Hilary does not believe that Juliet should be retained at the center and instead should be sent home where she will be more comfortable and away from people who really have mental problems unlike herself who she see not as ill. As the play goes on, one can see the reality behind the problems that the world of psychology and mental health facilities have when it comes to racism and the personal wanting and needs of advancing personal careers and not the feelings and actual necessities of their patients.

    Overall, I would have to say that the performance was not bad at all, however there were definitely sometimes where I felt the play just dragged on. I felt that there was too much dialogue going on and not enough acting. I would have liked for there to be more of a different type of dialogue in order to keep me interested, but it felt as if they just kept going back and forth with the same conversation the entire play. Alongside, I would have liked for Juliet’s persona to become more involved in her character because at times I didn’t really believe that something was wrong with her mentally, as the play depicts. In other words, her character was not always believable. However, by the end of the play, I really did enjoy how Emily’s character changed and how she became more of a patient since she was pretty much going crazy knowing that she would not be able to keep working at the center especially after dedicating her life to become a successful psychiatrist. Finally, I would have to say that I would tell others to go watch this play because I do like the whole story line and how it sheds some light on the reality and flaws behind such institutions throughout the past and present.

By: Brenda Soto