Blue/Orange
Author(s): Joe Penhall
In a London psychiatric hospital, an enigmatic patient claims to be the son of an African dictator - a story that becomes unnervingly plausible. An incendiary tale of race, madness and a Darwinian power struggle at the heart of a dying National Health Service, Blue/Orange premiered at London's Cottesloe Theatre in April 2000 and transferred to the West End in 2001. Award-winning writer Joe Penhall first rose to prominence in 1994 with his Royal Court play Some Voices and he has been described by the Financial Times as 'one of the finest playwrights of his generation.' Blue/Orange is an accessible and vibrant play, which explores a number of important issues and which makes it a good choice to study. This includes themes of race and representation, sanity and insanity (and in particular the social structures, stigma and complexity surrounding schizophrenia), as well the political context of New Labour and spin, and questions of prejudice and difference. This Student Edition features expert and helpful annotation, including a scene-by-scene summary, a detailed commentary on the dramatic, social and political context, and on the themes, characters, language and structure of the play, as well as a list of suggested reading and questions for further study and a review of performance history.
General Information
- :
- : A & C Black Publishers Ltd
- : Methuen Drama
- : 07 December 2011
- : United Kingdom
- : 01 December 2011
- : books
Other Specifications
- : Joe Penhall
- : Paperback
- : 1
- : 822.914
- : 192
More About The Product
A well-crafted and issue-lead play, Blue/Orange is suitable for teaching and study on a range of drama, literature and theatre studies courses including modules on political theatre, contemporary drama, race and madness The play won an Olivier Award, an Evening Standard Award and the Critics Circle Award for Best Play "Funny and irreverent...Penhall's writing is vibrant throughout" Independent on Sunday "Exuberant...Penhall has the gift of making serious points in a comic manner and of conveying moral indignation without preaching...Stinging satire" Guardian
'Besides interrogating the very idea of madness, Blue/Orange explores the connection between ethnicity and perceptions of mental health...With a real deftness of touch, the play probes notions of authority. It illuminates the way psychiatry can be strategic - and anatomises the politics of medical care.' Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard (London), 5.11.10 'Penhall's superb writing' Claudia Pritchard, Independent on Sunday, 7.11.10 'In the way of great comedy, Blue/Orange touches on great themes: self-advancement at the expense of others, perceptions of sanity' Claudia Pritchard, Independent on Sunday, 7.11.10 'First staged at the National Theatre a decade ago, Joe Penhall's three-hander is still acidly funny. It's also skilful enough to create compelling drama from big questions about race, mental illness and the flaws of the NHS.' Maxie Szalwinska, Metro (London), 9.11.10
Joe Penhall is the author of the multi-award-winning play Blue/Orange that premiered at the National Theatre in 2000 before transferring to the West End and Broadway. It has since been produced for the BBC starring Brian Cox. His other recent work includes Dumb Show (Royal Court Theatre, 2004), and the screenplay Enduring Love for Film Four, based on the Ian McEwan novel, which was nominated for two major awards.
