Product Description

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."Joe Penhall creates as riveting and compelling a new chamber play as we have seen since Michael Frayn's Copenhagen" - Daily Mail "Britain's best new play since Michael Frayn's Copenhagen thrillingly original" - Financial Times "Funny and irreverent Penhall's writing is vibrant throughout" - Independent on Sunday "I came out of Joe Penhall's new play in a state of hot, black excitement: emotional, intellectual, moral excitement. How many plays can claim that much?" - Sunday Times "Exuberant Penhall has the gift of making serious points in a comic manner and of conveying moral indignation without preaching Stinging satire" - Guardian "Provocative, blackly funny [and] taut with thought-provoking ambiguity" - Independent

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #171777 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 111 pages

Review
'An excellent read.' Newbury Weekly News (August 2007)

About the Author
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.

Customer Reviews

Thought-Provoking.
Though this is a short script with few characters, Penhall does a great job keeping the reader guessing. I, personally, am still trying to figure out the motivations of the characters. The entire play takes place in the office of a mental hospital (great for a black box or other small theatre). The three characters seem stereotypical at first - the normal, everyday psychologist trying to do good, the patient, just wanting to get out and go home, and the psychologist's superior, trying to get things his way. But as the play progresses, things get more complex and more strange. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will only say that I'd definitely recommend this one!

One of the best plays I've ever seen!
I saw this play in London after spending five months studying in France. I'm an American college student, but this play so perfectly captured aspects of the minority experience in Europe...MY experience in Europe, that I was floored. I'm not insane, but Blue/Orange illustrates just how racial tensions can make you feel that way. First thing I said when it was over, "I want that script!" I'm glad to have found it.

This is real life... but much funnier
All I want to say (as a former psychiatrist) is that every word in this script rings true to me. This is a play about how we construct our idea of madness, and how human frailty can undermine the highest ambitions. Glorious stuff.