Key words
London, psychiatry, mental health, slang, White City, swearing, Africa, oranges, Coke, freedom, Borden, Idi Amin, egos, progression, pride, rivalry, racism, judgement, race, class.
Play Length 1 hour 45 mins
Time Late 90’s, early 00’s
Accents London, well spoken, slang
Place London, modern NHS psychiatric ward
Set and props A consultation room. A transparent water cooler. A round table with a large glass bowl containing oranges. (Penhall, 2000, pg5)
Specificity The play is simple in its set, therefore it could be toured or workers almost anywhere. However there are many geographical references to London, but this doesn’t mean that it couldn’t work elsewhere. The play does feel gender specific but it might add an interesting take to it if the characters were played by females.
Characters (3 males)
Christopher-24
Bruce-25-30
Robert-50s
Synopsis
Joe Penhall's Blue/Orange, a 3 hander, set in a psychiatric hospital in London, The premise is simple, set in a room with a bowl of oranges at the heart of it. The plays offers a journey of the truth behind right and wrong, professional ego's the questions of sanity and misunderstanding of different cultural backgrounds
Penhall wanted to write a play about his surroundings in West London, an area of life that wasn't being represented within theatre and on stage.
The play has fast paced dialogue exchanges between the characters Bruce (a training Psychologist), Christopher (a patient with questionable schizophrenia) and Robert (an experienced psychiatric Consultant).
I would describe the play as a dark comedy. The content is very serious and reflects the reality of certain cultures and perceptions of life, yet within it there are clever exchanges of comedy, namely Christopher's claim to be the son of the former Ugandan Dictator, Idi Amin.
Monologues and Duologues
Pages 5-14
Key words doctor, patient, swearing, casual, banter, borderline personality disorder.
Length 7 mins 30 secs
Character(s) Bruce, Christopher
Type Duologue
Synopsis
Training psychiatrist Bruce and his patient Christopher, discuss Christopher's reasons for being there.
Snippet
Christopher: Its all that, innit. ‘Where’s the drugs man? Oh man these patients giving me massive big headache, what have I got in my doctors bag, gimme some smack...I can’t shag until you gimme the smack darling!...Typical white doctor. This is how white doctors speak drugs: What drugs?
Bruce: It’s not quite like that
Pages 44-56
Key Words Assessment, ego, disagreement, conflict,
Length 12 mins
Character(s) Bruce, Robert
Type Duologue
Synopsis Bruce and his superior Robert disagree on Christopher's mental state and whether he should be released from the psychiatric hospital.
Snippet
Robert: OK. All right. Listen. Let me join up some of the dots for you...Schizophrenia is the worst pariah. One of the last great taboos. People don’t understand it. It scares them. It depresses them. It’s not treatable with glamorous and intriguing wonderdrugs...It isn’t newsworthy. It isn’t curable it isn’t heroin or ecstasy...It’s not the topic of dinner party conversation...They make movies about junkies and alcoholics and gangsters and men who drink too much fall over and beat their women...Schizophrenia my friend, is just not in the phonebook.
Bruce: Then we must change that
Pages 57-58
Key Words Life, suicide, advice, lost, opportunity, greed, being human
Length 2 mins 30 secs
Character(s) Robert
Type Monologue
Synopsis Robert is speaking to Christopher, using his own frustrations of life, to convince Christopher to make better choices, and to prepare him for when he is realised from the ward.
Snippet
Bruce: We all get these thoughts. It’s perfectly natural. Even I have them...I get in the door and I slump...I think....why am I doing this?...it’s everyone’s right to take steps. But killing yourself? Christopher? Why?...Everyone feels like this... the capacity to feel disappointment. It’s what distinguishes us from the animals...Digs have other talents...thy can lick there balls. A talent for simplicity.
Pages 58-81
Key Words Assessment, confusion, advice, mental health, ego, racism, Football, QPR.
Length 20 mins
Character(s) Robert, Christopher
Type Duologue
Synopsis Robert assesses Christopher's mental health, questioning whether he is ready to be discharged from hospital.
Snippet
Christopher: Other men too. Another man. He throws bananas at me.
Robert: Bananas?
Christopher: ...Big bloke with a long pointy head. Long thin arms trailing along the ground. A real knuckle dragger. Very white skin. Hideous looking bastard... tribe. I don’t like them at all... QPR supporters
Robert: ... Football hooligans?
Christopher: ...They call me jungle boy
Robert: ...Do you mean skinheads?
Christopher: Zombies.
Robert: What makes you think these people are the undead?
Pages 85-93
Key Words Ego, authority, pride, accusations, complaint, superiority, PHD, honesty, lies, conflict, disagreement
Length 9 mins 30 secs
Character(s) Bruce, Robert
Type Duologue
Synopsis Bruce and Robert disagree on Christopher's release which ends in a heated exchange prompting Bruce to make an official complaint.
Snippet
Bruce: You want to take over the case... Then you can finish your research? And then finish your book. Is it a good book?... you’ll go to any lengths to finish it.
Robert: Your on very thin ice.
Bruce: ‘The search for the Holy Grail’...’A Cure For Black Psychosis’...You’d become a professor overnight.
Robert: I beg your pardon!
Bruce: You heard
Robert: Are you out of your mind?...Why are you so threatened by my ideas?
Bruce: Because they’re shit, Doctor...it isn’t a PHD. It isn’t a book. A cookbook would be more ground-breaking...and you know it.
Links to writer: Joe Penhall
Pale Horses, The Bullet, Birthday
ISBN 9780413752703
Written by J.J Ash
Edited by Candice Latoche
