Review: Blue/Orange, Greenwich Theatre

Christopher (Matthew Morrison) is a young man about to be released from psychiatric care after a month’s stay following a very public breakdown. The medic in charge of his care, Dr Farooqui (Rhianne Barreto), has strong doubts that he’s ready to be released but the head of the department Dr Smith (John Michie) seems deaf to any arguments for holding the patient any longer than required. As the doctors clash and debates over ethics and the limits of medical knowledge turn into passionate drama, Christopher is brought closer and closer to the edge of his already limited reason.

It’s a masterful setup from Joe Penhall’s celebrated text, that in this rendition takes more than a few faltering steps. It’s mostly good; the tastefully minimal set by Jana Lakatos combined with Henry Slater’s lighting creates instant atmosphere by communicating the harsh sterile white of the medical world while also evoking the cold uncaring system that Christopher is subject to and that Smith often tells Farooqui they are both powerless to oppose or change.

It’s strong backing for strong performances. Though Barreto tends to lose the run of things in some scenes, most benefit from the mark she makes. Morrison, with the hardest role of all due to Christopher’s many mental and physical uncertainties, pulls a difficult balance off well while maintaining sympathy for a character that could easily alienate in weaker hands. It’s a potential standout performance in another show, but here Michie steals the stage. With Dr Smith’s arc being more developed than the others, Michie takes this advantage and runs with it, creating a character that is easily one of the most compelling and captivating villains I’ve seen on the London stage. Bravo Michie.

Where things go wrong is mostly to do with the story itself and how important moments are delivered. Whether a legacy of the original text or a unique feature of this particular production, scenes often feel overlong with Farooqui and Smith going around in circles during their intellectual clashes, regularly starting with sparks but ending in dull repetition. Additionally, tender themes like race and culture seem at first to be intelligently confronted only for their treatment to feel incredibly crude come the play’s climax. It’s possible that strong tweaks from director James Haddrell played into this, but if so the energy and pacing suffers with little good to show for it.

It’s ultimately a night of two very separate halves, with the second spoiling much of the hard work of the first. In the first, a strong setup is given for what one hopes will be climactic and heart-wrenching drama, that instead gives way to chaos and confusion. It’s hard to exactly put one’s finger on why; is the script itself suspect now over two decades since its debut? Or were more risks taken in this revival than was wise? Regardless, the performances are well worth the cost of admission; just don’t go in expecting more than a muddled story that doesn’t quite deliver on its sensitive themes.

Written by Joe Penhall
Directed By James Haddrell
Lighting Design by Henry Slater
Set Design by Jana Lakatos

Blue/Orange plays at Greenwich Theatre until Saturday 25 October.