Disturbing the colour scheme

By LINDA HERRICK arts editor

What colour is an orange? If you even need to think about that, you may be in trouble. Young Christopher in British playwright Joe Penhall's play Blue/Orange certainly is: he's in the bin on a 28-day section and aside from several "behavioural issues", Christopher genuinely thinks oranges are blue and his father is Idi Amin.

There is some precedence in the surrealist school for the blue-orange link, as Penhall's script points out: poet Paul Eluard's Le Monde est Bleu Comme Une Orange (The World is as Blue as an Orange) and that other cultural icon, Tin-Tin, as in Tin-Tin and the Blue Oranges.

But Christopher, as far as his two psychiatrists are concerned, has been infected by the cultural problems of being an "uppity" young black man living in a mainly white urban society. His prognosis seems poor, but Drs Robert and Bruce are at odds over his treatment. Robert, who is senior and has seen it all, believes Christopher should be released back into the community with minimal medication, certain to return to hospital within another 28 days.

Bruce, starting out and naively idealistic, reckons Chris must stay in hospital, even though beds are scarce. The two battle it out, Christopher the hapless pawn in the middle of an ethical minefield.

Penhall, who won the Olivier and Evening Standard best play awards for Blue/Orange, which was first performed in 2000, started thinking about the connection between racism and mental illness when he visited a friend in California who was schizophrenic - and a mental health care worker. Penhall wound up working with some chronically ill people, including a black man who suffered race and gender delusions.

The play was eventually used as a text for West London council officers studying psychiatry, and members of that profession flocked to its National Theatre season, which starred Bill Nighy (Still Crazy) as Robert, Andrew Lincoln (Teachers, This Life) as Bruce, and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Amistad, Amelie) as Christopher.

While the play is set in London, David Aston, who plays Robert in a production opening at the Maidment Studio tomorrow night, believes it is just as potent in a New Zealand context.

"One of the reasons I'm doing it is that it is so relevant here, it has such resonance in this country ... some of the stuff raised is fascinating, like the area of cognitive therapy for patients of black origin, which is Robert's assertion: that there are cultural things that might lead to disorders. You could look at hundreds of examples around the world - look at the missionaries who came here."

The Maidment production is directed by Paul Gittins and staged by the independent Potent Pause theatre company established by actor-director Michael Lawrence specifically to focus on Pinter plays. This year, it's broadening out to the season of Blue/Orange, Pam Gems' Marlene, which will star Jennifer Ward-Lealand, and Strindberg's Miss Julie.

Blue/Orange also stars Paul Glover as Bruce and John Katipa as Christopher, with the set designed by John Parker.

Aston agrees the play is "intensely verbal", with increasingly confrontational exchanges between Robert and Bruce, as Christopher flounders along trying to make his own voice heard.

"There's a lot to do in this work," says Aston. "When you're into it, you can understand both positions and there is no easy answer. To institutionalise or release: that's the nub of it. I read a comment from Joe Penhall saying some wishy-washy liberals would say this guy should be released, but no, Christopher really is sick. It's pretty clear by the end of it this guy really does see blue oranges, he's disturbed, he has no family or friends. There's some pretty poignant stuff there. He says all he ever wanted was a girlfriend - but who would want him?"

Aston, who is filming the next series of Street Legal, in which he plays a judge emotionally blackmailing the Louise Wallace character, has also wrapped a very short scene on The Last Samurai, where he played a diplomat shaking Tom Cruise's hand, which he found rather amusing.

He likes parts with words, and Blue/Orange certainly fits that bill.

"Robert is very ironic and dry and I feel pretty relaxed in it, which is a good sign. Bruce has a lot more at stake, he has to challenge Robert to the point of sounding insulting. But Robert is quite vicious with the language. He can really put the knife in."

Where and When

* What: Blue/Orange

* Where: Maidment Studio

* When: Tomorrow at 7.30pm until March 29