The Stage

Blue/Orange

Published Thursday 10 February 2005 at 15:55 by John Highfield

It may be almost ten years since Joe Penhall’s dark, bitter comedy of life in a London psychiatric ward premiered yet it remains as relevant and disturbing now as it ever was.

Christopher, a young Shepherd’s Bush market trader has been sectioned for 28 days after a mysterious incident and in the wake of some unusual claims, the most notable and fantastic being that he is son of exiled Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and that oranges are blue. Bruce, a young attending psychiatrist believes that 28 days is not enough to class Christopher as recovered but senior consultant Robert is determined that the place for a man like Christopher, in line with official policy, is back in the community.

Kathy Burke’s marvellously-paced production fires along at a cracking rate as Christopher - the excellent Jimmy Akingbola displaying a sure comic touch - struggles with his inner demons while the two experts quarrel about his future as their own tense relationship disintegrates.

Shaun Evans’ young attending psychiatrist Bruce is the tired, increasingly frustrated face of a service which can no longer cope with the demands being placed upon while Roger Lloyd Pack’s deceptively avuncular Robert, the senior consultant, is a silky, treacherous establishment figure, more interested in serving his own ends than the needs of the patients.

At its heart is the perilous state of the NHS but Penhall’s gripping, simple human comedy also looks at other issues eating away at the fabric of contemporary society including the continuing obsessions with class, hierarchy and race. It is an intimate piece that might almost, you may have thought, sit better is a studio setting, yet Burke - assisted by Paul Wills’ imposing, austere design and excellent lighting by Paul Keogan - fills the big Crucible main stage with exciting verbal fireworks, drawing the audience right to the heart of the matter before reminding us that we should not be laughing at all.