Credit: Eleanor Hill
What’s in Grace’s Satchel?
Well my dears, Grace here, puffing my way up Crooms Hill with a satchel positively bursting with theatre gossip – and today it’s all about a sizzling new revival that’s causing quite the stir in South London.
Greenwich Theatre has just announced the cast for its 25th anniversary production of Blue/Orange, Joe Penhall’s award-winning play that first rattled cages back in the early 2000s. And let me tell you – they’ve given it a shake-up that’s bound to have audiences talking all the way home.
For those not in the know (where have you been hiding?), Blue/Orange is a tense, provocative play tackling race, mental health, and the hidden battles of institutional power. Picture this: a young Black patient named Christopher insists he’s the son of an African dictator. Two psychiatrists – supposedly there to help him – wrestle not only with his fate but with their own clashing egos, prejudices and ambitions.
Now here’s the juicy twist. For this anniversary revival, playwright Joe Penhall himself has stepped back in to rework the script. The role of Bruce – traditionally a young white male doctor – has been transformed into a young South Asian woman. It’s a change that Artistic Director James Haddrell describes as adding “new resonance” and presenting a more truthful picture of the NHS today. In Grace-speak? It’s about time the casting looked like the waiting room!
And the cast? Oh, it’s a corker:
- John Michie (you’ll remember him from Taggart and Coronation Street)
- Rhianne Barreto (The Outlaws, Honour)
- Matthew Morrison (EastEnders, Boy Meets Boy)
They’ll be sparring on stage under Haddrell’s direction, with lighting by Henry Slater to make sure every psychological shadow is thrown just so.
Mark your diaries, because Blue/Orange runs from 1 – 25 October 2025 at Greenwich Theatre, with press night on the 8th.
Grace’s tip? Bring a friend, because you’ll want someone to argue with in the bar afterwards – this one isn’t a show you’ll watch politely and forget. It’s theatre designed to poke, prod, and ruffle feathers. And really, isn’t that what theatre’s meant to do?
Tickets are available via greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/blueorange.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a satchel full of oranges and not a clue what to do with them…
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I loved this, and the female casting gives the play an entirely different feel (like Oleanna in places, almost). I just wish they had projected “2005” (or similar) before the start of the action. It is sort of clear from the language and references that we are not in the present day, I suppose. Also, Rhianne Baretto’s costume does have the wide legged trousers that were indeed in fashion in the mid 2000s, but as they are back in fashion now. It wasn’t completely obvious to me that we watching a period setting, nor to the theatre-goers sitting near me. Admittedly, we were towards the back. Highly recommended though.