Review: BLUE HEART, Orange Tree Theatre, 18 October 2016

Caryl Churchill is one of our greatest playwrights; gems such as Top Girls and Far Away have challenged the concepts of theatrical writing in wonderful and exciting ways. Blue Heart at Orange Tree Theatre is a different animal. It is both clever and absurd, and Churchill tests many traditions of theatrical form, yet feels a little empty at its core.

Up first is Heart's Desire - essentially one scene drawn out over 45 minutes. The premise is a family anticipating the return of their daughter from Australia. In a format which may have inspired Nick Payne's writing in the superb Constellations, the story stops, rewinds and repeats 27 times, with various diversions and changes.

As mum Alice, dad Brian and aunt Maisie, Amelda Brown, Andy de la Tour and Amanda Boxer all show real skill, as each manages to replicate vocal intonation and physical placements and movements perfectly each time the scene is replayed. The cast playing in fast-forward is particularly impressive.

Churchill invites you to an absurd circus, as the scenes are interspersed with bizarre incidents, such as a very convincing ostrich wandering onto the stage and a gaggle of screaming schoolchildren wreaking havoc.

Director David Mercatali has concentrated on the comic value of the play. The absolute silliness of it is very funny and the subversion of the conventional narrative is potentially fascinating; it is very clever, but it's hard to see the point of it.

Blue Kettle is darker and more serious. The plot follows Derek, played artfully by Alex Beckett, whose hobby is finding elderly ladies who gave up their babies for adoption and convincing them that he is their son.

As the play progresses, increasing numbers of nouns, verbs and adjectives are replaced by the words 'blue' and 'kettle'. Language disintegrates gradually, so it becomes redundant.

The play climaxes in a scene where Derek and one of his deceived ladies, Mrs Plant, played beautifully by Amanda Boxer, confront the reality of the situation. By this point language has collapsed so much that they simply make noises, with no discernible words used. Such is the skill of the actors, you still manage to understand the heartbreaking sense of what they are saying.

What Churchill is trying to convey is that language is surplus; that it is emotion that is key. This is not a new message, but it is skilfully executed.

Despite being written in 1997, this co-production between Richmond's Orange Tree and Tobacco Factory Theatre is the first major revival of the two one-act plays. In some ways, it's easy to see why, as both plays present major challenges to both director and actors. This production demonstrates the strengths of both, but also highlights a challenge to the audience to fully engage in the absurdism.

There are no weak links in the cast and Mercatali deftly draws the best out of each play. Max Pappenheim's sound design is very clever, featuring unnerving electrical fizzing, atmospheric rumblings and birdsong. It is subtly as strange as the plays themselves.

Blue Heart manages to provide escapism, entertainment and challenge the audience. The cast is superb and the design thoughtful, yet it fails to leave you fully satisfied.

Blue Heart is at Orange Tree Theatre until 19 November

Photo Credit: The Other Richard

To post a comment, you must register and login.