Joe Penhall's "Blue/Orange" at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre

The lunatics are running the asylum in Joe Penhall’s “Blue/Orange” now playing at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre through March 18th. One could ask in this mesmeric drama that is at a psychiatric hospital in London “Who Is Right? Who is Wrong? Who is Sane?, Who is Crazy?.

The comedy drama concerns the welfare of a black patient named Christopher (Carl Lumbly) who is far from ready to be released into the outside world. He has been in residence for the personality disorder for the prescribed 28 days and is expected to release imminently. However, his trainee psychiatrist Bruce (Dan Clegg) isn’t sure Christopher is ready to face the reality of the world. The play starts off at a rip roaring pace as we see Christopher having his final interview with Bruce who has invited his mentor Robert Smith (Julian Lopez-Morillas) to sit in on the session.


Dr. Smith is a worldly pompous ego centric patronizing doctor who wants to release Christopher to the outside world. He dismisses Bruce’s prognosis that Christopher is schizophrenic and tells young intern to dismiss the man immediately. The elder doctor theory as to why Christopher is “normal” is related to race relations in London. He believes the patient is a victim of “ethnocentric” misdiagnosis that seems many more black than white people are in mental hospitals. Or is he a discontented bully in a white coat with a book to finish?


This marks the third time I have seen this compelling drama. I first saw this compelling drama in London in 2001 with Bill Negly playing the older doctor and later I saw the the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley in 2005. This is an enthralling drama strongly enhanced by three superb actors. Carl Lumbly is great as the patient Christopher who believes that he is the son of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. He stares attentively, fiddles uncontrollably, panics one moment and exerts an unnatural calm the next. It’s a brilliant performance

Julian Lopez-Morillas gives a multifaceted performance as Robert who quotes R.D. Lang and Allen Ginsberg when bringing out diagnosis and prognoses of the patient Christopher. His performance is wonderfully regulated with a striking theatrical voice that excites the audience.
Dan Clegg a graduate from A.C.T. MFA program is excellent as the eager, young, unwavering doctor who shows his inexperience crudeness of a young man who believes he will be a great mental health doctor. However in the second act he becomes uncertain of this diagnosis and fights to keep his job at the mental hospital.

The struggle between the two doctors ia a kind of intellectual catfight in which language, semantics and insults are the weapons and this diminishes the patient even more. They are done at crackling pace and keep the two act production moving rapidly. Director Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe and the actors surpass at illuminating the racial part of the drama. Lisa Clark has designed an excellent set of symbolic set of green ward doors from the rafters to the floor.

Blue/Orange runs through March 18th at the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 450 Post Street, San Francisco. For tickets call 415-474-8800 or on line at www.lhtsf.org