Greenwich Theatre has announced powerful new additions for its 2025 programme: Blue/Orange by Joe Penhall (The Road, 2009; Mindhunter, 2017) and TWO by Jim Cartwright (The Afternoon Play, 2003; The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, 1992). These critically acclaimed plays will offer audiences an unmissable pairing of bold, character-driven drama that explores identity, power, and the human condition.
Together, the two productions reflect Greenwich Theatre’s commitment to presenting thought-provoking, emotionally resonant work year-round, and continuing the venue’s ongoing celebration of the best in modern British playwrighting and contemporary theatre.
Penhall’s award-winning Blue/Orange is a powerful and provocative play, set within the British healthcare system in a psychiatric hospital. The plot follows a young black patient who believes he is the son of an African dictator, and the two psychiatrists who treat him. Blue/Orange explores issues of race, mental health, and institutional power through sharp dialogue and psychological tension, highlighting inequalities in the treatment of mental health that are as prevalent today as they were when the drama premiered at the turn of the 21st century. The confrontational play will challenge Greenwich audiences to consider how prejudice, ambition, and systemic bias can shape clinical decisions and impact those most vulnerable in Society.
TWO will be staged in Greenwich Theatre’s bar space this August, mirroring the play’s backdrop as a moving yet comic picture of a northern pub and those who pass through it. Jim Cartwright’s voice remains one of the most recognisable in British theatre, with his characteristic blend of an ‘authentic working-class voice [and] beautiful brutal poetry’ (The Guardian). Cartwright’s intimate play revolves around the bickering interactions of a married couple who own the pub, as well as the colourful characters who come through their doors. Through a series of vignettes that skilfully combines pathos and humour, TWO considers themes of love, loneliness, longing, and the complexity of human relationships.
Artistic Director James Haddrell comments, When I saw Blue/Orange in 2000 it blew me away. It offers three astonishing roles for its cast, and a story which really proves how potent theatre can be in challenging society and how we care for one another. Likewise, the prospect of staging TWO in the bar at Greenwich Theatre is an exciting one for me, immersing the audience in the lives, the struggles and the hopes of these unforgettable characters.
This new programming comes as Greenwich Theatre announces its decision to postpone Murder Ballad until 2026. The musical is a powerful statement of intent for future programming, in a fantastic space for musical theatre. Greenwich Theatre is looking forward to the enhanced potential that this will offer the show next year.
