Always Orange Fraser Grace RSC The Other Place Making Mischief Stratford-upon-Avon

 On the evening I saw Always Orange it was paired with The Fall of the Kingdom and as both plays address similar issues, it was probably the most appropriate double bill, though they don't always run on the same night. Always Orange is an elegiac, visionary piece centred on a man who survives the destruction of a great glass office tower in the centre of the city, triggered by a suicide bomber who wanders into an office leaving party. It begins which this character describing the falling away from civilisation, some time after this first of a wave of attacks, One might imagine a similar scene after the withdrawal of the Roman Legions some time in the 5th Century, falling ruins, architecture, medicine, philosophy all strewn across the floors of roofless libraries.
There are moments of great visual beauty, when the bomb tears through the banality of office life, torn paper rains down, broken glass, the destruction of knowledge as one civilisation crashes into another. As Ifan Meredith's character is questioned by an American official we learn that he has escaped the glass strewn wreckage by tying books to his feet, though quite how or even whether he survived is a mystery. The play visits a local school where language lessons are being cut and later we find Meredith constructing an improbable book vest to protest against the closure of a library. It would seem that both sides of the schism would rather invest in mutual destruction than seek common values through an informed dialogue.
Elegantly designed and skillfully directed by Donnacadh O’Briain this is an interesting and challenging piece with a powerful central performance by Ifan Meredith. As a regular visitor to the Other Place over the years, it is exciting to see interesting and combative new writing return to this stylish new reboot of the RSC's studio theatre.

https://www.rsc.org.uk/always-orange/

'Raise the Flag. Raze the city.'
In the aftermath of terrorist attacks, the population is on edge. Empathy and community have been blown away by the storm of terror and replaced by fear. A survivor of the first attack, Joe is convinced that he has found the key to turning the tide of destruction and restoring tolerance and understanding. But the city is in no mood to listen…
Following the award-winning Breakfast with Mugabe and TMA-nominated The Lifesavers, writer Fraser Grace presents a tragicomic exploration of how to be human in a world always on edge.

Always Orange is part of Making Mischief – a festival of bold and thought-provoking new plays at The Other Place.