140:, a man named Derek tells several women they are his mother, claiming he was adopted at birth. The women believe him and find ways of "confirming" his story, while Derek keeps them slightly uneasy and ultimately, he hopes, prepared to buy him into their lives with gifts of money – this fraud is his aim. At first occasionally, then with increasing frequency, words are replaced seemingly at random with "blue" or "kettle". The audience finds itself at first interpreting the missing words through the verbal context, then increasingly interpreting the dialogue as a whole in the context of body language, mood and already acquired information.
133:, is about a family waiting for their daughter's return from Australia. Her father, mother and aunt play through the same scene, time and time again, a few seconds at a time, with variations. Some variants appear to be wish-fulfillment on the part of one character or another; some seem to represent a collective attempt to settle on a mutually acceptable compromise account; some include random intrusions from, for instance, a group of armed paramilitaries or an angry emu. With a more or less definitive version of the daughter's arrival, the play ends in mid-sentence.
209:, Hales wrote: "The family labours under the impossibility of creating the scene of the perfect homecoming. Any of the alternative scenarios, each packed with drama and tension, could be the foundation of a great play. Churchill’s genius is that she rejects control and chooses all of them instead. The overarching impression is that there is no right way, no whole, no finished product for family life or for art." Hales also referred to
65:, is about a man named Derek who goes around telling women that they are his mother, claiming he was adopted at birth; the women believe him and find ways to confirm that he is indeed their son. As the interactions between Derek and the women move forward, the words "blue" and "kettle" are inserted into the dialogue with increasing frequency, seemingly at random.
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that " anguish is felt more fully in this desperate inarticulacy." Buffini referred to the two plays as "deeply affecting – not just because they are powerful drama, but because of what they say about the struggle to write. It’s as if the play will be, no matter what the playwright tries to do to
248:
as "brilliant", writing that "Churchill makes the situation all the more haunting and queasily comic by showing how language breaks down under the emotional strain creating the weird verbal tic described above. Grief and confusion may become unutterable but communication somehow survives." Lynne
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wrote, "To play with a simple storyline, creating the surreal one minute, the opposite the next, a writer has to have a sure touch and know how to harness the anarchic elements and
Churchill certainly has those qualities."
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is a challenge but, unlike other self-consciously intellectual literary efforts, warmth and humanity pervades
Churchill’s work, no matter how weird things get." In praising the first play,
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as "both one of the funniest short plays ever written and a reminder of the savagery that often lies beneath the surface of family life." Paul Taylor of
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wrote that "both plays speak volubly and wisely about language and emotions in disarray". Wolf stated that the finale of
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219:, Henry Hitchings described the writing as having an "unusual mix of droll realism and loopy inventiveness".
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four out of five stars and described the work as "brilliant". The critic billed
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gave the performance the same rating and praised the experimental twist of
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584:"Blue Heart: Crisp revival alive to Caryl Churchill's maverick spirit"
158:(the first play) as "achingly, aggressively funny" and the ending of
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is "comparable in affect to the closing lines of the playwright’s '
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464:"THEATER REVIEW; Finding Appalling Sense in a Giddy Anarchy"
358:"THEATER REVIEW; Finding Appalling Sense in a Giddy Anarchy"
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presented the plays in a
November/December 1999 production.
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theatre company, presented the plays at
Kennedy's Theatre,
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in collaboration with the small
British touring company
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162:(the second play) as "heartbreaking". Matt Wolf of
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189:as one of her favorite Churchill works, saying of
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524:"Caryl Churchill: the playwright's finest hours"
558:"Review: Blue Heart at the Orange Tree Theatre"
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53:is a series of two one-act plays, written by
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644:"Blue Heart, Orange Tree, Richmond, review"
16:Two one-act plays (1997) by Caryl Churchill
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57:and copyrighted in 1997. The first play,
950:Seven Jewish Children – a Play for Gaza
608:Billington, Michael (19 October 2016).
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392:"'Blue Heart': Studio's Double Bypass"
302:"'Blue Heart': Studio's Double Bypass"
77:The plays were developed for the 1997
413:Howey, Christine (19 November 2003).
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582:Hitchings, Henry (19 October 2016).
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1162:Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen
462:Brantley, Ben (1 February 1999).
437:"Blue Heart, Orange Tree Theatre"
356:Brantley, Ben (1 February 1999).
310:. 9 November 1999. Archived from
117:Tobacco Factory Theatres and the
101:Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
789:Light Shining in Buckinghamshire
668:Walsh, Lynne (21 October 2016).
642:Taylor, Paul (19 October 2016).
1132:You've No Need to be Frightened
942:Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?
522:Buffini, Moira (29 June 2015).
390:Rose, Lloyd (9 November 1999).
85:. The production, directed by
69:is highly regarded by critics.
768:Objections to Sex and Violence
121:presented the plays in 2016.
1:
496:Wolf, Matt (5 October 1997).
333:Wolf, Matt (5 October 1997).
129:The first play in the piece,
1084:Adaptations and translations
1064:Lives of the Great Poisoners
213:as "no less compelling". In
106:Cesear's Forum, Cleveland's
909:Three More Sleepless Nights
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1168:Schreber's Nervous Illness
1091:Schreber's Nervous Illness
201:argued, "There’s no doubt
95:Brooklyn Academy of Music
89:, then moved to London’s
79:Edinburgh Festival Fringe
1277:Plays by Caryl Churchill
1043:Opera, dance and cabaret
971:War and Peace Gaza Piece
1217:The Legion Hall Bombing
985:Tickets Are Now on Sale
742:Having a Wonderful Time
222:Michael Billington of
154:, Ben Brantley lauded
1210:The After-Dinner Joke
762:Moving Clocks Go Slow
394:. The Washington Post
957:Ding Dong the Wicked
879:Love and Information
179:". Moira Buffini of
136:In the second play,
1057:A Mouthful of Birds
1020:Bluebeard's Friends
307:The Washington Post
282:. 28 September 1997
228:Orange Tree Theatre
119:Orange Tree Theatre
91:Royal Court Theater
1246:Max Stafford-Clark
468:The New York Times
362:The New York Times
151:The New York Times
87:Max Stafford-Clark
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1186:Perfect Happiness
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443:. 19 October 2016
417:. Cleveland Scene
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677:. Retrieved
674:Morning Star
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625:. Retrieved
614:The Guardian
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591:. Retrieved
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565:. Retrieved
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539:. Retrieved
528:The Guardian
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505:. Retrieved
501:
498:"Blue Heart"
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479:. Retrieved
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445:. Retrieved
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419:. Retrieved
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396:. Retrieved
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339:. Retrieved
335:"Blue Heart"
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316:. Retrieved
312:the original
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252:Morning Star
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226:gave a 2016
224:The Guardian
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83:Out of Joint
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1125:Radio plays
890:Short plays
855:The Skriker
781:Vinegar Tom
246:Blue Kettle
211:Blue Kettle
191:Blue Kettle
170:Blue Kettle
160:Blue Kettle
138:Blue Kettle
73:Productions
63:Blue Kettle
1267:1997 plays
1261:Categories
1196:Television
978:Here We Go
863:Blue Heart
847:Mad Forest
826:Midday Sun
797:Cloud Nine
748:Easy Death
736:Downstairs
447:31 January
421:26 January
398:26 January
375:31 January
341:26 January
318:8 December
286:8 December
260:References
232:Blue Heart
203:Blue Heart
187:Blue Heart
108:minimalist
67:Blue Heart
50:Blue Heart
29:Written by
24:Blue Heart
1050:Floorshow
921:Hot Fudge
805:Top Girls
622:0261-3077
536:0261-3077
476:0362-4331
370:0362-4331
337:. Variety
249:Walsh of
174:Top Girls
144:Reception
114:in 2003.
1156:Abortive
1144:Lovesick
1138:The Ants
1097:Thyestes
934:Far Away
903:Seagulls
871:A Number
840:Icecream
820:Softcops
729:Theatre
502:Variety
185:listed
165:Variety
97:(BAM).
1231:(1987)
1225:(1982)
1223:Crimes
1219:(1979)
1213:(1978)
1205:(1973)
1188:(1973)
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755:Owners
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567:16 May
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481:16 May
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199:Exeunt
1229:Fugue
1111:Bliss
1070:Hotel
1004:Glass
774:Traps
194:it."
1012:Kill
681:2020
655:2020
629:2020
618:ISSN
595:2020
569:2020
543:2020
532:ISSN
509:2020
483:2020
472:ISSN
449:2024
423:2024
400:2024
377:2024
366:ISSN
343:2024
320:2011
288:2011
125:Plot
42:1997
1028:Imp
813:Fen
148:In
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