Hot Orange
It’s summer. It’s hot. Like really hot. Like ice pop after melting ice pops hot. Like orange midday sun hot.
Across the divide of a scorched basketball court two girls meet, shoot hoops and discover their shared obsessions make them inseparable friends. But will faith, growing pains and the darker reactions of others get in the way of that long, hot, orange summer?
A decade later the past walks back into view when 18-year-old Amina is confronted by her childhood best friend Tandeki. Can they reignite the spark of friendship by untangling their hurt feelings, or are some heartbreaks just too hard to mend?
Hot Orange follows Amina and Tandeki as they navigate what it takes to sustain love and friendship beyond childhood idealism and the moment you fall in love.
Hot Orange, by Amal Khalidi and Tatenda Naomi Matsvai, is the latest production from Half Moon, the UK’s leading small-scale young people’s venue and touring company. It will be presented in their multi-award winning immersive theatrical style, exquisitely framed within an evocative soundscape.
Running time: 60 minutes, plus a post-show Q & A
Content warning: Hot Orange includes references to attitudes and language choices expressing negative opinions about same-sex relationships.
Impressive writing debut for young audiences by Amal Khalidi and Tatenda Naomi Matsvai. The title captures the poetic glow of their hourlong two-hander.
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/nov/10/hot-orange-review-half-mo…
I left the theatre grinning, exhilarated by superb performances, intricate and vibrant writing, and energised by the buoyant, pulsating beat. But I was also delighted at the sight of so many joyful teenagers who had just quietly been educated about a little bit of brown-skinned rebellion. Tell me again how theatre for children is the easy stuff
