Theatre Royal Brighton Productions’ ambitious second outing is a fast-paced, darkly humorous piece. But the key to its success lies in its casting, with a dynamic tension between the characters that powers the play as it slices open our attitudes to mental health, race, class and ambition.

Set in a sparse consulting room, the play centres around Christopher, a superb performance by Oliver Wilson, as the unsettling young man ready to go home after being sectioned for “acting funny” in public. Wilson shifts convincingly between street-smart wise-guy, fantasist and angry frustration, as two doctors put thoughts in his head as they fight their own personal and professional battles over his care.

For consultant Robert (Robert Bathurst), Christopher is like other young, black men who drift through the system before being dumped back into “community care”. Bathurst beautifully portrays the air of privilege and entitlement, in which the system is there as much for his benefit as for the patient’s.

In the opposite corner is Bruce, played with a fierce passion by Gerard McCarthy, as the junior doctor torn between his idealistic beliefs and the realisation he needs to “play the game” to fulfil his ambition to progress.

As the doctors’ rivalry escalates, Christopher’s welfare is lost in the fray.

Despite advances in our understanding of mental health, Blue/Orange has lost none of its power and in director Christopher Luscombe’s hands it remains relevant.