Red & Blue
Throughout 'Perfect Strangers' Stephen Poliakoff has used colour to emphasise a continuity within the family. In particular the colours red and blue are continually used to varying degrees.
Red is the most obvious colour used within the play. Early on Daniel encounters the red-haired Rebecca and watches her smooth the vivid red lining of her coat. She is not the only red head in the family as the young Violet also has bright red hair as does the aptly named Poppy. The latter we find is obsessed with her red drawing pins!
"I would be lost without my red drawing pins wouldn't you? I expect we get hit with a hefty fine if we don't pin our family trees up - Poppy probably comes round on a room inspection!"
In discussion with Raymond, Alice describes her husband when he was hunting as
"My bobbing bright red husband."
Even their old country house is made of fantastic red brick and Richard convinces them to ride a big, red London bus. Little touches may be coincidence such as Henrietta's scarlet lipstick when she watches Lionel dancing, but I'd like to believe that they aren't!
The touches of blue are much more subtle but generally appear with Violet, Edith and Grace. The three sisters are always wearing blue and when Daniel tells their story we see them in the woods dressed in bright peacock coloured coats. Daniel too generally wears this colour and in the flashbacks of him dressed for Henrietta his little Prince costume is also sky-blue.