Theater review by Raven Snook
No set to speak of, no fancy costumes, nowhere for the actors to hide: Director Jamie Lloyd's signature clinical style is just what the doctor ordered for The Effect, Lucy Prebble's brain-tingling meditation on what makes us tick. The play centers on two participants in an antidepressant drug trial in England, who flout the study’s rules against fraternization: flirty jokester Tristan (Paapa Essiedu, charm incarnate) and wary Canadian psychology student Connie (Taylor Russell).
That the two of them have chemistry is undeniable. But is that just a product of the chemicals they’re ingesting? Connie dismisses it as medically induced, while Tristan has more faith in his heart's desire. Observing them are Dr. Lorna James (Michele Austin, fabulously dry), a psychiatrist with depression struggles of her own, who has a loaded history with her supervisor, Dr. Toby Sealey (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith), a proselytizer for the psychopharm industry.
The Effect | Photograph: Courtesy Marc Brenner
At Lloyd's behest for this production—which premiered at London's National Theatre last year and has now moved to the Shed—Prebble has made judicious changes to her 2012 work, streamlining it to one act and adding dialogue that acknowledges the backgrounds of the all-Black ensemble. (The new racial element adds shades of Tuskegee.) Even at 100 minutes, it feels a bit too long and too slick, especially in the paralleling of the pairs' relationships and in a far-fetched late reveal.
But the actors' thrilling performances paint over the play’s flaws, and Jon Clark’s unsettlingly harsh lighting and George Dennis’s pulsing sound design ratchet up the tension. The play’s tantalizing questions about why we feel what we do—and whether drugs should be used to control our emotions—keep your heart throbbing. Be warned that the after-Effects of this strange romance may include a lot of soul-searching about your soulmate.
The Effect. The Shed (Off Broadway). By Lucy Prebble. Directed by Jamie Lloyd. With Paapa Essiedu, Taylor Russell. Running time: 1hr 40mins. No intermission.
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The Effect | Photograph: Courtesy Marc Brenner