Lucy Prebble’s play The Effect, as directed by Leticia Caceres, follows Connie (Zahra Newman) and Tristan (Nathaniel Dean) as they undergo a drug trial for antidepressants. They soon find they’re attracted to each other – but how much of their feelings are ‘natural’? The Effect challenges its audience to think about emotions – particularly love and depression – as brain chemistry, and asks questions about mental illness and the ethics of medicine trials. Sigrid Thornton excels as the curt, conflicted trial supervisor/psychiatrist Dr Lorna James, who is fighting her own personal battles, and William McInnes portrays her somewhat pompous colleague Dr Toby with charm and nuance. Newman and Dean each deliver energetic performances, their characters wildly different to each other.
A minimal yet intricate set consisting of translucent screens which move around to form walls of rooms not only looks striking but adds greatly to the clinical air on the stage; the front screens also have charts of scientific data and other animations projected onto them. Combined with industrial sounds from The Sweats and selected lighting design, it brings an almost sci-fi element to the play. Stephanie Lake’s choreography makes for poetic visuals, but feels slightly out of place within the narrative.
At times all the characters feel out of sync with each other, the actors lacking chemistry or the dialogue just short of making an impact. However, with subject matter that no doubt resonates with most, if not all, people, The Effect adds to the much-needed discussion, providing several ways of looking at depression and those who live with it.
