Lucy Prebble’s ‘The Effect’ Review
PUBLISHED September 22nd, 2015 06:32 am | UPDATED June 8th, 2020 06:11 pm
In The Effect, acclaimed British playwright Lucy Prebble, of ‘Enron’ and ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl’ fame, calls audiences to question our understanding of ourselves, the frailty, ambiguity and mystery of our psychology, and ultimately, our humanity.
Set in the context of an ongoing drug trial for a new anti-depressant, psychology student Connie and drifter Tristan, both paid subjects, meet when confined to the clinic for four weeks. The plot follows their interactions as they fall for each other, each unaware of the degree to which the other’s feelings has been affected by the drugs – which increase dopamine levels – they are on. With each dosage increase – from 25, 50, 100, 150, to 250mg, their physical and emotional states are closely monitored by the lead psychiatrist, Lorna, who herself is being monitored by another psychiatrist, Toby. Lorna and Toby’s disagreement over the effects caused by the new drug bring to light the pressures that practitioners face in the process of getting drugs to market, calls into question the feasibility of an ‘objective’ practitioner, and underscores the ever-increasing complexities of the pharmaceutical business.
Prebble’s exploration of neurology and neuroscience asks incisive questions of her audience: How can we be sure of what we feel? If our feelings are based on and can be influenced by chemicals, what then should we make of them and what then defines our personality? I was prompted to reconsider my faith in medicine – which Lorna aptly sums up as ‘the history of medicine is a history of placebos’, as well as to reflect on my understanding of the mind and its mess of emotions, pheromones, chemicals and other yet-to-be identified constituents. Tristan’s repeated question to Connie as she struggles to communicate her emotions, ‘what do you feel’ thus resonates on multiple levels.
More poignantly, The Effect’s subtle commentary on today’s pill-popping culture, our continued fear of neurological disorders, and the ironic intertwine between the two gave me much to ponder. For shedding light on this alone, I feel that the play is well worth watching. Although it is hard to believe that Tristan’s history of seizures was not discovered during the screening and that Lorna was allowed to take charge of the trial despite her predisposition to depression, ‘The Effect’ makes good on helping audiences understand psychiatry, the ‘Cinderella of Medicine’, as Toby quips.
Couch Theatre has definitely chosen a great piece to put on – the cast chemistry was superb and played to the small intimate space of the National Library’s Black Box. Johnson Chong and Krissy Jesudason both have strong stage presence and are believable as a couple while Chio Su Ping and Prem John are able to paint depths of vulnerability and conviction that make their characters speak to audiences convincingly. This is definitely one for the books.
Photo Credits: Geoffrey Lim
