Downing an entire pot of coffee before embarking to see The Ensemble Company’s current production of Lucy Prebble’s The Effect probably wasn’t a particularly wise decision. And though I’m guessing I would’ve been on the edge of my seat even sans Starbucks, the fact that I have to wonder is actually totally the right vibe. That’s because the question of whether and to what degree chemically amplified emotions count as “our” emotions is the one you’ll find at The Effect’s thematic center.
First performed in 2012, this genuinely thought-provoking play follows a pair of twenty-somethings named Connie and Tristan. For four weeks, the two will be sharing close quarters as test subjects in a clinical trial for a powerful anti-depressant. The drug works by flooding their systems with adrenaline, creating a sense of euphoric passion.
When our two main characters meet, there’s an instant spark— though one that the flirtatious Tristan seems more interested in exploring than Connie, who is in a committed relationship with an older boyfriend. As their dosages escalate, their affair blossoms— raising the question of whether their feelings for one another are “real” or simply a side effect.
This core question of the play is further explored through the points of view of two more characters: Dr. Toby Sealy, a drug developer who devised the trial; and Dr. Lorna James, who is the head clinician overseeing it day to day. More than just in the efficacy of his product, Sealy believes that mental illness can and should be treated chemically, while James is skeptical of both.
The gradual revelation of Sealy and James’ complicated interpersona history adds emotional depth to their philosophical viewpoints, and seasoned performers Jessica Hamilton and David Lowe nail this complex dynamic and the unexpected evolutions of their respective characters.
In Act 1, Lowe comes out of the gate particularly strong with a confident monologue that firmly establishes his character’s role in the story and perspective, successfully winning us over with charm and humor while navigating the presentational dialogue. In Act 2, Hamilton sells the hell out of an even more challenging monologue that serves as a thematic counterpoint, delivering the raw emotional intensity the speech calls for without slipping over the top.
Younger actors Laura Powalisz and Kyle Meehan as Connie and Tristan are plenty impressive as well, if perhaps a little less controlled. Still, both build solid, likable characters and do a commendable job at navigating the script’s emotional extremes.
As a pair they also seemed to be a little lacking in chemistry, a problem that may have been amplified by the way their romantic scenes were choreographed by intimacy coordinator Maddy Poston. I have this hunch because I noticed a similar lack of precision and believability in the show’s fight choreography, also credited to Poston.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Garcia, credited as both the production’s director and its sound and lighting designer, seems to have been more successful in the former role than the latter. While the play’s performances seemed well-molded and paced, a limited lighting palette and sound design that at times obscured dialogue could at times be distracting.
Somewhat more successful is the show’s production and costume design, which sets the institutional scene quite effectively with a sterile-white color palette and minimalist props. Some projected slides marking key points in the in-show experiment helped clarify transitions and immerse us in the play’s world.
But the most engaging aspect of The Effect by far was the script’s masterful storytelling, which made my experience of the show one of my most visceral in recent memory. For one thing, all four characters are grounded enough to connect to, but expertly used to explore increasingly complex ideas in a way that feels natural and earned.
For another, as I was getting at earlier, those ideas circle around a question that almost as many modern Americans have asked themselves as have ever popped a Zoloft or a Xanax. In taking a mind-altering medication designed to treat the symptoms of a mental illness, would a prospective patient be becoming more or less themselves? And is the equation any different for healthy volunteers like Connie and Tristan than it would be for another of the play’s characters who clearly struggles with depression but stubbornly refuses pharmaceutical aid?
Without giving away too much about the ending of the play or my personal preoccupations, I’ve been contemplating questions like these since long before I stepped into the audience of The Effect last Sunday—and long before I first read the play back in 2021.
So, going in this time around, I had some idea of where things were going, but had forgotten a lot of the specific intricacies that now impressed me anew. The dialogue was often as darkly funny as sharply incisive, and the story all the more vivid when brought to three-dimensional life.
And rather than spoiling the suspense, knowing the specifics of the bittersweet conclusion the play was heading towards allowed me to feel the ramifications of its inevitability from the start.
Something that I admire about The Effect is its refusal to sugarcoat the harsh realities of the fragility of the human brain and the human body. But what I perhaps admire even more is that conclusion’s insistence that, at least for one of the play’s two-character dyads, love can indeed conquer obstacles that are practical, physical, and pharmaceutical.
In other words: I could try to write-off any tears caught leaking from my eyes during the Ensemble Company’s production of The Effect as some kind of brief caffeine-induced psychosis. But I’d rather credit director Gabriel Garcia’s commendable handling of this sublime theatrical experiment as a somewhat more likely cause. You can catch the show for only three more performances at the Imagine Performing Arts Center, running only until this February 1!
REMAING SHOWTIMES AND TICKET INFO:
Remaining performances at Imagine Performing Arts Center on:
Friday January 30th and Saturday January 31st at 8pm
Sunday February 1st at 2:00 pm
Tickets:
$22 Adults
$20 Seniors
$18 Students
Available here with more information about The Ensemble Company available here!