Photography by Graeme Braidwood
The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham stages Lucy Prebble’s critically acclaimed THE EFFECT from January 18th to 25th.
Love. Sadness. Joy. Depression. Lucy Prebble’s award-winning play “The Effect” isn’t afraid of tackling the most complex of human emotions.
A hit with both critics and audiences ever since its premiere at the National Theatre in 2012, “The Effect” focuses on Connie (Helena Lima) and Tristan (Jason Adam) – two young volunteers in a clinical drug trial who are falling for each other fast, posing major dilemmas for the supervising doctors Lorna (Liz Plumpton) and Toby (Dan Hawkins). But is their sudden and intoxicating chemistry real, or a side effect of a new antidepressant? For director Alex Arksen, the initial appeal of helming a new production of “The Effect” was all about the playwright.
‘The first time I ever saw a play by Lucy Prebble was a production of “Enron” at the Birmingham REP,’ says Arksen. ‘I was absolutely captivated by it. So when I saw that The Crescent Theatre would be staging “The Effect”, I was very excited. I just think Prebble writes real people so well. She manages to create these wonderful three-dimensional characters. In my opinion, she’s the finest contemporay playwright we have in this country.’
As the story develops and the audience learns more about the volunteers and the doctors in charge of them, “The Effect” asks pertinent questions about mental health as the younger characters flip between extreme emotions and one of the doctors managing their trial falls into the pits of despair.
‘What I think “The Effect” does so well is tackle both the wasteland of depression and the euphoria of love through the four different characters,’ explains Arksen. ‘I often describe this play to people as Romeo & Juliet on speed, and where it really hits home is when we explore the characters’ mental states and their inner demons.’
Prebble’s play also tackles the sometimes profit-driven desire to manage mental health with medication. How best can modern society manage depression and anxiety? Does medication really help or is it just another placebo? For Arksen, “The Effect” has only become more relevant as time has gone on, especially in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
‘ “The Effect” was actually written over ten years ago, but people I’ve spoken to think it was only written recently. I think the pandemic changed a lot of people’s perceptions about mental health and our attitudes towards medical intervention. I’ve actually set our production of “The Effect” in 2028, because I was fascinated by the differences between society before and after COVID. Moving it to the near future has added a really interesting slant to the play.’
The result is a powerful piece of contemporary theatre that also reaffirms one of The Crescent Theatre’s mission statements – to continue producing cutting-edge work that reflects and comments on the world we live in today.
‘If you love theatre and you love great writing, you’ll absolutely love “The Effect” ’ says Arksen, the enthusiasm clear in his voice. ‘It’s one of the best plays I’ve ever read.’
To book: 0121 643 5858 or www.crescent-theatre.co.uk.