Lucy Prebble's The Effect

The production I have watched is “The Effect” which is written by Lucy Prebble, presented by Pangdemonium, directed by Tracie Pang, and performed at the Victoria Theatre. The Effect’s “action” demonstrates how present-day human beings are victims of their physiological and psychological behaviours, as well as the role of antidepressants in the mitigation of depression, through a four-week confinement in a clinical trial. Two young volunteers from different backgrounds are put into focus in The Effect. Connie Hall is a psychology student, while Tristan Frey is a happy-go-lucky slacker. As the clinical trial advances, they are increasingly attracted to each other. Paradoxically, they are thrown into a Catch-22 situation due to the immense uncertainty

However, the minimal, largely white stage props and sets, and bleached costumes furnish the production elements of serenity. Towards the end of the production, Jason Marz’s soothing song ‘I Won’t Give Up’ plays. The lyrics of this background song, together with the orange lighting, brilliantly complement and lighten up the scene in the hospital ward featuring the forlorn Dr Lorna, who has remained curled up on her bed for days. After a long time of contemplation, finally, albeit gingerly, she picks up the little cup containing pills for her depression and takes them. Prior to being hospitalised, Dr Lorna staunchly believes that her depression does not make her abnormal, but, instead, is crucial to her identity and how she conceives the world. She would be different without depression, and thus, refuses to medicate. Her eventual acceptance to medication – antidepressants – reveals her strong willpower to move past her depression, which has plagued and restrained her for many years, and embrace a novel life without depression. The unspooling of electrocardiogram (ECG) images, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans, and statistical analyses and data across a screen above the stage is the hallmark of scenes in the examination room. The slickness of these technologically-advanced projections effects modernity in The Effect. Furthermore, the sound of incessant beeping heartbeats reminds the audience about the unpredictability of human beings, which is the core of The Effect. It is no doubt that the scientific nature of such scenes may turn the audience off to a certain extent. However, the dullness in these scenes is amply alleviated by the comical interactions among the characters. For instance, as Connie is closely monitored by Dr Lorna when she takes her medication, Tristan impishly engages in some dance moves, even boldly parroting Dr Lorna’s