The Effect: Review of new play at The Gamm Theater

Humans know precious little about brain function, something that doesn’t change – and might actually worsen – in viewing “The Effect.”

British playwright Lucy Prebble’s work, on stage at The Gamm Theatre, centers on two scientists and two volunteers in a sequestered medication study of the effect different doses have on depression.

As doses increase, so do levels of the feel-good hormone dopamine in the subjects, whose moods soar and they fall in love. Or so they think. Prebble’s provocative premise leaves them – and audiences – wondering where the drug stops and the emotions begin. Conversely, when does the depression begin and end?

“The Effect” casts a spell over the audience, asking more questions than it answers and initiating ripples of conjecture and supposition that linger long after the 90-minute, no intermission show.

This is a brilliant, incredibly human examination of the effects of depression. Principal investigator, Lorna, has her own history with depression, losing credibility and professional standing. Her colleague, a former lover who was instrumental in securing the study post, is more exploiter than savior and she wriggles under his supervision.

At one point, Lorna explains her reluctance to take anti-depressants herself and muses that, perhaps, “We’re not depressed, we’re right and the world is depressing.”

Connie and Tristan, the study volunteers, have similarly relatable interpretations of their emotional states. When it’s revealed that one of them is taking the placebo, not the trial medication, they struggle with the euphoria they’ve shared, wondering, “Is this a Viagra for the heart?”

Director Steve Kidd strips the stage to bare cinderblock walls for a black box effect, outlining rectangles on the floor in lights to center the audience’s attention on an even smaller space for scenes. Strips of lights climb walls and he cleverly uses an outside door at the end to punctuate a key departure.

Set and costumes are kept simple, so we focus on the actors, whose faces become animated as drug dosing increases. As the relationship between Connie, played by Gabrielle McCauley, and Tristan, played by Anthony Goss, becomes physical, all anyone notices are the embraces and caresses when they nimbly change positions as a heartbeat-like sound thrums.

The effect is stirring and part of the show’s raw impact on viewers. The cast almost takes a backseat to Prebble’s writing, although their performances are solid. McCauley is amply manic, her facial expressions speaking wordlessly to the audience. Goss’s delivery is less consistent, usually strong but he seems to slip out of character at times, which is distracting.

Gamm regular The doctors – played by Gamm regular Jeannine Kane and Trinity Repertory regular Stephen Thorne – are almost secondary characters and, apart from Kane’s skill at relaying angst, the performances are just adequate.

Overall, “The Effect” is thought-provoking and a timely examination of mental health. It’s sure to strike a nerve in just about every viewer.

The show plays through October 13 at Gamm. For tickets, go to www.gammtheatre.org.

Photo from Gamm Theater.