THE HANGOVER REPORT – At The Shed, auteur director Jamie Lloyd puts his indelible stamp on THE EFFECT by Lucy Prebble

Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell in the National Theatre’s production of “The Effect” by Lucy Prebble at The Shed (photo by Marc Brenner).

How apropos that one of my first visits to the theater in New York after my trip across the pond would be the National Theatre’s production of The Effect at The Shed (earlier this week, the production was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Revival). To say the least, the premise is fascinating – the play chronicles the evolving relationship between two pharmaceutical trial subjects of an anti-depressant drug, in the process spurring a potent debate regarding the nature of love and desire.

This is not the first time New York has seen The Effect – Prebble’s play enjoyed a well received Off-Broadway run eight years ago at the then Barrow Street Theater directed by the great David Cromer. What a difference a directorial vision can make. In a streamlined version featuring an all-Black cast, red hot auteur theater director Jamie Lloyd emphatically leaves his indelible mark on the piece. True to his current aesthetic, Lloyd’s work here is sleek and minimalist, boldly utilizing lighting and sound design to bring a visceral punch to the escalating emotional intensity of Prebble’s play. Indeed, Lloyd’s staging brings immense urgency and immediacy to the work, resulting in a theatrical experience that’s much more potent that a mere intellectual study of mental health.

The production features a quartet of sensational performances. As the two young test subjects who spiral into a turbulent love affair, Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell couldn’t be more ideal; each brings cockiness and instinctual physicality to their respective roles that makes for combustible theater. To boot, heir chemistry is palpable throughout. And as the two researchers running the trial, Michele Austin and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith inject their own knotted vulnerabilities and biases into their hardened characters.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE EFFECT
Off-Broadway, Play
The Shed
1 hour, 45 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 31

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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