Description

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I can tell the difference between who I am and a side effect.

The Effect is a clinical romance. Two young volunteers, Tristan and Connie, agree to take part in a clinical drug trial. Succumbing to the gravitational pull of attraction and love, however, Tristan and Connie manage to throw the trial off-course, much to the frustration of the clinicians involved. This funny, moving and perhaps surprisingly human play explores questions of sanity, neurology and the limits of medicine, alongside ideas of fate, loyalty and the inevitability of physical attraction.

Following on from the critical and commercial success of Enron, The Effect offers a vibrant theatrical exploration into the human brain via the heart. It received its world premiere at the National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in November 2012, starring Billie Piper and Jonjo O'Neill.

It is published here in the Modern Classics series alongside an introduction by Miriam Gillinson.

Praise For…

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“…very clever—and ultimately more than clever…ingenious…[THE EFFECT] makes complicated and arcane material utterly accessible…Ms. Prebble is far too smart to find a firm resolution for the debate at the center of THE EFFECT. But in the end, she leaves room for what might be called a very loving uncertainty.” —The New York Times.

“…[a] funny and heartbreaking play…a knotty drama, dealing with scientific objectivity, guilt, the mysteries of the human heart and brain and what makes us who we are, wrapped up in a deceptively simple and constantly entertaining package.” —The Guardian (UK).

“…smashing…plays like a thriller…The story keeps unwinding in fascinating, organic directions…What started as a clean and narrowly defined ‘situation’ play by the end leaves you feeling you have experienced a hefty chunk of human possibility and despair.” —New York Magazine.

“…searing…Prebble’s script is full of memorable moments and characters that stab at the heart of western society’s troubling relationship with prescription drugs…[a] brutal takedown of medicine in a capitalist context…Brimming with challenging insight, THE EFFECT is sure to cause some heated post-show discussions…" —TheaterMania.com.