The Effect
78

The Effect NYC Reviews and Tickets

78%
(161 Ratings)
Positive
79%
Mixed
17%
Negative
4%
Members say
Thought-provoking, Absorbing, Great acting, Intelligent, Clever

About the Show

Britain's National Theatre, Jean Doumanian Productions and Barrow Street Theater present the American premiere of a new play that takes on our pill-popping culture with humor and drama.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (161)

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112 Reviews | 36 Followers
100
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Must see, Thought-provoking

See it if you enjoy shows that target interesting issues that you might not otherwise think about

Don't see it if you have problems with nudity or strong language or if you have issues with shows that deal with mental health

139 Reviews | 75 Followers
100
Original, Profound, Quirky, Romantic, Absorbing

See it if You want to be challenged to think about the nature of the self and emotions, are interested in mental health, and enjoy a love story

Don't see it if You only like simple stories

55 Reviews | 7 Followers
98
Absorbing, Clever, Funny, Great acting

See it if You like clever writing, great acting.

Don't see it if ?

350 Reviews | 163 Followers
97
Intense, Emotionally engaging, Great acting, Great writing, Absorbing

See it if You appreciate strong acting performances and can handle tough material. The writing and acting is incredibly strong.

Don't see it if You don't like intense subject matter or highly dramatic material. This is an emotional roller coaster

78 Reviews | 76 Followers
97
Thought-provoking, Riveting, Resonant, Profound, Refreshing

See it if you're looking for a cool, thought-provoking off-Broadway show.

Don't see it if you don't like mentally stimulating theater.

302 Reviews | 87 Followers
95
Absorbing, Edgy, Great acting, Great writing, Thought-provoking

See it if You appreciate thoughtful, original, relevant. memorable but disturbing drama

Don't see it if You do not appreciate dark themes and drama but, rather, enjoy primarily fluffy musicals and mindless low comedy

55 Reviews | 34 Followers
95
Great acting, Great writing, Intense, Must see, Thought-provoking

See it if One of the best plays I've seen, thoroughly engaging story, excellently acted

Don't see it if I can't say anything negative about it

336 Reviews | 45 Followers
92
Absorbing, Edgy, Great acting, Great writing, Intense

See it if you like intense and, at times, amusing drama

Don't see it if you are impatient

Critic Reviews (25)

The New York Times
March 20th, 2016

"The irreducibility of love is the subject of 'The Effect', Lucy Prebble’s very clever — and ultimately more than clever — play, artfully directed by David Cromer...'The Effect' benefits from its smaller scale...Cromer has steered these young performers into nakedly passionate portrayals...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."
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Time Out New York
March 20th, 2016

"For a play about test subjects going through extremes, 'The Effect' leaves you slightly cold...It’s a credit to playwright Lucy Prebble’s probity and wit that these questions excite the mind, even if the heart rate remains steady...It’s a solid issue drama that allows room for debate, humor and canny twists...David Cromer’s crisply intelligent production shows a touch of Ivo van Hove's Euro-chic, multimedia approach, which suits the material well...The cast does fine work."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
March 22nd, 2016

"Lucy Prebble’s smashing medical drama...Prebble is superbly abetted by the director David Cromer’s sleek yet passionate production. He moves the action along so fast it may induce occasional brain whiplash, while maintaining a strong theatrical frame around the proceedings, except when he breaks it for effect. Those effects would not be as powerful as they are without the top-notch work of the cast."
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New York Daily News
March 20th, 2016

"The mirror-image twosomes are too tidy for a play about the messiness of the medical profession and human emotions. And some twists stretch credulity...Still, the play delivers. And between the topnotch acting and director David Cromer’s brisk staging that makes smart use of projections it’s easy to go with it. 'The Effect' asks provocative questions about the head and the heart. It also manages to appeal to both. Win, win."
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The Hollywood Reporter
March 20th, 2016

"Provocative themes don't always make for compelling drama...'The Effect' is never as convincing as the intellectual arguments in which its characters frequently engage...The new play also suffers from lack of specificity — the characterizations of the protagonists are sketchy at best — and melodramatic plot developments that don't feel fully credible. Despite being cut by more than a half-hour in its transfer across the pond, the play lacks narrative momentum and often feels repetitive."
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AM New York
March 23rd, 2016

"'The Effect' is somewhat compromised by an on-and-off momentum, over-the-top gestures and the deliberately clinical tone. Nevertheless, it makes for a smart, unpredictable drama that asks a lot of disconcerting questions. The cast is quite effective under Cromer’s sharp direction."
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Theatermania
March 21st, 2016

"Prebble's script is full of memorable moments and characters that stab at the heart of Western society's troubling relationship with prescription drugs...David Cromer directs 'The Effect' with clinical precision yet somehow manages to avoid the sterility that tack often entails...The acting is satisfyingly unsafe...Brimming with challenging insight, 'The Effect' is sure to cause some heated post-show discussions, especially in our hypermedicated age."
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Lighting & Sound America
March 31st, 2016

"It's an unusual, even provocative premise...Too bad, then, that Prebble distorts her subject matter with so much hokum...The author has some mordant points to make, but she undercuts them by making her characters behave like refugees from a sweeps-week episode of 'General Hospital'...The director, David Cromer, handles the actors as well as can be expected under these increasingly unconvincing circumstances...Prebble is a writer with talent; she should learn to get out of her own way."
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