The Effect NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (161)
See it if enjoy new drama with wit and a little messiness.
Don't see it if you need strong and logical dramatic resolution.
See it if You want a thoughtful play that tries to take on the topic of anti depressants and playing with serotonin levels via the lives of 2 testers
Don't see it if you are not patient to get to an ending which was too drawn out in this case
See it if You appreciate strong original pieces and/ or like a piece that will give you lots to talk about afterward.
Don't see it if You don't like good acting and compelling topics
See it if You like to think. It covers moral issues.
Don't see it if You want a light entertain me play
See it if you enjoy theater which takes a "what if" approach and explores scenarios and themes that you might overlook in everyday life
Don't see it if you don't like plays that force you to think how its themes matter outside of the actual play, you want clearly defined resolutions
See it if you're interested in original, romantic, somewhat suspenseful writing. The cast was utterly convincing as well.
Don't see it if you aren't interested in plays about drug trials. Or if you don't like new plays that tackle love among extraordinary circumstances
See it if you want to see something unconventional and makes you think the entire time.
Don't see it if you are not comfortable about topics that deal with depression and addiction.
See it if you like well written, very well directed and staged shows in small theatres. There's lots to like on many levels
Don't see it if you don't like small theatres
Critic Reviews (25)
"A bracing investigation into the nature of love that stimulates both the head and the heart. And David Cromer, perhaps the smartest director working today, draws out all the nuances of the competing arguments in a sleek production...The best parts of this production are the performances...Particularly Hudson, who emits the idiosyncratic charms of a young Jeff Goldblum...I fell in love with both him and Flood—and with this play."
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"An interesting but flawed play. 'The Effect' is a provocative experiment gone awry. But it’s intelligent, well-staged and well-acted. If only all theater that didn’t quite work could be this enjoyable an evening...Playwright Lucy Prebble assembles the elements of an intriguing thought experiment. And for about half the evening, a strong cast led by director David Cromer and a crack technical team produce very promising results."
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"A provocative if rather scattershot play about the chemistry of the brain, anti-depression drugs and love...Artfully directed by David Cromer and fervently acted by Flood and Hudson, it winds up as a multi-stranded, open-minded consideration of the place of anti-depressant drugs in contemporary lives and relationships...Prebble seems to come down on the side of love as essentially a natural rather than a pharmaceutical phenomenon. It's at that point that the play becomes quite touching."
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"The premise is clever—and director David Cromer has a track record of brilliant conceptions—but the production, despite excellent performances, doesn’t quite click...While Cromer has a sharp cast, the plot is iffy. 'The Effect' is a great premise for a serious discussion on why drug therapy may or may not work and the possible social consequences that follow. But as dramatic fodder, it’s a hard pill to swallow."
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"A clever cocktail of love, depression and pharmaceuticals...Director David Cromer expertly manages the shift from intricate courtly flirtation, reminiscent of Shakespeare or Marivaux, to partial nudity and onstage sex...A debate about the efficacy of antidepressants towards the end seems strident. Transitions between scenes can also be awkward...It’s not entirely clear what 'The Effect' has to say about contemporary psychiatry. Perhaps there simply are no ready answers."
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"Ms. Prebble kept us on our toes the entire performance through her twists and turns. Ms. Flood and Mr. Hudson kept us entertained with their flirtations and connection. The show educates, informs, and entertains...The relationship between the doctors is a bit less fleshed out and could use some more refinement--or more accurately clarity. Perhaps Ms. Prebble will get an opportunity to have another clinical trial on a larger stage. One might speculate the results would be positive."
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"Exploring notions of consciousness and identity as they relate to the chemistry in our brains, Ms. Prebble takes us on a breathless ride that is emotionally satisfying and philosophically compelling...Mr. Cromer elicits sharp, dynamic performances from the excellent cast. And although I’m not certain that in the end Ms. Prebble supplies the most complete responses to the unsolvable problems she introduces, her dramatic exploration of her subjects is both riveting and fascinating."
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"The energy, acting chops and yes, chemistry between Tristan and Connie is so palpable that it lights up the intimate stage...The play moves at a great pace covering a wealth of subjects from our belief that drugs can solve and save any problem, to what is or is not real in our modern lives. The success of much of this is due to the inspired direction of David Comer whose work has a tension and emotionality that is leagues ahead of most other directors."
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