Sadly, “5,4,3,2,1… chino-wearing cunt!” isn’t the catchy chorus of Christ Church: The Musical. Rather, it’s one of the few humorous outbursts in a production otherwise bursting with anger, fear, and visceral urgency. The Effect, written by Lucy Prebble, debuted at the National Theatre in 2012, garnering rave reviews and confirming Prebble as a writer to watch. Seeing the power, energy and rawness this play, it’s easy to see why.
The story is set in a sinister medical facility where two patients, Tristan and Connie, are undergoing the test trial for a drug that creates love. Connie, the hard cynic, dismisses feelings for her fellow test subject as drug-induced artifice. Tristan, the “free spirit”, is committed to travel, new experiences and, as Connie surmises, a “gap life”.
As the Wagnerian name promises, Tristan is a romantic whose desire is matched only by the impossibility of his situation; love as irreducible vs. love as chemical. Opposition is at the heart of this play. In one compelling ensemble section, we see the symptoms of the trial patients ruthlessly probed and measured by specialists. Upsetting this violent procedure is the kissing couple who are swiftly torn apart for interrogation.
It’s a visceral staging of a central concern of director Freya Judd, namely how we treat mental illness and how the search for a cure can alienate us from those we seek to help.
The play indeed comes at a time when, as Judd explains, theatre is becoming more didactic and, at the same time, more sympathetic to issues of mental health. This makes staging such a production particularly pertinent, especially in Oxford where 35% of students have had encounters with mental health issues with many rusticating or dropping out for related reasons. In the rehearsal room there is an energy and investment that attests to the importance of the issues at stake. Indeed, the production is associated with Oxford’s mental health campaign Mind Your Head and the performances will be preceded by discussion sessions.
This energy creates some intense moments; Connie and Tristan’s row over what their feelings really mean is as compelling as it is thought provoking. The leads – Ellie Lowenthal and Calam Lynch – are very convincing but perhaps at the over-acting stage of their characters, as sometimes the drama was blown out in blasts of kitchen-sink shouting matches. However, they otherwise succeeded in making their characters sympathetic and human.
The ensemble cast was impressively professional and I look forward to seeing how Judd uses their proficiency in the stylized interludes of the play. As the best theatre does, this production has its sights beyond the stage and into our society. This play promises to shine a light behind the curtain of Oxford’s own theatrical grandeur.
The Effect is on at the Keble O’Reilly from 4th – 7th February.
