The Effect by Pangdemonium: A Chemical Romance?

PUBLISHED February 19th, 2016 05:00 am | UPDATED June 2nd, 2020 07:09 pm

Following a highly successful run last year, Pangdemonium is launching its 2016 Season of Love with The Effect. A romantic drama written by British playwright Lucy Prebble that bagged the United Kingdom’s Critic’s Circle Award for Best New Play in 2012, the play stars Adrian Pang, Tan Kheng Hua, Nikki Muller, and Linden Furnell.

Connie (Nikki Muller), a beautiful psychology student and Tristan (Linden Furnell), a charming slacker, are both in a clinical experiment for a new “super-drug”. Sealed off from the world and monitored by two bickering doctors (Adrian Pang and Tan Kheng Hua), the attraction between Connie and Tristan becomes increasingly intense, passionate and out of control, even as their daily dosage of the drug gets stronger. Is this a side effect of the drug? Or is it “the real thing”? The Effect explores questions of sanity, the ethical minefield of neuroscience, today’s pill-popping culture, and the very nature of this thing we call “LOVE”.

We chat with the Artistic Directors  of Pangdemonium, Tracie and Adrian Pang, about The Season of Love,  The Effect, and the other two upcoming productions, Falling and Rent:

Hello Adrian and Tracie! What can we look forward to in Pangdemonium’s Season of Love?

We will be looking at romantic love in The Effect, unconditional family love in Falling, and finally, love in friendship and community in Rent. Three very different stories about love, told in three very different ways, but exploring different kinds of love which drives humanity, and gives meaning to this life.

What made you choose “Love” as the theme for the 2016 Season?

We’ve been wanting to stage The Effect for awhile now, because it’s such a fascinating and provocative examination of the human psyche, and of the nature of love itself – biologically, emotionally and spiritually. Then, we hit upon the idea of celebrating the 20th anniversary of the landmark rock musical Rent, which is an anthem to hope, solidarity, and love.

And after reading tons of plays, we chanced upon Falling. We were so moved by its unflinching exploration of unconditional love, and we knew we just had to tell this important story. Plus, “Seasons of Love” is perhaps the most iconic song in the musical Rent, so the title of our 2016 Season kind of chose itself!

Why did you choose “The Effect” to kick off the 2016 season?

We came across the play a few years ago and heard wonderful things about the script. When we read it, it was everything we were hoping for and more – very flawed, very multi-faceted, very human characters in a situation that forces them to face their fears, make extreme choices, and give in to their passions – basically feeling more alive than ever, and that’s really exciting and dramatic to witness.

The play also explores the long-term effects of depression, and modern medicine’s controversial way of coping with a global population increasingly falling prey to this debilitating illness. We’ve worked with Nikki Muller (Circle Mirror Transformation) and Linden Furnell (Next to Normal) before; we know that they have fantastic chemistry together, and will make a really hot couple!

What have been your biggest challenges in this production?

Stylistically, The Effect will be unlike anything Pangdemonium has staged before. It might be set in the context of a clinical experiment, but things get very passionate and visceral with raw, primal human motivations. That juxtaposition is going to very challenging to balance, but we feel confident that it will be very resonant to our audiences.

There will be references to the use of anti depressants in the play. Do you think this is something people are aware of here, given that taking drugs, depression, and mental illness are not topics that are widely discussed?

It is precisely because depression and medication for depression is not widely discussed, that all the more important that this play be staged, and people be made aware of this silent killer. People have to know that depression is a very real, potentially deadly thing, and we have to promote awareness, compassion, and active help in our community.

What is the message that you hope the audience will take home with them after watching “The Effect”?

There are two strands to this play: one is that we have to tackle depression responsibly and effectively. Secondly, we all need someone to really connect with. Call it a soul mate, call it that special person – we might not be able to actually define it, we might be afraid of it, it might be painful, but we all need this thing called love. It’s what makes life worth living.

The Effect runs 25 February to 13 March at 8pm daily (except Monday), with 3pm weekend matinees, at  Victoria Theatre. Tickets available from SISTIC. For more information on Pangdemonium’s Season of Love, visit their website.