The Effect Runs Oct. 15 to 25 at The Cultch

A Succession writer tackles the chemistry of attraction

Lucy Prebble, the Succession writer, is the playwright behind The Effect, in which Connie and Tristan enroll in a trial for an experimental dopamine-regulating antidepressant. As their doses rise, so does their attraction, and the production spends 90 minutes with no intermission complicating the line between love and lab result.

The Cultch presents the show at the Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables Street, co-produced with Vancouver companies Rumble Theatre and ITSAZOO Productions. The cast is Meghan Gardiner, Andy Kalirai, Paige Louter and Anthony Santiago. If you have ever wondered whether your partner loves you or just loves whatever your nervous system happens to be doing that day, here is 90 minutes of professionally staged doubt on the subject.

Dates, prices and two talkbacks

The run opens with a pay-what-you-can preview on Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm, followed by an official opening on October 16. Evening performances continue Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30pm, with 2pm matinees on October 18, 24 and 25. Tickets range from $35 for Section C up to $64 for Section A+.

Audiences who want to keep arguing about the plot can stay for talkbacks on Sunday, October 18 at 2pm and Tuesday, October 20 at 7:30pm. The Cultch's advisory lists flashing lights, haze and loud sounds, along with sexual content, adult language and discussion of depression and mental health, so it is worth reading before booking rather than finding out mid-scene.

The date angle

For a couple who like their post-show debates to have an actual thesis, this is built for it: is Connie and Tristan's attraction real, or just a side effect of the trial drug. The two talkback nights are your built-in excuse to keep that argument going well past the parking lot.