'The Effect' to premiere off Broadway in March 2024

The Shed will present the U.S. premiere of Lucy Prebble's drama, which received critical acclaim at the National Theatre in London earlier this year.

Lucy Prebble's play The Effect will make its U.S. debut off Broadway, marking the first major spring production at The Shed. Performances run from March 3-31 only. Opening night is March 13.

The Effect follows Connie and Tristan, participants in a clinical drug trial who strike up a forbidden affair. The lines between romance and ethics blur as the lovers and medics alike wonder whether Connie and Tristan's spark is real or just a side effect of the drugs.

The show premiered in London in 2012, but Prebble has become better known in recent years as a writer on Succession. This new production of The Effect premiered at the National Theatre in August of this year to critical acclaim; London Theatre's four-star review reads, "You can't help falling in love with this knockout drama."

Jamie Lloyd (A Doll's House on Broadway starring Jessica Chastain) directed the production and returns for the New York engagement. Additionally, the cast from the National production returns for the Off-Broadway run: Paapa Essiedu as Tristan, Taylor Russell as Connie, Michele Austin as Dr. Lorna James, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Dr. Toby Sealey.

The creative team includes set and costume designer Soutra Gilmour, lighting designer Jon Clark, composer Michael “Mikey J” Asante, sound designer George Dennis, movement directors Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui (SAY), fight director Kate Waters, and intimacy coordinator Ingrid Mackinnon.

Check back for information on The Effect tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Photo credit: Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell in The Effect in London. (Photo by Marc Brenner)