Writer: Mercy Brewer
Director: Fiona Popplewell
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Clinical“
2.5 / 5
When Subject X wakes up in a strange room, missing all of her memories, including her recollection of arriving there, she’s understandably concerned. Supervisor Y is quick to reassure her that she’s part of a medical trial, studying memory loss in dementia patients – but is there more to the trial than first outlined, or is paranoia just a side effect of the medication?
Mercy Brewer’s dark sci-fi thriller has some fantastic promise, but it still feels very much in the early stages of the idea as opposed to a fully established concept. When the audience are introduced to Subject X (Freya Popplewell) and Supervisor Y (Macsen Brown), theres a brilliant level of intrigue woven into the storyline. Who is she? Why is she here? How will the trial proceed? There are a multitude of possibilities for the narrative to take, and the path Brewer takes is an exciting one, sprinkled with social commentary about the power and pitfalls of modern technology, and our role in interacting with it.
But despite the exciting premise, it struggles to incorporate the necessary urgency or intensity that would help embed the thriller aspects of the production, which winds up diluting the concept as a whole. The first 30 minutes or so is realistic, focusing on a repetitive line of questions about Subject X’s physical and mental state within the trial. Too much time is spent on these monotonous questions, as well as watching her play solo games of chess – by condensing this or making it more interesting to watch, would help progress the plotline further and ramp up the undertone of mystery. The big clash between X & Y is quick and intense – completely opposite to it’s build up and coming a bit out of nowhere. While Subject X is finally reacting in a way you would expect, it still doesn’t feel like a fully committed approach, and disappointingly only a half-hearted change of pace.
The clinical atmosphere is aptly present throughout the show – stark white lighting, Brown’s perfected doctor dialogue and manner, and the small touches such as beeping in and out of the facility really help to embed the sterile environment. There are some enjoyable surprises that tie up the narrative strands well, and it’s a timely show that definitely has a place in the fringe theatre calendar, with just those few tweaks needed to truly hone in on the psychological thriller foundation.
Runs until 18th April 2026
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