The premise is deceptively simple: four strangers participate in a clinical trial, spending one day a week over several weeks testing a mysterious new drug. When the WiFi fails and phone signals disappear, their planned day of doom-scrolling gets derailed, forcing actual human interaction. What follows is a masterclass in character comedy that feels both absurd and painfully relatable.
Dr Eavis (Emmeline Downie) oversees the chaos as the slightly frazzled researcher whose narration bookends each week's events. Downie strikes the perfect balance between professional authority and imposter-syndrome induced panic. Her commentary provides both structure and laughs as the situation unfolds.
The four guinea pigs or ‘brainsluts’ are brilliantly realised millennials. Kathy Maniura's Bathsheba floats through life in bohemian bliss, stringing beads while blissfully unaware of reality crashing around her. Robert Preston delivers a pitch-perfect performance as Duggan, the desperately eager young man whose attempts to connect fall flat through his social incompetence and inability to read the room. Dan Bishop (who also wrote the piece) embodies Mitch, the work-shy activist who views the drug trial as political resistance, while Bethan Pugh's Yaz initially seems the quietest of the bunch, lacking confidence and preferring to observe from the sidelines.
As the WiFi-free hours stretch on during the weekly visits, these characters reveal themselves in funny and unexpected ways. Bishop's writing sparkles with both comedy and uncomfortable truth as the lengths people will go to fill silence become apparent. The oversharing escalates, secrets spill, and modern life's absurdities get laid bare.
The comedy hits from the opening moments. Bishop has crafted dialogue that flows naturally while landing consistent laughs. His characters feel authentic rather than constructed, their neuroses and insecurities recognisable without being mean-spirited. There is some physical comedy too which complements the verbal wit beautifully. I particularly enjoyed the wonderfully surreal meditation scenes. Who knew that a guided meditation could (a) be funny and (b) reveal so much about each character.
Directors Noah Geelan and Seth Jordan, with associate director Rohan Sharma, make excellent use of the simple hospital waiting room set. The staging maintains energy and pace in the confined space, ensuring the action never feels static despite the limited setting. The cast maximizes every inch of the small stage, their movements and interactions keeping the audience engaged throughout.
The performances are uniformly strong, with each actor fully committed to their character's particular brand of millennial dysfunction. Preston's physical comedy as the socially inept Duggan is particularly memorable, while Maniura brings genuine warmth to what could have been a one-note hippie stereotype. Bethan Pugh’s Yaz shows there’s much more to her than her anxiety. Emmeline Downey as Dr Eavis showed us a lot more depth than I was expecting as her own story is revealed at the end. Dan Bishop shows impressive range as both writer and performer. He nailed the politically passionate Mitch.
Having conquered Edinburgh, "Brainsluts" translates perfectly to London audiences who'll recognise themselves and people they know or have met in these characters. It's rare to find a play that's genuinely funny while also having something meaningful to say about contemporary life.
This is a smart, laugh-out-loud comedy that doesn't sacrifice substance for laughs and is relatable whether or not you're a Millennial. If you're looking for a short play about modern life that'll make you think while making you laugh, "Brainsluts" delivers exactly that.
Brainsluts runs at The Seven Dials Playhouse until 13 February. Running time 70 minutes.
