one4review | On 02, Aug 2025

Brainsluts is a sharp, well-paced ensemble piece set in the sterile, faintly oppressive world of a clinical drug trial. Over five consecutive Sundays, four strangers – Yazz, Mitch, Duggan and Bashiber gather to participate in a psychoactive study, each driven by a need for money. Presiding over the sessions is Dr Eavis, whose dry authority and increasingly frazzled professionalism are brilliantly portrayed, offering one of the show’s comic highlights.

The characters are carefully drawn and cleverly contrasted. Bashiber is a weary preacher, Mitch is proudly anti-work, Yazz floats through life doing very little, while Duggan is a strong personality, juggling the demands of a full-time job. Their chemistry unfolds gradually, with witty dialogue and well-timed exchanges revealing both tensions and unexpected connections. As the weeks pass, we learn more about each of them, and the script steadily builds intrigue, particularly after week three, when the trial takes a darker, potentially more sinister turn.

We learn that the term Brainsluts is a slang reference to those who take part in psychoactive trials, and the show uses this premise to explore themes of dependency, trust, and the human urge to connect, even under artificial and awkward circumstances, and especially when nobody knows the Wi-Fi password!

While it’s not played for big laughs, the script has plenty of humour and some standout moments of tension and surprise. The performances are uniformly strong, with sharp timing and subtle shifts in tone keep the 80-minute run-time engaging throughout.

I would highly recommend catching this performance.

****
Reviewed by Howard
The Pleasance Dome, 10 Dome
14.45 (1hr 10 mins)
Until 25th August (not 13th)