Dream Pill is a tale of modern slavery. Two young girls, Bola and Tunde, are kept in a basement, made to entertain guests and controlled by their fear of demons, witchcraft and the titular drugs. Bola (Danielle Vitalis) is, by her own admission, the loud one. She is talkative, boisterous and outgoing, while Tunde (Samantha Pearl) is nervous and leans heavily on Bola, clearly more affected by what she has endured. The actresses are convincing as children, which is a triumph in itself - they leap about with energy and jabber excitedly between one another and to the audience. Their excitement turns to a wide-eyed but well-worn fear whenever the footsteps of their unseen keeper echo from above. They laugh and joke innocently about the foibles of the men who hold their leashes and happily showcase their suggestive dancing, clearly with no idea of its darker significance. The Belly Dancer studio (a name which seems horribly inappropriate for such a play) is an ideal venue as a converted cellar, cool and dank. The simple (and at times atmospheric) lighting does not distract from the performance. Lighting changes are, however, somewhat too fast and obvious at times. The triumph of Dream Pill is that the girls do not describe the horrors inflicted upon them in any detail or with any real understanding. Although their favourite game - gleaned from what little television they have seen - is Prison Break, they show no signs of wanting to escape. They still laugh, play and present the detritus left by their gentlemen callers to the audience as though it were treasure. Of all the horrors of their situation, the girls’ ignorance is the worst of all.
