Upon entry to the venue, the audience are immediately confronted by two extremely cheerful Americans and required to assist with blowing up balloons around the room and throwing them into the middle. This foreshadows the confusion about to follow, as the actors introduce themselves and break into a strange aerobics routine. The actors’ bright clothing and the retro lighting combines with the irritating techno music and balloons everywhere; it feels like a high school disco gone wrong.
The production is a mixture of physical theatre, interpretive dance and audience participation. A few of the scenes are entertaining but the laughter from the audience seemed rather forced. The ending of the play is also anti-climatic, resulting in an eerie sort of calmness that followed the frenzied 'dance' routine that it proceeded.
In terms of acting ability, both Genevieve Taricco and Mycah Leigh Artis clearly have potential, but Serotonin Syndrome is a very difficult production in which they struggle to fulfil this. However, they manage to keep up good energy throughout the performance and give the audience lots of opportunities for participation, submerging them in the play. Their ability to shift through scenes smoothly is notable, as they switch to completely different character types with ease.
Certain parts of Serotonin Syndrome are certainly entertaining, however the performance as a whole is strange and confusing for the audience and it doesn't have a resolute ending or explanation. Some of the scenes are dragged out and some of them, such as the many aerobics-like routines, just seem like they are there to fill time. Overall, it is very difficult for the audience to connect with the production and to get any value or understanding out of it.
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