The Third Pill by James O’Neill, is well-structured and well-written, straightforward comedy, along the lines of a modern-day fairy tale.
Life-loving Gregg, who works in children’s publishing, is beginning to feel the toll of his 49 years and gets an unusual opportunity to do something about it. What plays out are the bizarre consequences of his decision to take the pills of promise.
The play opens, seemingly initially under water, with a baby cackling pleasantly and a woman singing ‘The Black Velvet Band’, the relevance of its recurrence through the play becomes apparent. The scene switches quickly to a doctor’s surgery where crestfallen Gregg learns the pain in his foot “plantar fasciitis is a middle aged problem“. He is firmly hit with the realisation that he’s not getting any younger. As the doctor tells him “you’re a middle aged man. Slow down.” Worse he’ll have to give up his beloved running. At work, just to cap matters off, young upstart and uber positive and happy Gregory, is brought in to modernise and bring more appeal and relevance to children. “The future is digital” asserts Alister. Deflated, despondent and down, “dinosaur” and “greger” Gregg finds a message on his computer that could be the answer to it all. AgeReverse promises “a three week, three pill course for three thousand pounds” that “will take years off you“.
Although pertinent themes appear gently through the play it is all the more enjoyable for being a comedy story and not trying to be a commentary. The pace of writing is brisk and the plot development keeps everything moving forward tightly and grips the listener’s curiosity and attention.
Production values on the play are strong and of note is that opening sequence which, on first listening, seems to be set in an underwater location. The clarity of the striking of the clock and the woman singing soon suggests that it’s not. And yet. If not already piqued sufficiently already the juxtaposing of the next scene, set in a doctor’s surgery, must have the listener wondering what’s going on. All is explained across the well-structured arc of the play.
Producer and director Gary Brown assembled a strong cast to bring the play to life and I suspect a lot of fun was had by all in rehearsal and recording. The direction is tight throughout the play and the actors deliver well pitched performances, bouncing off each other with pace and energy. Experienced and successful actor, Reece Dinsdale, is believable as the frenetic Gregg. Rupert Hill plays the naïve foil, Gregory, to Dinsdale’s Gregg and does so with aplomb. Malcolm Raeburn steals his scenes as the doctor who measures cynicism, bedside manner and pushiness perfectly to be understatedly humorous – making his appearances all the more enjoyable of course.
The Third Pill does well, what audio drama does best – the suspension of belief, imaginative plotting, intimidate rapport with characters and bags of reward with each listening. The play was first broadcast in August 2018 and remains and endures as an enjoyable story which will have you laugh out loud – more than once.
Radio Drama 