I’ve never taken LSD. I’m sure if I really wanted to find some and enter an endless trip, I could. But I haven’t. Given that there is limited research on the drug, its uses within the realms of medicine are only now starting to come to light when dealing with PTSD and other psychological traumas. Perhaps with a greater understanding of the drug we can look at reformation, and see the positive impact of it.

This is the angle Leo Butler’s All You Need Is LSD takes, as the title might suggest. Based on Butler’s experiences in a 2015 drug trial, we follow his trip through a female version of himself (to protect his anonymity) and take a trip of our own through the history of LSD up to and past the present day, all of which is portrayed in a surreal, tongue-in-cheek manner.

With such an exciting topic, and a unique angle, I wanted to like this piece. I wanted to come away feeling informed and amused. While I did feel informed and amused, this trip certainly wasn’t as intense as it should have been. The first half an hour was a history lesson that, while interesting, felt sluggish at it was dripping with exposition. It was lightly entertaining, but ate up too much of the piece in my opinion.

After this hurdle, we’re met with the meat of the play: Butler’s own experiences, mixed with his attempts to write the play. This was certainly the stronger side, but was often bogged down by self-referential moments that try to excuse the flaws in the writing in a manner as convincing as a man kicking a puppy to death while wearing an animal rights T-shirt.

Despite its issues, there are some truly special moments. The stream of consciousness style is perfect for a show like this. With an inspired set and some good performances, there are moments that will make you laugh, and moments that are touching. While the script claims critics will dislike the piece because it is experimental, those experimental moments are the best in the piece, once it drops its self-deprecation.

Butler is clearly a talented writer and can craft language beautifully and intelligently. But it feels like this play was a bit rushed, and would benefit from some development as the show tours. This is by no means an awful piece, but it certainly needs some more polish. For a show about psychedelics, it felt like a mild trip rather than a wild ride. Or maybe I should’ve dropped acid beforehand to get the full experience.

★★★☆☆    Jeremy Ulster   9^th October 2018

Production photos Benkin Photography