Escape

The set may have been simple, but the concept was far from that. The play was another imaginary masterclass from the amazing mind of Betty Morris. To quote her, this was a psychological suspense drama that kept us all guessing until the very end. I can never predict the ending because it is never as it seems.

The setting was an escape room/cavity where a group of school colleagues are having a leaving send-off for the headmaster who is retiring early. Within minutes, we are given an insight into the relationship of the group and a hint of their true feelings.  

Before we meet the cast, the ethereal atmosphere was created by the lighting effect and a young voice of a supposed ghost from within the tunnels and the tingles started.

The evening starts innocuously with little niggles within the group, and the characters become formed in our heads. Robert, the Headmaster whose retirement do he is putting up with just to draw the line under his career rather than wanting to be there, Cassie, the organiser of the event but who is obviously very stressed by the whole thing, Gordon the teacher who puts in the time with no effort and enjoys a drink a little too much, Andy, the bully amongst the teaching staff and not just of the pupils but the staff as well, Maisie, the timid one who isn’t confident at all and finally Pete the school caretaker with hidden depths from the off.

The first act involves the group losing each other and finding hidden cavities and openings within the room after Pete finds the clues. This is when you suddenly get the impression that Pete is cleverer than the others believe. During the comings and goings an eye appears through a keyhole watching them and a voice informs them that they are being watched. Initially they think this is the games master, but it soon becomes obvious it is something more sinister. Especially when other voices can be heard amd the circumstances of their deaths are explained.

The group settled down to rest and each of them shared an event that had touched them either as a supernatural or spiritual experience and added more tingles to my spine. The cast spoke with such passion and emotion that it was hard not to be affected.

The sub-plot was about the death of a schoolboy who was supposedly in the care of Robert and Cassie when he was found hanging. Recriminations amongst the group are touched on but it is not until the end of the second act that the truth comes out, and the blame is apportioned to each of the group by Cassie and Pete who have planned the whole thing as a way of making them suffer for their actions. That was a complete shock and not what I expected at all.

Paul Oliver played Robert as a man on the edge, he portrayed the headmaster carrying his secret under the surface. He finally breaks and loses it with Andy and must say Paul really went for it with a conviction that surprised us all.

Sarah Jenkins was the stressed Cassie who she wanted you to believe (and we did) that she was a complete disaster and that everything she organised went wrong. As always Sarah played the role with conviction and only showed her hand at the very end. Her passion is tangible and her delivery emotional, just right for the role she portrayed.

Gordon was played by David Jones and as a strong long-time magna cast member, I know I will always enjoy his character and although he wasn’t the most likeable amongst the group, he gave a solid performance. He could still be understood when drunk, which is quite an achievement.

Darren Coates played the thoroughly objectionable Andy who was the bully in the group. Even when he was explaining why he behaved as he did, I couldn’t warm to him, and he played his role extremely well.

Hilary Jones was excellent as the nervous wreck that was Maisie. Her understanding of the role of a guilt-ridden woman, who thought she was doing the right thing, was evident and her heart wrenching account of her ghostly experience was transfixing. Hilary does hysterical very well too.

And finally, Pete the caretaker, was played by Adrian Prew and he was the surprise in the tale. Although he did expose a side to him when arguing with Maisie that had me thinking there was more to him than met the eye. Adrian had us all guessing until the end when his relationship unravelled and he delighted in meeting out justice to the guilty ones.

It was a lovely evening, the meal was fantastic, the warm welcome from the Magna family outstanding as always and the play a triumph. Thank you, Magna, here’s to the next one.

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