Escape!

Escape!, a comedy play set in an escape room, follows a group of colleagues who have been sent to a there for a team building exercise. Little do they know that amidst the interpersonal tensions and rumours of redundancy, not is all as it seems, and mischief is afoot! Strange clues, technical issues and unexpected guests all threaten to unearth skeletons in Steve’s closet... 

Sarah and Simon Smart’s direction kept the energy sharp and the pace brisk — essential when a live countdown timer loomed over the stage, replicating the pressure of a real escape room. The cast handled this challenge with confidence, their timing precise and their performances polished. 

The small ensemble captured the quirks of workplace personalities we all can recognise and relate to. James Ager was convincing as a paranoid Steve, trying to prove to his colleagues, and wife Bec, that someone is out to get him and is sending him messages on the hint screen, including some personal incriminating text message conversations. Clare Raynor provided Bec as a grounded presence and had the audience empathising with her when the truth was revealed. Lisa Punter as Karen, brought sarcasm and humour, along with Andy Mackenzie's character, James, the escape room expert with an obsession for the store cupboard door! Lesley Emery’s portrayal of Lisa was charming, refering to everyone as “darling”, giving off vibes of superiority. Lauren Desantos portrayed the character Emma well, trying to prevent conflict within the team and trying to appear keen to complete the team building exercise. Dean Bayliss as Carl has the audience thinking he was behind the cryptic messages to Steve as he conveniently had left the room when they appeared on the screen. The escape room owner, Martin, was well played by Stephen Power, providing many voice overs reassuring the characters when temporarily locked in the room due to a power cut. Hazel Wright as Iris was a brilliant character. Her flamboyant ‘hen do’ outfit was eye catching, as was her storytelling about Keith, leading the audience to believe he was her late husband, when he was actually her late dog! 

Ryan Wright’s set exampled creativity and sustainability. The escape room had a book theme, including the desk perched on pencil legs and a pile of large books. The materials used for the set had been recycled by using elements of previous sets. Along with being loaned over 400 books from the Higham Ferrers Community Book Exchange, there were many trinkets and treasures hidden within the bookshelves, replicating the challenges and clues of an escape room, including a life size skeleton in a closet. The most impressive set piece was the hidden door within the bookcase with a tilting book to unlock the door. I had the pleasure of seeing the set close up after the performance and there were so many thoughtful elements included to give the room authenticity, along with creating posters that had intentional spelling errors as referenced in the script. 

With regard to the costumes, the team members, aside from Lisa, all wore matching t-shirts with their fictional company logo, presenting them as a united. Lisa’s formal wear suited her character’s personality and how she thought she was better than the others. Iris’ costume resembled that of a fun hen party, with her pink tutu and her sparkly heart shaped sunglasses. 

The sound provided was natural and clear. All of the cast could be heard even with a lot movement on the stage, this was partly due to the use of carpet to soften footsteps. The projection of the countdown timer and the extra hints was clear and well timed, the cast had very little room for error with the live countdown. The sound effects, such as the police siren, were in keeping with the script and provided authenticity to particular moments. In Act Two, I particularly enjoyed the creative yet subtle use of torches by the cast to spotlight each other during the scripted blackout.   

Overall, it was a high quality performance and an entertaining evening. Thank you TADS for your hospitality and I look forward to seeing your next production. 

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