With the rise in popularity of escape rooms across the globe, it was only a matter of time before they made their mark on the cultural landscape. And with it’s penchant for deciphering clues and unravelling secrets, the murder mystery genre lends itself perfectly to this entertaining concept.
On the surface, THE ESCAPE ROOM, written and produced by Annie Boyle and Libby Bramble, follows in the footsteps of traditional cosy mysteries. The premise is simple enough. Seven participants embark on an Escape Room challenge, where they have just one hour to find the clues that will solve puzzles and unlock the mystery that will free them all. It’s not long before things take a turn, and the scene is set for murder and mayhem. Suitably alarmed, the players find themselves desperate to solve the mystery lest any of them should become the next victim.
At only an hour long, the performance is fairly quick-paced and the cosiness of the Flight Path Theatre adds intimacy to the claustrophobic scenario playing out on the stage. A simple set design allows audiences to focus on the mystery at hand with costume and lighting choices equally unobtrusive. Director Steven Hopley effectively draws out the humour in the script to add further interest to the play’s whodunnit conventions, with each character’s shady secrets and suspicions eventually uncovered.
Absurdist elements drawing audible laughs from the audience as panic in the escape room sets in. Delighted by punchy one-liners delivered by the ensemble cast, the combination of distinctive characters, each with their own idiosyncrasies kept the audience engaged. As the play progresses, each participant’s motive for entering the escape room gets called into question, allowing Hopley to take the play in some surprising directions.
Through some hit and miss moments, there were some standout performances. Bramble shows her talents extend to the stage by playing Raelene, an aspiring actress researching the escape room for an upcoming movie role. Kate Dolan, reigns supreme as the lascivious Hope who begrudgingly attends the escape room as a because her partner Harry, (Harlee Timms) has arranged the challenge as her birthday treat. Timms adds theatricality to his role as the conflicted doctor who, having his own moments of crisis, delivers some of the funniest lines, enhanced by the physicality of his performance. Harry’s best friend Hank, (Aaron Okey), stalker Richard (Steven Maresca) and sisters Audrey (played by Boyle) and Al (Savannah Melvin), round out the rest of the participants in the escape room and along with Yarno Rohling who plays some minor roles, the cast work well together, making for an enjoyable night out.
