Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (reviewed Tuesday 24 September).
Escape Room is a euphemism for all the confined spaces women find themselves in, cribbed, cabined, controlled. These three alliterative words (or similar) are repeated throughout the script by Kerrie Simon Lawrence and Karli Evans, inspired by the words of Australian parliamentary candidate and writer, Mary Ann Moore, in turn borrowing the expression from Macbeth.
Cribbed. Confined. Controlled. What a wonderful set of words to describe the female experience, including domestic, professional and medical frustrations. This is the premise of the show, and performer Karli Evans is our muse, our storyteller, our navigator, as we travel back and forth in time to hear the female experience from historical and contemporary perspectives, including Mary Ann Moore, Molly Fink, Angie Sage, and imagined character Aila Driscoll. Escape Room is a poetic monologue filled with ghosts of women who were trailblazers and pioneers, all popping up in a hotel room that is being project managed to demolition.
Escape Room is both sensory and verbal, with overlapping dialogue and sound effects characterising a woman’s relationship with pain.
Diction is clear, the attitude is fierce and strong, and although the concept may be a little abstract for some (“I didn’t get it” said a man in the front row), there’s plenty to hold your attention during this superb and uniquely executed 1 hour performance.
Escape Room is playing at Erskineville Town Hall as part of Sydney Fringe til 28 September. For tickets and showtimes, go to https://sydneyfringe.com/events/escape-room/
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CREDITS:
- Presented by – Escape Artists
- Writers – Kerrie Simon Lawrence and Karli Evans
- Director – Lara Lightfoot
- Dramaturg – Erin Taylor
- Performer – Karli Evans
- Producers – Kerrie Simon Lawrence and Karli Evans