Inescapable
77

Inescapable NYC Reviews and Tickets

77%
(27 Ratings)
Positive
81%
Mixed
19%
Negative
0%
Members say
Clever, Entertaining, Great writing, Funny, Absorbing

About the Show

With rapid-fire comedic dialogue and a mind-bending plot, this fast-moving one-act play about two old friends who find themselves trapped at an annual holiday party toys with our sense of time and identity. 

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Show-Score Member Reviews (27)

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445 Reviews | 146 Followers
90
Clever, Delightful, Great writing, Elegant, Intelligent

See it if you like smart writing & brilliant thinking. Seems like a show that other playwrights would especially like.

Don't see it if you want a more earnest story. This is so much compact & cold wit wrapped up in a big bow for you. Also it's 2 guys arguing in a black box. Read more

683 Reviews | 161 Followers
90
Funny, Very smart, Satisfying, Dizzying, Well played

See it if you'd like to experience the post-modern equivalent of a supremely funny, extended Abbott & Costello routine.

Don't see it if you are looking for a drama & not a (brilliantly written & played) comedy routine. Read more

360 Reviews | 76 Followers
90
Groundhog day meets waiting for godot meets who's on first at twilight zone, Absorbing, Thought-provoking, Refreshing, Great acting

See it if you enjoy the kind of mental gymnastics that some of Stoppard's work can deliver. This is brief, engrossing, brain-tickling and fun.

Don't see it if You want a deep or complex plot -- not happening in 65 minutes. Only two actors, who master complex dialogue on a par with Elaine May.

302 Reviews | 99 Followers
85
Funny, Confusing, Entertaining

See it if you'd love to see Seinfeld and Kramer in a circular conversation about not much. Great chemistry between the actors.

Don't see it if You want an interesting plot - there is no plot really. It's confusing at the start, but still funny once you go with it.

77 Reviews | 22 Followers
85
Ambitious, Entertaining, Funny

See it if want quick witted and energetic theater

Don't see it if are expecting a long deep story

118 Reviews | 29 Followers
85
Funny, Great writing, Clever, Absorbing, Entertaining

See it if you like absurdist or magical realist shows that look like a simple package but have layers of wrapping. You like your comedy with a twist.

Don't see it if You aren't a fan of repetitive dialogue. Read more

563 Reviews | 193 Followers
83
Clever, Entertaining, Great acting, Edgy, Confusing by design

See it if You enjoy plays where you discover the story along w/the characters. You like plays w/sci-fi elements. You want riveting story & performance

Don't see it if You don't want to do any work to figure out what's happening. You don't like sci-fi storylines. You prefer shows w/bigger production values.

393 Reviews | 101 Followers
81
Tightly written and performed, Great writing, acting and direction, Clever, Entertaining, Intricate and dizzying

See it if You're up for sharp subtle & witty writing—yes, "Who’s On First?" crossed with Beckett—expertly performed & directed.

Don't see it if If you need linear plot or length; this is a tight fully committed & layered one act or even exercise, but terrific. Read more

Critic Reviews (10)

Front Row Center
November 27th, 2018

“'Inescapable' is diverting and well performed but fails to take us anywhere. In its brevity it feels more like an exercise than a finished product. Paterson and Dockery give it all they’ve got, keeping the energy going with fast paced dialogue and clear focus. They do build to one emotional moment. It is a much welcome pause. You think maybe the silence will restart the engine but drive the piece in a different direction. Alas, we just go back to the beginning, with no reprieve.”
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Orlando Sentinel
May 17th, 2016
For a previous production

"Paterson joins Dockery in this tale of a holiday party gone awry, and his focused yet natural acting style meshes impeccably with Dockery’s amped-up energy. In the story, Dockery’s unnamed host finds an old pal looking at a mysterious box...Quesnelle’s direction let us see this mysterious box that isn’t there. And although the physical action doesn’t pick up much, in Dockery’s usual style as the words fly faster, and more bits of the puzzle are revealed, the tension increases.”
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Orlando Weekly
May 18th, 2016
For a previous production

“A tense, brain-twisting drama...’Inescapable’ reminded me of a less perplexing version of the sci-fi film ‘Primer’, or a lost ‘Twilight Zone’ episode...It lacks the romantic magic-realism glow of Dockery's previous plays performed with Quesnelle, replacing it with testosterone-fueled propulsiveness. Thanks to its tantalizingly enigmatic script and compulsively engaging performances, ‘Inescapable’ will have you crying, ‘What's in the box?’ like Brad Pitt in ‘Seven’."
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Edmonton Sun
August 17th, 2015
For a previous production

“A hilarious non-stop, high-energy, rapid-fire 45 minute dialogue that is really about, well, nothing. A sort of ‘Groundhog Day’ meets ‘No Exit’ meets ‘Waiting for Godot’ meets… just about anything you want...The two actors are well paired as each are adept, talking at a blistering pace, and much of the humour comes from their complete belief in what they are saying – wonky though it is.”
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Edmonton Journal
August 13th, 2015
For a previous production

“In this circular buzzsaw of a play...The continuous Mobius loop is spinning, fast and furious...And Dockery and...Paterson are going at it, full-throttle full-volume...’Inescapable’ is Groundhog Day on speed...with high-octane, expertly cross-hatched performances to match...It gives off tiny, glinting revelations...And, thanks to the intricate infrastructure devised by Dockery, a mid-life crisis story of betrayal and lost possibility emerges without getting told...Mesmerizing.”
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N
July 6th, 2018
For a previous production

“A riveting two-hander that keeps you engaged right from the first burst of rapid-fire dialogue, ‘Inescapable’ is another winner from Fringe regular Dockery...The show and its meandering conversation might seem like a take on ‘Waiting For Godot’. The key conflict soon emerges to give both Dockery and Paterson room to invigorate their characters with an emotional heft that carries the show to its twist ending...The kind of show you will want to see again right away."
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Mooney On Theatre
July 6th, 2018
For a previous production

"Features an amazing pair of actors...So perfectly intricate, witty, and well rehearsed. Paterson and Dockery, from the moment the lights came up, were a match made in heaven, providing each other plenty of energy to build off of...The script was repetitive but brilliant in its anecdotes and subtleties...A short, 45 minute piece, so rich in the story’s ability to get across the kind of lives these men lived and what their aspirations were.”
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The New Ottawa Critics
June 20th, 2015
For a previous production

“A two-hander about a moment that never ends. Sadly, it does for the audience...Both Dockery and Paterson give riveting performances...The script is sinuous and natural in its cyclical pattern, flowing in waves of tension that rise and fall...The actors rise to the challenge of performing similar scenes in a unique manner, making each into a fresh contest of wills, as the profound discomfort of their characters rises, and the audience gains a larger glimpse of the inescapable elephant in the room.”
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