Inescapable

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.

Also The dialog in the very funny, very smart 2-hander, "Inescapable," is not really circular, though lines consistently repeat, because the situation never quite goes back to where it began. So I guess these 2 best middle-aged male friends are caught in something like a death spiral—except this one might never truly expire, just continue to flail on after the blackout not too far away in some parallel universe. Were Abbott & Costello to get over-educated & be transported to the 2nd decade of the 21st century, this is the material they would be doing. So what makes this a play? Though the comedy is in the dialog, this is not a series of 1-liners: The comedy is rooted in the characters & how they interact in an increasingly impossible situation. The writing is superb.... Read more Read less

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.

See it if you like light entertainment about anything that may be about something or nothing at all but ends up being about everything between these 2

Don't see it if you are bored with a dialogue between two characters with no props and are frustrated with repetitious talk about one thing that evolves.

See it if Buddy roundelay play go 'round and 'round. Fast and furious and Fringey and fun for forty-five minutes. Blokes in a box.Buddy roundelay play

Don't see it if Altered buddies are little Cheechy and Chongy. No-effort set. Godot could stand the wait. Blokes in a box.Buddy roundelay play go 'round and

See it if You like super short (35min) one act plays with an interesting concept and occasional brilliant moments

Don't see it if You don't want every third word to be "like" "Man" or "dude". Starts slow and picks up but I called every "twist" and was bored.

See it if You want to see a well thought out comedy that most likely will not make you laugh but will hold a smile on your face for 45 minutes

Don't see it if You are expecting a full length play. This is part of a festival and from when I can tail the best play at this festival

Also This play is not an hour and five minutes as indicated here it’s only 45 minutes and it’s the perfect length. I don’t want to give anything away but you eventually figure out what is going on and it will put a smile on your face. The issue with a lot of these smaller production is the chemistry between the actors. Both of these actors were spot on and work really well together... Read more Read less

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.

Also This made me so happy.

Inescapable is a short comedy but summarizes nearly every modern drama I’ve seen this year (fictional and nonfictional). Why doesn't anything change?! The script answers that and pulls it off w/ Rosencrantz and Guildenstern panache. Check and mate for playwright, Martin Dockery.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd enjoy a very short (45, NOT 65min) comedic high-energy circular conversation between 2 semi-drunk &/or high friends @ a house-party.

Don't see it if you frustrate easily & want to see it all come together & resolve after a few minutes. Feels like a humorous never-ending SNL or MadTV skit.

Also Hard to critique opening-nite w/o sounding harsh.

It was their 1st run @ THIS venue, but the show's been around-the-block a bit so the circular dialogue should be cleaner, w/smoother delivery.

'Man' (playwright Martin Dockery) throws annual house-party, finds his best 'dude' (Jon Paterson) hanging-out in another room, where he's staring @ A BOX he found in a closet.

GO!

The scripted repetition was funny @ first. Started off w/a ton of intensity, then slowed down as they began to blurt-out a lot of "Come on MAN..." &/or "No way, DUDE..." to cover. It soon felt like they'd lost their place in the script & had started to improv.

The plot is revealed bit by bit as the circular dialogue continues. Twist is easy to guess. Not a big deal, but it never resolves in any specific way (if you're the type that needs beginning-middle-end perfection). Not necessary here.

More fun than not, & should just be enjoyed as a different kind of theater experience. Wine from Huron Club downstairs helps.... Read more Read less

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.

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.

See it if You want to get totally exasperated with this silly argument that goes on in circles. Great acting, funny, and not that long.

Don't see it if You don't want to watch two people have an argument.

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.

Also What first seems like deliberately banal dialogue combined with static action — two guys talking, taking a break from a large party in a nearby room — quickly develops into a spin of language, layers of time and circularity, time and place shifting invisibly, dialogue and plot gradually developing and revealed. Imagine the layers created by a "Who's On First?" with all the ball players — Who, What, Why — described simultaneously instead of sequentially. It may be a one trick pony, and necessarily short, but it’s beautifully done and performed.... Read more Read less

See it if Enjoyed the acting and the premise was clever. Well written dialogue. Sort of a "Who's on First" meets "Waiting for Godot"

Don't see it if I wouldn't have wanted to pay full price for this show. Better to combine with another Fringe Encore offering for a full night.

See it if you are open to something very different that will keep you engaged as you try to figure out what is going on.

Don't see it if you don't like scripts that are not completely clear; or prefer big productions with sophisticated staging

Also I think the two actors pulled this off rather well - partly by the humor and partly by keeping it to just about one hour which was the perfect amount of time to let me get some fresh air and digest what I had just seen.

I saw this at the Soho Playhouse in NY in November 2018.... Read more Read less

See it if you're in the mood for a 45 minute circular conversation between 2 men; an excellent acting exercise.

Don't see it if you get frustrated when the conversation seems to go nowhere but in repetitive circles. It sounds way more interesting than it is.

See it if You like & support Fringe Festival, like repetitive words fired to each other by two actors, smart dialogues but for some it might bore

Don't see it if You do not like bare bone, two actor play ina small theater. You will feel like deja vu(just like characaters) for each dialogue

See it if you like indie Fringe plays where it's more about the performance than about the staging, costumes, music; you enjoy rapid-fire dialogue

Don't see it if plots without a big pay-off annoy you; repetitious dialogue bores you; you prefer rom-coms; you don't care for a bare-bones show

Also A recursive round about "what's in the box?" kick-starts this comedic two-hander. In the midst of a holiday party, two middle-aged buddies are trapped in a time warp, repeating remarks and worries, each time with new details, as a mid-life crisis emerges along with a narrative about betrayal, deception, infidelity, envy.

’Inescapable’ is "Groundhog Day" on steroids but without a cozy resolution.

Martin Dockery and Jon Paterson are a well-matched pair, creating something out of nothing -- with a generous sprinkling of slow-it-down phrases like "No way, dude!"

I kept thinking of that Yogi Berra quote: "It's like déjà vu all over again."... Read more Read less

See it if You like SF stories that start as non-SF stories. You like time loops. You like funny plays. You enjoy slow reveals.

Don't see it if You hate Canadian accents. You don't like one acts without resolution.

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.

Also While this show is brief, and in some ways you can guess what might happen because of fairly obvious foreshadowing, there's something really beautiful about the writing that I found compelling. Although there is a lot of repetition, each time something is repeated, the characters move through another layer of understanding and emotion, making it so this play is anything but tedious to watch. It isn't perfect; you'll find cliches and heavy-handedness and predictable bits here and there, but altogether, watching these characters' personalities, issues, and secrets unfold in a such a creative way is an enjoyable experience.... Read more Read less

See it if You like shows that play as much to your brain as to your sense of humor, are kind of quirky in a great way

Don't see it if You like a conventional narrative, you don't want to have to pay deep attention for every minute of the (hour-long) show

See it if you like My Dinner with Andre-type show that's not as intelligent

Don't see it if you can't stand repetition

See it if you are a fan of fringe theater and are interested in non-traditional plays that challenge you to try to figure out what is going on.

Don't see it if you: have no interest in exploring male friendship; dislike rapid-fire dialog; have very high expectations; are uncomfortable w/uncertainty.

See it if If you like any basic comedy or improv that doesn't have or need a reason for being or If you like being turned upside-down 4 the hell of it

Don't see it if U expect ANY payoff, U want any realistic dialogue or ONE reason why it's SO Repetitive: Lines are frequently regurgitated with Zero feeling

Also If I were to guess, I'd suspect this "play" was either developed through Improv or cobbled together with some good idea(s) that came while doing an improv.

There's a lack of feeling or subtext behind any/all of the lines and the only acting work that I can see, seems to be the actors Topping & Tailing each other's lines at a VERY speedy pace. Basically it seems like a 10th photocopy of a photocopy of a poor resolution Fax.

It was possibly fresh & fun in the Hollywood Fringe, but this present production seems like the actors got into the pattern of how they'd done the performance in the past and then did it on auto-pilot or even more likely, I was IN The Twilight Zone & it was a computer recreation of the original performance - allowing for an explanation of there being Zero timing.... Read more Read less

See it if want quick witted and energetic theater

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

See it if There's nothing on TV

Don't see it if You're expecting great Theatre