Escaped Alone NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (42)
See it if After the "absurdist" non-connected dialogue starting off, I found the play very rewarding, if dark, perhaps even bleak. 4 superb perfs.
Don't see it if The joyful surprise was seeing Linda Bassett (Nurse Crane on CALL THE MIDWIFE) in person. I must get the script to read & recall.
See it if You like or enjoy explorations in internal dynamics rather than straightforward plot.
Don't see it if You want a play that leads you through the normal developments and dramatic curves. This is out there and thought provoking in the abstract
See it if You're ready for a challenge. It's a super short play that is elliptical and confusing but also funny, moving, and daring.
Don't see it if You have no patience for this sort of thing. If you hate Samuel Beckett's work or want a clean and clear storyline.
See it if you are a fan of the absurd. This post apocalyptic piece is smooth and polished but can be confusing. Churchill at her best.
Don't see it if stream of conciousness, absurdism is not your cup of tea
See it if you want to leave trying to figure out what exactly the author was trying to provoke you to think, think about
Don't see it if If you want a longer play. It's a quick hour or so.
See it if You love Caryl, obviously. You're willing to grasp joyfully for the text, hope to get as much as possible. It is very dark, and funny too.
Don't see it if You are not willing to work. It is hard to catch the meaning in an hour of sentence fragments in heavy British accent.
See it if Part post-apocalyptic tale (think Station Eleven); part chattering old folks in the garden. Funny, visual, memorable.
Don't see it if Probably a little half-baked. But charmingly so. Volume a little low, so I'd check about listening devices if hard of hearing.
See it if you're interested in a play that deals with everyday worries and post-apocalyptic possibilities but is quite funny.
Don't see it if a 50 minute play about the above is not your cup of tea.
Critic Reviews (24)
"The shuttle between light conversation and glimpses of the end of days, and between the surface conversations and darker interior monologues, could be jarring, but instead they balance and offset each other. And while all four performers are strong, Bassett in particular grounds the wilder stretches of this play, bringing pragmatism and dark humor even to the most grotesque of her own imaginings, coupled with a cheery obtuseness in the 'real world' sections of the play."
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"Playwright Caryl Churchill excels in the unexpected. She experiments with format, regularly addressing issues of both feminism and out-of-hand power. Imagination conjures both worlds with articulate skill. The four actresses couldn’t be better. Each imbues her character with subtle attributes. Timing is impeccable, naturalistic focus complete. Director James MacDonald helms a splendid example of a symbiotic company."
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“There's a sense that there's a darkness underlying everything. This sense is only heightened as each woman, in monologue, describes a secret that darkens her life. The secrets are expressed so vividly that we are right there with them, feeling their internal claustrophobia as they wrestle with themselves. Churchill perfectly captures the roiling anxiety of our current strange days. Yet it's not a dismal play. The women are wry and funny and smart and tough.”
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"Caryl Churchill's brilliant, bizarre, puzzling, horrifying, and strangely sweet 'Escaped Alone' packs the punch of a major dystopia into its lean 55 minutes...The production couldn't be better. All four actresses are wonderful, and Linda Bassett's chummy approach to stories of complete disaster is perfect. Director James Macdonald makes an ideal partner for Churchill in terms of economy, clarity, humorous horror, and brilliance...A concentrated marvel. See it if you can."
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"The outstanding play 'Escaped Alone' is a great compliment to the feeling that seems to be gripping society right now...The tragic mythology and facts of life that define their existences are the centerpiece of Ms. Churchill’s excellent play, calling upon the audience to investigate their own issues of aloneness...Their fabulous rendition of 'Da Do Ron Ron' is a moment not to be missed because it reminds us that there is always music."
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"At 78, Churchill’s inarguably one of Britain’s greatest living playwrights, and this particular work, her newest, is funny, charming, and alarming, encapsulating an impossible amount into its brisk 55-minute running time...Exquisitely acted...It’s worth noting that simply writing a play featuring four women in their seventies without making it about their age is a reasonably subversive political act."
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“'Escaped Alone’ covers a lot of ground, but its juxtaposition of afternoon tea and environmental catastrophe proves particularly potent, not to mention wryly funny…As idle conversation, it’s keenly observed — Churchill’s take on talk for talk’s sake…Churchill being Churchill, however, it’s slyer than that…As ever, Churchill writes with power-steering control. Each line earns its keep and each word goes to work…Director James MacDonald matches it for levity and potency."
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"A compact one-act affair that adds little to Churchill's reputation for stylistic innovation...All the same, this elegant ensemble piece is a charming blend of brevity and levity…Even within its concise running time, ‘Escaped Alone’ drifts a little…‘Escaped Alone’ is a minor late work from a major dramatist, but it still stands out as one of Churchill's funniest plays to date...Its message may be vague and insubstantial, but the all-female cast shares a warm, easy, engaging chemistry."
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