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Escape Room: The Musical

 
Victor Black Review by Victor Black 2 Published: 20 Aug 2025 Just The Tonic at the Caves Show Dates: 31 Jul 2025-24 Aug 2025

Escape Room: The Musical is a great premise that surely appeals to my fellow fans of genre mashups, in which a cast of seven play out a mystery thriller intercut with songs and problem-solving.

Perhaps the venue was the real escape room all along

It’s a strong setup, but a weak opening number doesn’t bode well, as the songwriting and vocal performances here are very amateur. The cast seem proud of their performances though, and you can occasionally feel the tension as they pause for laughter or applause that never arrives. Despite lacking gravitas, there is still expectation that the show will deliver on the novel idea.

As the drama unfolds, we learn that the characters have been invited to the escape room by a mystery person and they each have secrets to reveal. This tried-and-tested premise (albeit in other locations) could really lead somewhere, and the writing is fine if not a bit underwhelming. Some of the characters are well-defined and engaging enough, and the script certainly isn’t without jokes that land well. Although there are actually some excellent jokes that just don’t get their deserved acknowledgment due to suboptimal delivery.

A couple of the songs are quite enjoyable, though the musical elements are probably the weakest part of the show, yet the audience remain hopeful until the end that a great twist or revelation will justify the journey. There are some major flaws I can’t discuss without spoiling the ending regarding some characters’ significance to the plot, and I found it somewhat ironic that one character said in the final act: “You can’t be hiding parts of the puzzle in your head,” when this is exactly what the writers did to their audience.

The escape room element is a fun idea, but the audience don’t really get to participate in solving them, or even being fully briefed on what all the puzzles are, as they’re explained by the cast as they proceed through the story. This could probably succeed as a more interactive piece, putting the ‘Escape’ element centre stage while the ‘Musical’ part humbly retreats. In the hands of another creative team, this could easily be a four-star show, and perhaps if they keep working on it, they’ll get there. It still held our attention to the end, but judging from some of the comments I heard from audience members on the way out, perhaps the venue was the real escape room all along.

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The Blurb:

A new comedy musical coming to the Fringe! Six college friends are tricked into reuniting at the debut Fringe performance of Escape Room: The Musical. They must work out why, whilst trying to escape the room in front of you, the audience. Watch as their old issues resurface and new problems reveal themselves. With only 60 minutes on the clock, the pressure is on. Who will solve the room and who will fold under the pressure? Original songs, crazy characters and puzzling puzzles a-plenty.