A group of estranged friends from university are trapped together to solve their biggest puzzle yet, ‘Escape Room: The Show.’ What ensues is secrets spilled through clues, puzzles, and amusingly over-the-top musical performances.

As we take our seats, the entrance door to the Caves is quite literally locked – it doesn’t take us much time to guess that we are just as involved and trapped in the escape room as the characters. As they try to figure out why they have been brought together after having not spoken for two years, they discover secrets about each other and why they have been brought here today. Five minutes in an ‘audience member’ joins them on stage, whose main personality trait is being French.

The cast is high-energy and dynamic, but the characters often feel one-dimensional. Ellie is a more intense and less empathetic Hermione Granger who brags about being the smartest (hence the catchy tune ‘Ellie Knows Best’). Johnny with a Hat felt wooden and functioned solely for comedic effect. Issie Roll as Olivia is vulnerable when singing about insecurities and flaws, but her character does not develop much during the performance. Félix Marceau as Pierre the French ‘audience’ addition to the cast feels chucked in at random and used for comic relief. His enthusiastic bilingual number about the gang’s need to get back together however is whimsical and strangely joyful.

It goes without saying that the tight window of hour-long Fringe shows gives limited scope for complex puzzles and elaborate reveals, however the revelations of the secrets through various clues fell flat. Twists such as a sister wrongfully reporting the other for ‘cheating’ on a test or one character refusing to relay a message between lovers are slightly underwhelming. The metatheatrical, interactive nature of the ‘escape room show’ is intriguing to watch unfold, with clues hidden under a few unsuspecting audience members’ chairs, but the audience’s role could have been strengthened.

The songs are a shining highlight of the production. The infectious ‘Ellie Knows Best’ fit with possibly three key changes is unfairly catchy and will be an earworm for the rest of the Fringe. The jazzy love confession song between Johnny with a Hat and Johnny (without a hat?) is upbeat and heart-warming. Even if the puzzles and characters could have been more complex, catchy songs and electric energy of performers result in an hour of blissful entertainment.

‘Escape Room: The Musical‘ is at Just the Tonic at The Caves – Just the Fancy Room until Sun 24 Aug 2025 at 22:10