"Escaped Alone" by Caryl Churchill

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

Three gracefully aging English women recline comfortably in folding chairs, chatting with the relaxed air of old friends. A fourth woman, Mrs. Jarrett, walks past the open garden gate and is invited in and the chat resumes. The talk gets gradually darker throughout the play, mainly thanks to Mrs Jarrett.

Sally, has a paralyzing fear of cats that keeps her up at night, checking and rechecking the locks to make sure one hasn’t slipped into the house. Vi killed her husband with a kitchen knife - in self-defence? Her memory is fuzzy on that point .  Lena suffers from such crippling fear of the outside world that a single thought leaves her glued in a seated position for hours at a time. She longs to visit Japan but can’t seem to make it to the local grocery shop. Every now and then Mrs Jarrett takes centre stage to detail not one but seemingly many, conflicting, apocalyptic worlds (Of the past? The future? In her own imagination?).

There are very few plays that have been written completely for a totally female cast, and even fewer for a cast of over seventy-year-olds; something that is stipulated by Churchill, giving a voice to, and showcasing the talents of the older woman. The cast age span is from seventy to eighty three.

And that is what is so joyous about this production. Many plays will employ an older actor for a background character role but it is genuinely lovely to see these four mature actors performing with such wonderful timing - and I say that because many of the lines run directly into another character's line, like a piece of recording tape that has been spliced and then rejoined. That alone keeps the script quirky and makes you pay attention to the script and the actors.

Mrs Jarrett, played by Ruth Hardiman, who shocked me from the off with a very naughty word, one that I did not expect from such a ladylike person, but that only added to the darkness of Mrs Jarrett's apocalyptic monologues. 

Vi is played by Terri Freeman, who last performed in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" at the Lace Market, around thirty-five years ago. Why has she waited so long for her comeback as she is a wonderful character actor, as are all four ladies.

Mandy Hodgson plays Sally, who we last saw in "Ghosts" upstairs at the Lace Market Theatre.

Mavis Moore plays Lena, and this is her debut performance at the Lace Market Theatre.

I really hope that all four actors become more regular performers at The Lace Market because it's be a shame to waste such talent, and they bring something very special to the Nottingham stages.

Elder characters have something different to say, and that is why playwrights like Caryl Churchill and Alan Bennett still have their work performed so successfully today; and we also get to see actors like Ruth, Terri, Amanda and Mavis.

Performed in the round in the studio, this is adrenaline fuelled theatre and with the lengthy script to boot, it's enough to cause nerves for a seasoned actor, never mind with three out of the four actors being new to the studio area.

Directed by Lesley Brown, this being Lesley's directorial debut, also designed the set with David Babington. There is a certain sereneness about this set with the flowers, tennis court precision of grass length, complete with markings. And that also is quite apt as there is a lot of volleying of lines from one end of the upstairs studio space to the other side.

Lighting Design is by Philip Hogarth and there is a feel of summer sun dipping down to an autumnal shade by the end of the play.

Sound Design is by Lazzie Brown and that lovely soundscape of birds singing that makes you feel so relaxed.

"Escaped Alone" is in the Studio upstairs at The Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 29 October. It's only an hour long and there is no interval.

A performance at The Queen's Walk Community Centre in The Meadows is also being performed on Friday 4 November and tickets for that performance can be bought at the Community Centre itself.