Escaped Alone

Four Grannies of the Apocalypse

Escaped Alone

by Caryl Churchill

Putney Theatre Company, Breaking Point Drama Festival at the Putney Arts Theatre until 25^th July

Review by Heather Moulson

Initially, on first impression, the set of Escaped Alone has a touch of Ayckbourn. Three women of a certain age sit in a suburban garden for a summer afternoon tea gathering and natter. Their chat ranges from trivial, keys being misplaced, to the more consequential health worries.

Then a neighbour, Mrs Jarrett, gatecrashes the get-together to become the fourth party around the tea-tray. The uninvited caller seems to blend in naturally with the other women from the moment she sits down, but her conversation is wholly different.

As Mrs Jarrett, Andrea Miller makes an impressive entrance, and her gruff yet sympathetic persona is highly engaging. As the interaction gains pace, Miller breaks away from the lush green area to an isolated stage corner to read and pronounce doom and apocalypse. Yet beneath this dark surface, the women still enjoy their garden tea. The juxtaposition is sharp, hiding a dark subtext, and the effective and dramatic lighting emphasises the contrast.

Meanwhile, Vi, Lena and Sally’s feelings unravel as the tea is poured and drunk. While Mrs J reveals horror and mounting rage, the others share inner-fears, genuine phobias, all the while mourning a shop that is no longer there. This clever writing makes the green and pleasant garden and the abyss disturbingly close as the women face horrors of their own.

However, just as we relate to the women and are drawn into their bonding, the flow is interrupted by Mrs Jarrett’s readings. While this is a significant move in the play, we lose something of the other women’s relationships. One reading or prediction from Mrs J too many perhaps? The message has already been made clear.

Rebecca Fallon, as Lena performs with poignancy and naturally as she discusses trauma and illness, while Suzanne Warre-Dymond plays Sally as nicely meandering between Lena’s and her own problems. Allison Defree’s Vi is presented powerfully. She is brutal and blunt as she carries her own pain, while her thoughts are revealed in a strong soliloquy.

Caryl Churchill‘s Escaped Alone is a studied and intelligent piece and is directed with sensitivity by Carrie Cable. At times quite absurdist, this is a disturbing yet enticing production.

Heather Moulson, July 2026

Photography by Stuart Watson