Review: ESCAPE FROM THE ASYLUM at Washington Stage Guild

The latest offering from Washington Stage Guild, “Escape from the Asylum: A Madcap Mystery,” is a sequel to the Patricia Milton play presented there last season, “The Victorian Ladies Detective Collective.”

As such, it begins with a flashback to the end of the first play that introduced the Collective: a pair of sisters and an American boarder who, together, discovered the Jack the Ripper-era killer in their midst was actually the constable. That spoiler comes in a brief scene that plays like a “Previously on…” intro on serialized TV dramas.

With that case solved, the trio is empowered to take in new assignments to supplement their income, which comes, in the case of the American, as a cast member in a play she doesn’t particularly like.

They don’t want to take domestic peeping cases or anything minor and are put off by a gentleman’s inquiry to follow his maid, whom he suspects of stealing. And while they don’t come to terms with him, they decide to try and solve the case themselves for free, if only to gain notoriety and future work for the women — the only female detective collective in London.

It makes for some nice continuity that three fourths of the cast return for this sequel, including both sisters — played by Washington Stage Guild cofounder Laura Giannarelli and Jen Furlong.

It’s Furlong’s character in the opening scene opposite the one newcomer, Maddie Baylor. Their clashing accents (English vs. Southern drawl) make it sound like a freewheeling cacophony at first. 

Soon enough, even those of us who hadn’t seen the first play, are up to speed on their ambitions, with the feminism dialed up to a degree at odds with their times. Milton’s good at pointing out all of the social restrictions toward women in the era — from not being left in a room with a man unchaperoned to being committed to an asylum for something as questionable as “uterine fury.” 

The rest of the drama is filled out by the various characters played by the associate artistic director Steven Carpenter, whose versatility was on display in the initial “Victorian Ladies Detective Collective” as well. 

First he’s the inquiring gentleman, all bluster and bad wigs, as Banderford Clutterbuck. Then a questionable shrink named Florian van Grabstetter, who has invented a machine to diagnose “wandering uterus.”

That Clutterbuck’s wife - a renown explorer — has been put in an asylum only adds to the mystery regarding the missing items — maps and other valuables she’s brought to the union.

This all plays out in the parlor of the Hunter Lodging House on a handsome set designed by Megan Holding (who did the set last time as well). Which is part of the problem, as, except for one brief scene of following a suspect that occurs on one side of the Undercroft Theatre, the scene never moves from the parlor. Escape from the asylum? We never even get there. 

Therefore, the would-be detectives have to tell each other all that has played out elsewhere instead of showing it. In absence of much action on the stage (save for some very shaky swordplay), director Morgan Duncan seems preoccupied with blocking the characters into various tableaus as the tale is told. 

The cast does well however, with Baylor a bright spot in her debut and Carpenter’s yeoman’s work. The costuming by Cody Von Ruden is notable and the lighting designer Marianne Meadows leans on the red when indicating blood or danger. 

The stakes for the mystery certainly seem less than the murder that occurred in the original play. And the description of “madcap” is probably stretching things a bit. “Wry” is about as far as it goes. 

As well as it's presented, though, for a company that’s been dedicated over the years in presenting the full works of George Bernard Shaw, perhaps more than any other theater in America, this fare seems a bit slight.

Running time: Two hours with one 15 minute intermission. 

Photo credit: Maddie Baylor, Laura Giannarelli and Jen Furlong. Photo by DJ Corey Photography.

To post a comment, you must register and login.