The Canary Cage
Diana Raffle
Genre: Comedy
Cast size: 4
Duration: 45 mins approx
Diana Raffle | Drama | One Act | 1m, 3f
Short synopsis
- Synopsis
- Characters
When Mary fails to send her niece Debra a birthday card, Debra drops in to check that all is well. Accompanied by Jean from next door, they find Mary in the unlit cellar, in a state of confusion. As they try to comfort her, little do they realise that they have been lured into a trap. When the cellar door snaps shut behind them, they find that the inside handle has been removed and they are locked inside.
With no way out and unable to get any sense out of Mary, Jean reveals to Debra that she knew her aunt long before purchasing the house next door. In fact, she moved there following a 24 year prison sentence for murdering Mary’s boyfriend. Stunned by this revelation and fearing for her own safety and that of her elderly aunt, Debra offers her comfort and support to Mary, who has remained silent throughout.
Some hours pass in the cellar as the three ladies fall in and out of sleep before Mary opens up to Debra whilst Jean is dosing. Things are not as they seem when Mary explains that her boyfriend had actually been Jean’s husband and Jean had been wrongly imprisoned for his murder. Whilst Jean had been visiting her mother for a short spell, Mary had spent time with Charlie at their home, but after he refused to leave Jean, Mary got angry. When Jean returned, Charlie was nowhere to be found. It was some time later that his body was discovered – locked in the cellar!
Mary is psychotic, Debra and Jean are in danger. Only one lady survives. This play has the power to send shivers down the spine of the audience and keep them guessing until the end.
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