To shorten the first monologue: Just start the level while the narrator is still doing the closing monologue from a previous attempt, it may benefit to open near when he finishes one of the voice lines but i can't tell

To escape during the ending monologue: You need to click the magnet and open the dialogue prompt for the gate guarding the key at roughly the same time, i think it's offset by like 3 frames or something, the consistent method i found is to start spamclicking the magnet outside of range and then hold right to open the dialogue box, if done right you can exit out of it and go to the door.