Our mighty heroes have started their adventure. The Warrior (Madelyn Murphy), Mage (Diego F. Salinas), and Rogue (Anjali Bhimani). The goal? To save the Forgotten Realms. Projections designers Derek Christiansen and Ruby O’Brien help plant the audience in the scene—an alley that becomes the first unintentional stop on the quest. They happen upon three minor villains—more specifically, three ex-students of the Mage. He has seemingly failed them as a teacher and they are not happy about what went down. However, before they can officially begin a fight, the Dungeon Master (Conner Marx) reminds the players that they must role initiative.
Directed by Michael Fell, Dungeons and Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is on stage now at the Broadway Playhouse.
Fans of Dungeons and Dragons at this performance exploded with cheers. They knew what initiative meant, and all they could do was hope that the players on stage rolled in a positive way. For folks who were less familiar with the game, they had nothing to fear. Alex Stompley as the Bartender and Rule Keeper of the adventure explained that initiative is simply a role of the DnD dice that determines the order in which the heroes can attack.
With that, the fight begins. Every attack comes with a joke title, and a particularly humorous explanation of how the hero intends to execute. However, the fun does not stop there. The player also must act out the attack—a performance that often became even funnier when the actor made a particularly unsuccessful roll of their dice, causing the action to fail. From the uproars of laughter at each turn, it was clear that I was not the only one firmly invested in how the story unfolded.
Dungeons and Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is an interactive fantasy adventure on stage. Much like in the game, the actors roll their 20-sided dice to determine the success of each choice they make along the way. As we witness the adventure unfold, we as an audience also have the opportunity to influence the story. Through our phones, we get to vote on various choices—and much as we see with the actors on stage, some choices are more successful than others.
The play itself creates a challenge for the actors. Not only are they playing the “hero,” but they are also in essence playing themselves. Every choice is a test of their improvisational skills, and they certainly succeeded.
Each performer creates a relationship with the audience that you might find encouraged us to buy in—particularly Stompoly and Marx. The collaboration between this duo is spot-on. Not only with their comedic timing, but also in their ability to make the game accessible. The play does not necessarily require that audience members understand Dungeons and Dragons, and the duo was able to strike the balance between offering explanation and keeping the story propelling forward.
The result? A story and experience unique to each audience member who comes to see the show. Fans of Dungeons and Dragons are sure to love seeing their game played out live on stage. However, even if you have yet to personally play the game, the comedy and gripping storytelling are sure to be enough to keep you hooked.
To put it simply, Twenty-Sided Tavern is a must-see. Charismatic performances and a one-of-a-kind adventure make for a night to remember.
Scenic, costume and props design is by K.C. McGeorge. Lighting is by Mike Wood with sound design by M. Glenn Schuster and Alex Attalla. Original music is by Benjamin Doherty.
Dungeons and Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern runs through September 28 at the Broadway Playhouse, 175 E. Chestnut St. For tickets and information, see the Broadway in Chicago website.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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