Broadway in Chicago THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN Review

When you walk into Broadway Playhouse for Twenty-Sided Tavern, the actors are immediately there to greet you. Somewhere between entering the theater and sitting down, an actor will track you down and hand you a pile of small pieces of paper and a pen, asking that you write down a few nouns and adjectives. As you fill these out, you might notice the intricate detail of the bar on stage, along with the screens flashing information about the realm in which this stage story will take place. If your experience is anything like this Opening Night, you will hear the laughter surrounding you, and maybe even see several folks in medieval costumes.

These early moments of the night act as the first clue that this is no typical theatrical experience. The fourth wall simply does not exist. As soon as you enter the theater, you are a part of the action. This writer encourages you to keep your mind open and lean in because you might just find that the more you participate, the more thrilling the adventure becomes.

Broadway in Chicago presents The Twenty-Sided Tavern

Created by David Andrew Greener Laws (DAGL), Sarah Davis Reynolds, and David Carpenter, this interactive play follows the typical rules of Dungeons and Dragons. The actors on stage all play a character – a Rogue (Madelyn Murphy at this Opening performance), a Fighter (Sarah Reynolds), and a Mage (Jake Corcoran). To make decisions in the story, they must a roll a twenty-sided dice. If they roll high, then their choice is typically successful – whether that be attacking a bandit or successfully lying one’s way towards a free drink. If they roll poorly, then the Gamemaster has some fun describing the epic failure that is their attempt at a choice.

Led by Gamemaster DAGL, the characters embark on a quest to save the realm; however, they are not alone. Through their phones, audience members are invited to participate in the decision making – helping actors choose character traits, doorways to enter, and even which attacks they may utilize in fights. In the end, the story is never the same twice, and you as an audience member never know which path the characters will take next.

Audience Participation to an Extreme

As the characters are making their way through a temple full of magic and mysteries, they come to a point where the walls start to cave in. Rather than continuing to unfold the story with the actors, DAGL takes a pause, turns to the audience, and asks for three volunteers to join them on stage. A game of giant Jenga is brought out, and each volunteer is assigned to a character. DAGL lays out the simple task: if you make the tower fall, then your designated character is impacted. Cheers erupt from the audience as the volunteers play to the death. As the tower wobbled, this writer certainly felt the tensions rise – especially as the volunteers on stage started to sweat and realize that their actions could very well impact their designated character’s survival.

With the ability to impact character choices in a given moment, you might find yourself feeling the tension in your seat – anxious to see how the story moves next. However, the audience participation does not stop with the phones. At key moments, audience members are invited to join the actors on stage and be a part of the action.

If you are a fan of Dungeons and Dragons, then this is absolutely the play for you. Even if you have yet to experience the game, you might find that DAGL and the actors on stage still make the experience fun and accessible. At its core, the play is a choose your own adventure kind of event – brought to life by a team of highly comedic performers and improvisers. Top-notch performers and thrillingly interactive adventure make Twenty-Sided Tavern an event that should not be missed, in this reviewer’s opinion. Whether you are a gamer or someone who just enjoys a fun night of theater, you might just find there is a little something for everyone in this performance.