Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty Sided Tavern Review
/By Ashley Williams
Dungeons & Dragons The Twenty-Sided Tavern is an interactive adventure live on stage for you and 500 of your newest friends. Control the quest as you journey through an ever-changing campaign set in the heart of the Forgotten Realms. Find a new home at the Tavern, where laughter flows like ale and your new best companion is right beside you. Solve puzzles, explore hidden secrets, and conquer your enemies – this is the adventure you’ve been waiting for! Will your choices help restore the magic of the Forgotten Realms? Or will the world of your story crumble into chaos? Gather your party, roll for initiative, and become a hero in a theatrical experience like nothing else in the world.
In mid-Manhattan at Stage 42, *Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern* is a play that's actually greater than the sum of its parts—it's a breakaway, laugh-a-second, and completely wild unpredictable adventure in which the audience becomes the actual Dungeon Master. For fantasy enthusiasts, fans of improv comedy, or anyone who just wants to do something really different from your standard evening in the theater, this show rolls a natural 20.
The moment you set foot in the theater, you're not simply watching a play—you're entering a world. The set is constructed like a real tavern complete with glowing lights, mysterious hieroglyphs, and just a hint of medieval beauty to set you in campaign mode. But the magic really comes alive when the game is on.
The idea is brilliant but straightforward: all decisions, from which adventurer shows up on stage to where the party goes, are made by the audience in the moment with their phones. Need a goofy prankster? Choose one. Need the party to battle a mimic dressed as a beer keg? Do it. The show is powered by *Gamiotics*, whereby the audiences make the choice concerning the plot revelations, class setups, and dilemmas. That means every pair of shows differs—and spontaneity is where the series excels.
The actors bring unlimited energy and quick improvisation skills to the show. Every show has a Dungeon Master and a changing cast playing The Warrior, The Mage, and The Trickster according to audience vote. Repartee is quick, timing impeccable, and skill at incorporating audience suggestions into the narrative impressive. Sometimes it is like watching a seasoned improv group with a fantasy rulebook and a dice bag.
One of the strongest aspects of the show is the extent to which it's inclusive. You don't have to know anything about Dungeons & Dragons in order to have fun. The rules are adaptable, the humor is common ground, and the options are straightforward. Hardcore tabletop enthusiasts will get a kick out of the references to campaign conventions and monster mythology, but general audience members will equally easily keep up with the storyline—and probably take away a new appreciation for role-playing games.
But as with all improv shows, the quality is determined by the audience and the night. Some scenes are more pungent than others, and sometimes energy flags under the weight of its own novelty. Since the show is so dependent on audience interaction, a disengaged crowd could make the performance less lively. And while the story is entertaining, sometimes it sacrifices complexity in the name of pacing and silliness.
Nevertheless, small quibbles in an otherwise daring and imaginative exercise in interactive theater. With imaginative staging, charismatic actors, and genuine laugh-out-loud moments, *The Twenty-Sided Tavern* offers a venue for fantasy geeks and theater enthusiasts alike as well. It doesn't merely break down the fourth wall—it invites the audience to construct it.
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to take a critical hit from a goblin and laugh about it with 300 strangers, this is your show. Whether you’re a rogue, a bard, or just someone looking for a new kind of night out, The Twenty-Sided Tavern is a quest worth embarking on.
