“We wanted to create a place for Dungeons & Dragons fans to feel seen and special,” explains Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern creator David Carpenter after a particularly rousing rendition of the performance concluded for the evening. Sadly, Carpenter notes, the theater isn’t a place that’s been traditionally associated with fans of this nerdy variety. But for Carpenter and co., that makes no sense. And they’re right. Given an experience as communal and theatrical as Dungeons & Dragons, the theater feels like the perfect next step to take the fantastical world. And that’s where Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern comes in.
We at Nerdist were thrilled to attend an evening of Dungeons & Dragons theater to experience this great meeting of the minds for ourselves. Right away, the excitement among the varied audience was clear. High school-aged kids in wizard’s robes were lining up outside the theater, adults donning elf ears were rolling a mega-dice in the thematically decorated lobby, and folks more mundanely dressed were peppered between them.
It’s clear that The Twenty-Sided Tavern is filling exactly the gap that it spotted from afar. Dungeons & Dragons fans are hungry to take their experience from the tabletop to a room full of like-minded people ready to participate in a game they know and love.
Of course, like Dungeons & Dragons, no two nights of The Twenty-Sided Tavern roll out quite the same. In fact, each performance quite literally depends on the roll of the dice… And on the audience’s inclinations, thanks to a genius system called Gamiotics that allows the audience to make story decisions, participate in challenges, and make their voices heard via their phone browsers. These interactive components really center you in the action and tie you to your fellow man. And just what is the number of ways an evening of The Twenty-Sided Tavern can go? “Unlimited,” Carpenter and fellow creator Sarah Davis Reynolds reveal. To put more of a number on it, “Around 300,000.” That means you’ll have to buy a lot of theater tickets if you want to be a completionist. But that still doesn’t account for the individual decisions an audience makes together.
There are two kinds of audiences, the folks at Twenty-Sided Tavern reveal. Those who are more mechanics-driven and those who just want to have a good time. I was definitely part of a good-time audience, but that didn’t stop the Dungeons & Dragons mechanics from integrating themselves easily into the entire game, I mean, play. Happily, for novices and experts alike, The Twenty-Sided Tavern walks the audience through all the details they might need to know about D&D while keeping everything intricate enough that seasoned Dungeons & Dragons players won’t feel talked down to.
This is not even to speak of the magic of audience participation, which results in you fighting a big bad that’s also known as a “haunting outlandish chinchilla” and sees audience members pulled on stage, or the absolutely gorgeous backdrop of the play. Using an incredible video wall and highlighting the work of many genius artists, the stage believably transforms into literally hundreds of different settings, helped along by additional special effects the DM can add at the drop of the hat. I really cannot underscore enough how lovely the screen is and what a veritable feast of Dungeons & Dragons-inspired art it purveys. But if you can get yourself to the theater to lay your eyes on it, I couldn’t recommend it more.
It would also be remiss not to mention that Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern is rip-roaring funny. The actors/comedians really are at the top of their game, cleverly combining Dungeons & Dragons references with modern nods to the world around us. Notable quips included, “Abercrombie and Leitch,” “Elven Klien,” and “Algar, not Al Gore, that’s someone else!”
Finally, of course, there’s the clear heart of the game. Dungeons & Dragons is all about the friends you make and the characters you grow to love along the way. On our night of attendance, one of our party, Ethel the Grandma, was a huge hit. And, of course, there was a Lothario Bard who was cursed to speak in only five words by the wayward role of a die. A gorgeous kind of camaraderie grew between actors, audience, DM (expertly played by DAGL, and the game. It was the experience of playing Dungeons & Dragons, but it was magnified and celebrated under the spotlight. Truly a wonder to behold.
“Going to Comic-Con felt like Christmas,” Carpenter noted to us, speaking of the wonderful sense of belonging that fans feel at large nerdy events. And we thought it could be Christmas every day.” Indeed, attending Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern feels like being a part of a massive celebration. The experience creates a wonderful evening dedicated to the magic, beauty, power, and connection that fans create when given the right space to do so. And we could not more highly encourage each of you to make a nerdy pilgrimage to attend.
Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavernis now playing in New York City’s Stage 42. You can purchase your tickets here.
