Review: THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN Presented by Broadway in Chicago

The fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons has experienced a remarkable resurgence in recent years. Adventurers of all ages can now be seen building characters and playing through campaigns together at school, coffee shops, prison rec rooms, and even Madison Square Garden. The game’s rise in popularity can no doubt be attributed to its prominence in the Netflix series Stranger Things, which dominated pop culture when it premiered in 2016. With the show’s final season arriving this fall, Chicago audiences can experience the game anew through the live improv event THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN, running through September 28 at the Broadway Playhouse. This hilarious show should entertain nerds and newcomers alike, though its rules may occasionally test the patience of younger or less familiar viewers.

Back in Chicago for following an acclaimed run Off-Broadway, THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign come to life based on audience suggestions. Using their phones (yes, phones are allowed and even encouraged here), viewers can vote on which characters the actors will portray, decide which dungeons the adventurers will explore first, and play mini-games that are a matter of life or death for their favorite heroes.

The TWENTY-SIDED ensemble consists of nine performers, five of whom take turns playing different parts of the campaign, including the dungeon masters (or DMs) and characters representing the three qualities of “might,” “mischief,” and “mysticism.” For the Chicago run, these actors will be joined by special guests from across the realms of pop culture, including Marvel Cinematic Universe member Anjali Bhimani and viral TikTok sensation “Jacques ze Whipper.”

On opening night, Conner Marx and Alex Stompoly acted as the DMs, soliciting suggestions from the audience and ensuring that the other improvisers onstage hit the necessary narrative beats. Marx and Stompoly make for a dynamic pair, with both having the energy and charisma to pull eager viewers into their world of make-believe. Some of the biggest laughs of the night came from their willingness to poke fun at themselves or call back to mistakes from earlier in the performance. They also act as efficient guides, explaining the rules of the game to the audience as simply and quickly as they can without bogging us down in lectures. But even once you feel like you have a handle on the flow of the production, Marx and Stompoly throw in new twists to keep up the energy and excitement, whether by pulling audience members into a game of “Uh-Oh-Block-Fall-Down” (their non-trademark-infringing version of a famous unstacking game) or gifting players with special items that have different effects on gameplay.

Rounding out the cast was Bhimani as a mischievous cat burglar (literally, a burglar who is a cat), Madelyn Murphy as a mighty armored eagle, and Diego F. Salinas as a mystical skeleton sheriff. Bhimani especially deserves credit as the first guest star of the run. Channeling her best Eartha Kitt impression, she’s just as adept as her fellow performers in crafting a compelling narrative and character on the spot, which is no easy feat when many of the cast members have been working together as an ensemble since joining the show back in New York.

Murphy is one such veteran, and it shows brilliantly in her ability to commit to any comedic bit thrown her way while also developing a clear emotional arc for her character (who knew you could get teary-eyed watching a giant eagle warrior adopt a red-haired apprentice named Kyle?). Much like Marx and Stompoly, Murphy serves as a kind of lodestar for the evening, using her maturity and confidence to rally her fellow performers into some delightfully bizarre plot twists. It was also touching to see Murphy’s warmth when interacting with the youngest members of the audience, demonstrating her commitment to making this tavern a welcoming environment for everyone.

Salinas undoubtedly had the most anarchic energy on opening night. He was always ready with some unexpected physical feat or a punny one-liner. This energy served as a double-edged sword, though. While Salinas’s quips were often very funny, his enthusiastic delivery sometimes came at the expense of the story’s flow or spotlight moments for his fellow cast members. I would like to chalk this up to opening night nerves, but this feels like a shaky excuse when so many of these performers have previously worked together in New York.

Quibbles aside, THE TWENTY-SIDED TAVERN makes for an entertaining evening that is sure to delight almost anyone willing to join the quest, even if they don’t know their wizards from their paladins. So leave your d20s at home (but don't forget your phone).