Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern (Sydney Opera House) ★★★½

Created by David Carpenter, Sarah Davis Reynolds and David Andrew Laws. Australian Premiere. Sydney Opera House. From 15 Dec, 2024.

Dungeons & Dragons turned 50 this year, and what a half-century it’s been. A pop cultural phenomenon, genre-defining role-playing game, lightning rod for the 1980s “Satanic Panic,” major inspiration for Netflix’s Stranger Things, the backbone of the award-winning horror/fantasy comic book series Die (a personal favourite), and now a live, semi-improvised tournament The Twenty-Sided Tavern has arrived in Sydney with a new local cast, inviting us all to join in the adventure.

But what exactly is The Twenty-Sided Tavern? It’s a live show mixed with a traditional game of D&D. Under the guidance of the Dungeon Master (William Kasper) and the Tavern Keeper (Zoë Harlan), the trio of players consists of a warrior (Atlas Adams), a spellcaster/mage (Eleanor Stankiewicz), and a trickster (Trubie-Dylan Smith). Together, they embark on a campaign whose direction is determined by the roll of the dice or, occasionally, the whims of the audience.

Yes, the audience is interactive with the action. Using QR codes around the room (mobile phones required), the audience answers questions and takes part in games. Participation is optional, of course—you can simply sit back and watch it all unfold. As you enter the venue, you’ll get a sticker—either red, blue, or green. This determines which character you’ll mainly influence. The show begins with each performer stepping forward, and the crowd choosing which specific character they’ll play. While there are moments of live audience interaction, the cast tends to focus on those eager and willing to join in.

If your first thought is, “Why would I want to sit back and watch other people play D&D?” you might be underestimating how much fun it can be. A quick scan of YouTube reveals various iterations of this concept, including Dimension 20’s all-drag campaign or Critical Role’s regular games, (The Twenty-Sided Tavern is, however, the only officially approved live show), voyeurism is very in. The show resembles a semi-structured improv night, held together by quest mechanics, with occasional pauses to explain rules or play a silly game. Rather than being a traditional, serious D&D adventure, this story is skewed towards light-hearted fun and comedy.

However, this is where the premise starts to struggle. For all the thrills of a great improv show, there is the risk of awkwardness, and at times The Twenty-Sided Tavern feels a bit like “forced fun”. Some of the “ad-libs” seem pre-scripted and the non-stop high-energy delivery can be exhausting (like an overzealous parent reading a bedtime story). One suspects the cast are still settling in with each other and that more organic banter is yet to come.

Of course, this is a family show (for ages 8 and up), so it can’t be the entirely freewheeling, late-night improv I might prefer (though it did get pretty risqué on opening night), and the violence and horror are suggested but not seen. Dungeons & Dragons’ appeal lies in the sense of danger and fantasy drama, but The Twenty-Sided Tavern feels more safe and cartoony. In fact, you may begin to wonder whether the audience voting has any real impact on the story at all. Theoretically, the players could lose the campaign, but I wonder if that ever happens.

That said, this shouldn’t detract from the impressive work the performers are doing. The dice rolls are real, leading to some unusual and funny outcomes (opening night’s performance kicked off with a surprisingly enthusiastic assault on some pickpocketing child urchins). The cast does an excellent job of bringing their characters to life, particularly Kasper as the DM, who must act out all the supporting roles. Everyone on stage juggles multiple tasks, as the mechanics of D&D require a blend of on-the-fly mathematics, convoluted plotting, and comedic interruptions. However, the three main players are somewhat hamstrung by the roles they’re given. Most of the characters are reduced to a simple recurring joke or visual gag, which can be difficult to sustain over two and a half hours.

Dungeons & Dragons has proven itself to be a versatile and resilient format. It works as horror (Stranger Things), comedy (the film Honor Among Thieves), and kids cartoon adventure. The Twenty-Sided Tavern is very much the latter. Once the show has a chance to settle in, and the cast grow more familiar and comfortable with one another, I expect the on-stage chemistry will become a potent brew, giving the show the extra edge it needs to score a successful hit. To be honest, I’d like to see it again to witness different characters take on the quest and see if the outcome is any different. Do I get a re-roll?