Presented by Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-sided Tavern
Digital Playbill
October 3 – October 5, 2025
The Boch Center Shubert Theatre
265 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes with a 15-minute intermission
Review by Helen Ganley
BOSTON — In 1974, a global phenomenon began.
Well, that’s not exactly true. In 1974, Original Dungeons & Dragons was released as a small box set containing three playable classes, four races, and only a handful of monsters. It even assumed you owned two other, unrelated games in order to play it. With just a thousand copies printed, it was far from the cultural movement it would one day become.
For decades, D&D was synonymous with the epitome of nerdom. But with the rise of streamers, the accessibility of the fifth (and most recent) edition, and online play across countless platforms, Dungeons & Dragons has transformed into a genuine cultural phenomenon.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of sitting in the Boch Center Shubert Theatre among one of the rowdiest groups of nerdy Bostonians for a performance of Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern. Unlike a typical D&D session—usually played around a table with only the party in the room—the “Tavern,” as it’s affectionately called, is bursting with audience participation. Using Gamiotics, an in-browser software, the audience votes on which characters the actors play, which paths they explore, and even whether they succeed or fail.
The cast features Madelyn Murphy, Diego F. Salinas, Cassidy Sledge, and Alex Stompoly, the performers I saw in my showing, as well as Will Champion, RJ Christian, Jasmin Malave, Conner Marx, R., and Alex Murray. Murphy led Team Might, Salinas helmed Team Magic, and the two were joined by special guest Jack Lepiarz, a Boston native best known for his whip-cracking stage shows, heading up Team Mischief.
Each night of The Twenty-Sided Tavern offers a wholly different adventure, shaped by both the performers and the audience’s choices. On the evening I attended, our journey was led by Persica de le Savoy, Dustin Le Fey, and Barry Von Goblintooth, portrayed by Murphy, Salinas, and Lepiarz respectively, whose effortless camaraderie anchored the night’s chaos. Their collective wit and timing transformed what could have been a series of loose sketches into a cohesive odyssey through a wizard’s tower, a riddle-laden dock, and the very depths of havoc itself, culminating in a spectacular total party kill (TPK to those in the know) that felt both inevitable and hilariously earned. The Twenty-Sided Tavern succeeds by balancing structure and spontaneity; its improvisation feels both organic and purposeful, maintaining narrative momentum while keeping the audience laughing. This impressive balance makes the show consistently enthralling. Even for those with little to no D&D experience, the production invites you in, explaining mechanics and carrying you along on the waves of the adventure so that any theatergoer can enjoy the ride.
The Twenty-Sided Tavern will be rolling its way across the United States through March, and I highly recommend joining the adventure. It’s an exuberant, interactive experience that captures the heart, humor, and chaos of Dungeons & Dragons—and the crowd makes it all the more magical.
