Hollywood has always had a soft spot for magic, but on December 2nd, the Montalbán Theatre didn’t just conjure enchantment — it rolled for initiative. Opening night of Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern transformed the storied venue into something between a comedy club, a fevered quest, and the largest game night Los Angeles has seen in years.

Built in 1927 and later renamed for Ricardo Montalbán, the theater has lived many lives — movie palace, performing arts hub, cultural landmark — but on this night, it became something far more fantastical: a living, breathing fantasy realm of chaos, comedy, and collective imagination.

What makes The Twenty-Sided Tavern so riotously entertaining is its sheer inclusivity. Whether you’re a seasoned D&D devotee or someone who couldn’t distinguish a d20 from a donut, the show meets you where you are. Part interactive campaign, part improv comedy, and part social experiment, it invites the audience to shape the narrative, crafting a story that’s as unpredictable as it is uproarious. And what a story it was. “The Tomb of Havoc,” the central campaign, unfolded like a choose-your-own-adventure on hallucinogens — a deliriously funny, endlessly shape-shifting epic. Dice rolls, broadcast via overhead camera to a giant screen, became theatrical crescendos, each tumble holding the audience in collective suspense. With every hand that released a die, the house leaned forward.

“Inventive, joyously chaotic, and, most of all, a reminder that live performance doesn’t need a fourth wall to break boundaries.”

The cast, all master improvisers, elevated the evening into something approaching alchemy. Conner Marx, armed with razor-sharp timing, set the comedic tone early. William Champion glided effortlessly between earnest heroism and comic absurdity. Jasmin Malave grounded the chaos with quick-fire intelligence and magnetic stage presence. And Alex Stompoly, commanding and charismatic, held the whole wild circus together with the dexterity of a dungeon master.

This wasn’t just a show; it was collaborative storytelling at its highest order. The performers didn’t merely react to one another — they responded in real-time to a roomful of strangers-turned-co-conspirators. Gamers, theater lovers, and the D&D-curious packed the house, many of them vibrating with the rare joy of being both spectator and participant.

Whether or not you know what a character sheet is, The Twenty-Sided Tavern is a must-see. It’s inventive, joyously chaotic, and, most of all, a reminder that live performance doesn’t need a fourth wall to break boundaries. In short: roll the dice. Buy the ticket. Enter the Tavern.

–Rosane Grimberg

The Twenty-Sided Tavern runs at the Montalbán Theatre through December 21. More info at https://www.broadwayinhollywood.com/events