Other Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House, Venue 24 – 5 to 27th August at 13:35
Reviewed by Marcus Richardson
4****
Dungeons and Shakespeare is a title that sells itself; for those who don’t have any idea who William Shakespeare is, “Methink’st thou art a general offence and every man should beat thee”. But as for the role-playing game ‘Dungeons & Dragons’, it’s an adventure for those with a penchant for monsters, caves, and glory. DnD as it’s often called allows for the possibility for anything, you can make your own stories, choose your battles, and even put well known characters in any situation you can dream of.
Enter stage left Shelby Bond, the facilitator of Dungeons and Shakespeare. Having performed this concept at Renaissance Fair’s in America, he is not only a fully competent guide through this adventure, he is also incredibly passionate about the materials he’s
working with. I am a firm believer in passion being one of the greatest things to witness, so thank you Shelby for letting, me, and the audience share into your love for the classical and
contemporary nerd world.
As for our show on the 11th, Shelby brought to the stage, none other than yours truly to assume the role of ‘Claudius’ from the play ‘Hamlet’. A villainous mastermind with a high intelligence yet really low strength score. He brought on other audience members to play
the roles of a ‘Beatrice’, ‘Goneril’, and ‘Hamlet’ each bringing their own unique spin on the characters. Other audience members became beasts like a ‘Wearboar’, a ‘Dryad’, and the big bad boss at the end called a ‘Gibbering Mouther’. It was truly just an hour of playing around on stage, there were lots of laughs from the audience and the folks on stage
Dungeons and Shakespeare is a family show, where oblivious parents can peek into joy that DnD can bring. It’s a place where the Bard himself can be reimagined and remembered. But ultimately it’s a place where, Shelby, one giant nerd opens up the door for anyone to join in and have fun. I personally would love to see this at one of the Renaissance Fair’s where people are dressed up, maybe a bit boozy on mead, where after the show is done, we head to the tavern for more merriment.