Action Play Will Delight Audiences

In Ruth Comley’s play, the characters come to life, literally and figuratively.  Five friends gather in a basement to play with one extra chair, and the player is conspicuously absent. The role players are missing a member, Fred, who died of cancer. The gang plays one more, very imaginative game of Dungeons and Dragons on the eve of Fred’s funeral.

In the game, their avatars must battle against all sorts of traps and mazes to free the soul of their missing comrade, including battle the vicious gremlin-like Polygoon Leader (a tongue-and-cheek joke on the polygon-sided die in a D&D game) and his faithful, but not-so-bright minions.

The dice seem to be against the intrepid gamers, and it bears dire consequences for their avatars who act out all the game action in their own mythic realm. George, who narrates the play, moves back and forth from the two divergent realities as the near omniscient storyteller in the mythical land, and a nerdy schlub living in his mom’s basement in the ‘real’ one.

The play is interactive and audience members are expected to cheer the heroes and jeer the villains. Some lucky audience members are called into the action, stepping on stage and asked to read key plot elements; one for the good guys, one for the bad guys.

The play isn’t high art, but it’s brimming with infectious fun. Even in the silliest moments, the actors are deadly serious and deeply committed to their characters.  The sword fighting is well choreographed, but, more importantly, extremely watchable.

The play is pure fantasy and some familiarity with the genre will give some audience members a leg up on those not-so-familiar with Sci-Fi and Fantasy. There is a clever homage to Monty Python, and a mind meld moment reminiscent of a classic “Star Trek” episode.  

The show is packed with humor and a few surprising moments. There is a layered story, one drama for the players and an action-adventure for their avatars.

The costumes are excellent. The Polygoon masks are downright frightening. There is a lot of sword-wielding, swash-buckling heroics, but the play isn’t violent in a serious way, especially since the characters can get magically healed.

Director Micheal R. Kiser had to warn his monstrous actors about leaving the performance space in costume. The night before one of the Polygoons in full costume frightened a woman coming out of the diner across the street (no one wants to see a demon come out of a church).

Lynnsey Garlick, a Peters Township high school senior, garnered some attention earlier this year as the 1st place winner of the Kean Idol Signing Competition, a regional contest against vocalists from all over Pittsburgh. The young thespian has been in seven high school productions. When not doing homework, she fights an epic battle between good and evil.

“End Game: the rolePLAY” runs September 16 -18 & the 23 -25 at 8 p.m. at St. Peter & St. Paul Hall, 220 Mansfield Blvd., Carnegie, PA, 15106. Tickets are $12.00/$10.00 for students and seniors (with I.D.).

For more information about Stage & Steel, go to www.stageandsteel.com.

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