'Swords & Sorcery': Improv troupe constructs a hilarious Dungeons & Dragons-style epic

August 7, 2017 at 9:13PM
Swords & Sorcery: The Improvised Fantasy Campaign
By Bearded Men Improv
Fringe Festival 2017
Photo provided
“Swords & Sorcery: The Improvised Fantasy Campaign” (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

As much as long-form improv is about freedom and invention, the form often works best within well-defined parameters. With "Swords & Sorcery: The Improvised Fantasy Campaign," the Bearded Men Improv troupe sets limits that play to their strengths. As a dungeonmaster dictates their movements via a 20-sided die, the five-man team builds a Dungeons & Dragons-style adventure that's as unpredictable as it is hilarious. The team exudes confidence, whether playing oily villains, childlike warriors or aroused chimeras. Every performance is both a stand-alone adventure and a piece of a larger story arc, and the only disappointment is not being able to catch them all. (7 p.m. Tue., 8:30 p.m. Fri. Aug. 11, 5:30 p.m. Sun. Aug. 13, Theatre in the Round, 245 Cedar Av. S., Mpls.)

IRA BROOKER

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