Edinburgh Fringe comedy review

You don’t have to be a Dungeons & Dragons fan to enjoy this comedy improv show that takes the audience through an imaginary world, rolling the dice for success in a monster-hunting quest.

Bringing their podcast to a live audience, the Tartan Tabletop team have come up with a clever formula for repeat customers - their show is a continuous adventure, evolving over the course of the week

Charismatic Dungeon Master Josh Aitken creates a dynamic story in the ghost-filled town of Edinburgh, and anyone can follow along all week to see what the monster hunting team - called the ‘Monster-Munchers’ - get up to. 

An interesting cast make up the team, with a paladin barbarian, a dreamworld creature, a scientist dwarf with muscles, and Noblin the Goblin, who is played by a guest star each day. For this performance, comedian Alexis Gay took on the task, playing a posh goblin, visibly taking a while to settle into the role. 

The hour of escapism is mixed with Lord of the Rings references, humorous attempts at the Irish accent, and bizarre magical adventures - including a character turning into a rat and climbing into an eyeball to speak to animals, which is just a taste of the wonderful and weird world of Tartan Tabletop.

The Monster-Munchers travel to 666 Goth Street, using simple comedy for easy laughs, creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere as they solve the case of the ‘howling and growling’ - which they humorously debate on whether it is a beast to fight, or a dogging spot. 

While entertaining, the adventure lacked the raucous comedy and adventure that would make it truly shine. The pace is slow, an inevitable part of  Dungeons & Dragons, so seemed like a show that needs longer than an hour to get everything done and build to a satisfying conclusion – especially when you consider that their podcast versions are two hours long. By the time the team to settle into their roles, the day’s quest is all-but done.

Review date: 26 Aug 2023
Reviewed by: Kashmini Shah
Reviewed at: Gilded Balloon Patter House