With so many theatre companies in this area each one has to find a way to stand out and cater to different audiences. MadKing Productions seems to have found a winning combination with their subversive teen narratives and their drunken Shakespeare (not together but it works!) I absolutely loved their Heathers a few years ago and last year’s We are Tigers was also very good. This year we have the straight play She Kills Monsters and while it is definitely my least favorite of the 3 it has a lot to offer and something especially young people will enjoy.

Going into She Kills Monsters I’d heard a lot of good things, and I know it is very popular amongst the teen theatre crowd. I was very excited to check it off my theatre bucket list, but I must admit I had a hard time getting into at first. Perhaps it is my lack of familiarity with Dungeons & Dragons, but I felt at first that the script spent more time on the machinations of the game over the characters of Agnes and Tilly. However, as it moved along I became more invested. Agnes played by Kami McDonough is easy to connect with as the more extroverted member of a family with the more nerdy introverted siblings. Of course it’s very sad when tragedy robs Agnes of the opportunity to get to know Tilly and she is left with only her D&D game to get to know her sister.

I do wonder if playwright Qui Nguyen overcomplicates things a little bit. I don’t know if I needed a narrator, Chuck the dungeon master, a crush for Tilly, a boyfriend for Agnes, 2 bullies, as well as several other characters who play roles in the game. It’s also surprising that Tilly wouldn’t include her parents in this game (Agnes says they are average parents at the beginning but average doesn’t mean bad.) Perhaps it is this crowded feeling to the script that made it hard for me to engage with it at first but Nguyen does eventually bring everything together. As someone with 3 sisters I liked the dynamic of the 2 sisters and Agnes in particular as she tries to cope with her deep grief and loss.

The show at MadKing is directed by James Naylor, and I like the way he presents Agnes as a normal everyday girl- she’s not popular but she’s also not a nerd like Tilly. Emma McKenzie is warm and endearing as Tilly and the 2 actresses have a believable chemistry as sisters. The play takes place in the black box space at the Gateway and they use every inch of the stage to go on their D&D adventure even having dragon puppets at one point and some fun fight choreography (Zac Curtis) and costumes that looked like they are from the creative mind of a teenager like Tilly (costumes by Carleigh Naylor). I also enjoyed all the nostalgic 90s music sprinkled in between the scenes.

I think all of us can remember our first time losing someone close to us and how life altering that experience can be. For Agnes, she not only misses her sister but through playing the game she realizes there was a whole side of her she didn’t know anything about. That emotion is what finally connected with me with this play. The D&D game is basically a diary from her sister and through experiencing it Agnes is able to grieve and feel a new level of love for her sister. It’s a very sweet journey to be a part of.

There are 2 casts to MadKing‘s She Kills Monsters, and I saw the dragon cast. It is playing through March 8th and there is a reduced rate for students, which is perfect for the teens that will love the show. They also have a Sunday matinee, which is so nice and convenient. I definitely recommend it for teens and anyone who appreciates coming of age stories. There is some mature language and themes parents should be aware of. Tickets can be purchased here.

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