For sheer entertainment value, nothing in Toronto’s rich comedy landscape matches what’s unfolding monthly at Comedy Bar Danforth. The Roll Players. The show, which runs the last Tuesday of each month (except in July, when it’s on second-last Tuesday July 22), combines the worldbuilding and strategy of Dungeons & Dragons with the lightning-quick wit of Toronto’s finest improvisers. The result is a perfect storm of structured storytelling and explosively funny improvisation that builds momentum with each passing show.
With six shows down and six still to come in the troupe’s year-long “Lost Mine of Phandelver” campaign, the show has evolved into a masterclass in long-form comedy. Within an overarching quest to find the mythical Wave Echo Cave, each performance works as an accessible and hilarious standalone adventure, while building a rich tapestry of running gags and deepening character work. (In fact, so rich is the connection between improvisation and Dungeons & Dragons that one of the show’s stars Andy Hull ran an Improv for D&D workshop.)
Over the first six shows, the three players in the game have “levelled up” in power and grown as characters. In the June 24 show, Sarah Hillier’s melodramatic, mockery-wielding and underwear-snapping bard Silvia Parsons-Dantee (the hyphenate name is not from marriage) was nearly killed, then surrendered her beloved lute in exchange for key information on her sister’s tragic disappearance. Andy Hull’s barbarian Aldorius Starcaster – the wizard school dropout who literally sees red in combat and desperately wants to prove himself — put his sword and his newly accessed wild magic to use in slaying an ogre. And Sharjil Rasool’s love-starved wizard Hagassis Barton, who has fumbled comically through spellcasting and social interactions alike, worked to re-earn his fellow players’ trust after betraying them last show. Then he brought the house down with laughter, when his amazing improvisational instincts inadvertently — and spectacularly — led him to fumble the players’ best opportunity to gain crucial story information.
What makes each monthly show magical is how the D&D quest framework provides perfectly timed interruptions – combat encounters, skill checks, or even just chance meetings – that force these brilliant improvisers to pivot and build on each other’s offers and those of the amazing NPCs (Non-player characters), played by Lisa Merchant, Aurora Browne and Paul Bates. In their latest performance, the NPCs’ improvisational mastery shone through yet again, transforming fantasy tropes into eccentric and memorable moments. Lisa Merchant’s portrayal of the Town of Phandalin’s Mayor Harbin Weston began as a George Washington-esque figure with a peculiar mumble … before an inspired suggestion transformed him into “Harbin Galen Weston,” leading to an impromptu discussion of artisanal breads and price-fixing that had the audience in stitches.
Aurora Browne demonstrated her quick thinking when a prop malfunction – a vine that literally fell on her head – became an inspired wardrobe choice for her character Sister Garaele at the Shrine of Luck. Meanwhile, Paul Bates, beloved for his recurring role as a hat-doffing random bystander who somehow appears on every path the players travel, stole the show as a supposedly fearsome ogre whom the group disturbed. In the banter and back-and-forth of battle, Bates morphed this one-dimensional antagonist into a frazzled working-class ogre who was desperately trying to get some sleep. While the players dithered about how to attack during this encounter, Dungeon Master Kris Siddiqi brilliantly asked the NPCs to cut to a flashback of the ogre’s last shift at his dishwashing job, adding layers of incongruous pathos and comedy to what could have been a simple combat scene.
Newcomers need not worry about joining mid-campaign. Siddiqi, in his signature brown hooded robe, expertly recaps previous events and maintains the perfect balance between letting the improvisers play and keeping the story moving. Whether you’re a D&D veteran or complete novice, this show offers something special. Tabletop gaming enthusiasts will appreciate the authentic use of game mechanics (with some license, of course), while casual viewers will enjoy a hilarious fantasy narrative powered by wonderful characters and running jokes, and peppered with sly references to contemporary life and regular breaking of the fourth wall.
At $25 a ticket, “The Roll Players” offers Toronto’s best entertainment value: a two-hour show where master improvisers weave spontaneous comedy gold within D&D’s tried-and-true storytelling framework. And as the campaign enters its second half, now is an ideal time to join this quest.
The party seeks more brave, laughter-seeking companions for the journey to Wave Echo Cave – will you answer the call?
For a deeper dive into the show’s origins and cast, visit our previous coverage here.
Tickets to The Roll Players are available on comedybar.ca.
© Scott Sneddon, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
