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The Habits
'Who knows what adventures await?'
It's Thursday night – so Jess, Maryn and Milo are at Dennis's board-game café, continuing their quest to defeat the Nightmare King… It has been months, but now all that stands between them and victory is a few lucky rolls of a twenty-sided die.
A struggling student, an overworked trainee solicitor and a reluctant job-seeker, here they are transformed into Dungeon Master, Wizard and Warrior Princess. But what happens when the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur?
Funny, gripping and heartfelt, Jack Bradfield's play The Habits opened at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, London, in 2025, directed by Ed Madden.
It's Thursday night – so Jess, Maryn and Milo are at Dennis's board-game café, continuing their quest to defeat the Nightmare King… It has been months, but now all that stands between them and victory is a few lucky rolls of a twenty-sided die.
A struggling student, an overworked trainee solicitor and a reluctant job-seeker, here they are transformed into Dungeon Master, Wizard and Warrior Princess. But what happens when the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur?
Funny, gripping and heartfelt, Jack Bradfield's play The Habits opened at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, London, in 2025, directed by Ed Madden.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 1, 2025
Recommended to me by a drama teacher, this is an interesting look at mental health and DnD - and don't the two so often over lap?
With careful handling of triggers such as s**cide and mental health, it was a little jarring just how often misogynistic comments would creep up. There is a discussion to be had about how and why the characters are the way they are, and why they say the things they say. Mentions of "woke" behaviours and choices contrasting with conservative views, and held under a microscope in the context of a DnD game.
But over all this was an enjoyable read - and I hope i get the chance to see it performed because that always makes a difference when it comes to reception of the topics and play itself. But the chaos nature of play, and the constant dice rolling is very true to game - and I enjoyed the narrative voice championing fantasy as a means of healing.
With careful handling of triggers such as s**cide and mental health, it was a little jarring just how often misogynistic comments would creep up. There is a discussion to be had about how and why the characters are the way they are, and why they say the things they say. Mentions of "woke" behaviours and choices contrasting with conservative views, and held under a microscope in the context of a DnD game.
But over all this was an enjoyable read - and I hope i get the chance to see it performed because that always makes a difference when it comes to reception of the topics and play itself. But the chaos nature of play, and the constant dice rolling is very true to game - and I enjoyed the narrative voice championing fantasy as a means of healing.
Displaying 1 of 1 review