By Arielle Nguyen
Unfortunately, I’m not a big visual-entertainment kind of person. My history lacks the big screen —instead, I get my dopamine through short-form content. However, when I do watch shows or movies or live performances, you could find me zoned in, unmoving and focused, not wanting to miss any detail. I thought I’d be the same, motionless person as I watched Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) Theatre’s production of “She Kills Monsters.”
Fortunately, I was proven wrong.
Ever heard of Dungeons & Dragons? Mix that with drama, adventure and breathtaking battle scenes, and you got yourself this play.
“She Kills Monsters” is not the story of uncommon girl-nerd, Tilly Evans, a “Dungeon Master without fear [or] prejudice,” but rather, it is the story of her teenage sister, Agnes Evans. In moments where Tilly’s brilliance and geekiness shined, Agnes stood in her own, average spotlight. A cheerleader and girlfriend of the jock football player, the two were opposites and — frankly — knew nothing about each other.
And then Tilly dies. Yep, I was grieving, too. After her death, Agnes discovers Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook and is suddenly whisked onto an action-packed adventure in New Landia, unknowingly undertaking her sister’s refuge.
Junior Addison Phan opens the play as the Narrator, introducing the contrasting worlds of our main characters. Senior Alex Oberg and junior Kendall Hester play their respective siblings, an average Agnes Evans and an imaginative Tilly Evans.
The play begins with Agnes asking a quirky and enthusiastic Chuck Biggs, played by junior Mason Liger, about his passion, Dungeons & Dragons. Their interaction was nothing short of awkward and smiley, and it made me giggle a little too much. I recall noticing some members of the Tech Crew celebrating when they saw me laugh — a celebration well deserved.
On Tilly’s anniversary, Agnes meets with her best friend Vera, played by senior Dulce Rabano, who is as spunky and loveable as ever. She does not portray your typical cheerleader, grounding Agnes throughout the play. Rabano plays the supporting role perfectly, providing a comforting voice to a distraught protagonist. She plays a feisty best friend, “playfully” teasing Agnes’ boyfriend, Miles, played by sophomore Daniel Henry.
Eventually, Agnes makes up her mind to play Dungeons & Dragons with Chuck, her Dungeon Master. He introduces the main leader of the party, who just happens to be Tillius the Paladin. Does that name sound familiar? It should! It’s her sister, Tilly. Obviously, I was touched by the coincidence.
Tilly then introduces the rest of the party. Lilith Morningstar, played by junior Alaisha Martone, is a “leather-clad” Demon Queen, representing the brawn of the group. Kaliope Darkwalker is portrayed by senior Sage McWilliams and is the magical Dark Elf of the group. The costuming of the party is quite foremost, and I think I was going to shed tears. As a lover of layers and contrasting “aesthetics,” these two characters’ top-tier designs added to the diverse world of New Landia.
In this campaign, their Quest is to find the lost soul of Athens before it’s devoured by dark forces. Who does the lost soul belong to, you may ask? None other than our favorite paladin, Tillius.
The party believes they will find Tillius’ lost soul in the hands of Orcus, the (former) demon Overlord of the Underworld. Orcus is played by Logan English, who portrays this demon as lazy but comical. I found myself giggling at his antics, and English’s natural charisma and stage presence only added to his character.
It is then we meet Farrah the Faerie, the first Boss, played by senior Lizzy Doan. She portrays the small, innocent-appearing forest faerie… who turns out to be a rageful, angry spirit in a small package.
Doan also choreographed each battle and—oh, my goodness—I enjoyed every little detail she threw into this scene. While on ballet pointe shoes, Doan exhibits a feisty and breathtaking dance… literally. She literally defeated most members of the party while dancing. It was insane. I was in awe.
I won’t spoil anymore, but I just have to throw my two cents in for the dance battle. Featuring Agnes, Orcus and Kaliope against the Evil Succubi, Evil Tina and Evil Gabbi, played by (grade) Anna Clark and (grade) Sal Salazar, respectively. This was an absolute treat. I really enjoyed the dynamics of each performance, and this provided a much-needed refresher from more vulnerable scenes. Hats off to Doan and the dancers!
The production deals with harsh themes of homophobia, gender identity and sexual identity. Weaving these topics into a play seems burdensome, especially in the context of a Dungeons & Dragons play, but the Theatre program executed it well, nothing short of expectations. With difficult topics came script changes and role adjustments, but they handled it with care and attention, and at the full show, it was like these changes were meant to be.
FVHS Theatre’s production of “She Kills Monsters” truly intertwines grief and marginalization and ties it perfectly into something digestible, something real. It’s everything you want from a play, combining authenticity and comedy.
From the acting, the choreography and the rather difficult, vulnerable moments, everything was powerful. From the leads to the ensemble to the crew, everyone worked passionately, and their hard work created that dose of dopamine I’ve been longing for.
