Back to Fight the Good Improv Fight

Once upon a time, when Dungeons & Dragons ruled the teen demographic, a likely young actor, Bruce A. Young by name, concocted a sword-and-sorcery-filled stage show inspired by popular fantasy games. It required great bravery on the part of that actor and his fellow performers, for although loosely scripted, the show was largely improvised and relied heavily on audience volunteers.

Verily, the show, which was dubbed “Dungeonmaster,” lived long and prospered throughout a four-year run. And Sir Bruce was therefore rewarded with the riches of his craft--a kingly portion of featured roles in A-list films.

“Dungeonmaster” was first spawned in a faraway land--Chicago, to be precise. Twenty years have passed since then, but Sir Bruce’s heart remains staunch. Joined by his old comrade-in-arms Billy Campbell, now the star of television’s “Once and Again,” Sir Bruce attempts to recapture the long-ago magic of “Dungeonmaster” in an open-ended run at Santa Monica’s Magicopolis. But alas. Magic is a quicksilver element, likely to slip from your firkin while you are still firing up your alembic.

Despite the best efforts of Sir Bruce and his stouthearted yeomen and yeowomen, the magic was frustratingly elusive, at least on this particular evening.

Sir Bruce’s tasks are many and mighty. Not only does he perform in the show, he outlines the scenario and directs each installment--no two of which are alike. Each tale is a myth-based “game,” a heroic quest in which the audience participants win or lose points based on their performances.

Not that audience members aren’t willing. Many arrive in full costume, already in character and eager to enter the lists. From those ranks, six are chosen to join the adventure. Those six largely determine the outcome of the evening, both in terms of its plot and its entertainment value. And woe betide the regular troupe if those chosen prove to be duds.

Hence, “Dungeonmaster” is only as good as its audience volunteers--a parlous situation for Sir Bruce and his sturdy compatriots, who are frequently left to twist on the gibbet while the volunteers ignore every basic tenet of improvisation, first and foremost the Sacred Law of Listening.

Yet, prithee, give Sir Bruce, and Sir Billy, and the other valiant participants full points for sallying forth to recapture the enchantment of a long-ago time, when they could just as easily have stayed home watching reruns of “Ivanhoe” on their wide screens.

“Dungeonmaster,” Magicopolis, 1418 4th St., Santa Monica. Fridays-Saturdays, 10:30 p.m.; Sundays, 5:30 p.m. Dark Dec. 21-23, 28-30. Indefinitely. $15. (310) 451-2241. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.