What I liked
Vivi Thai is one hell of a lead and she anchors the show magnificently. The fight sequences, jokes, and content all revolving around the world of Dungeons & Dragons are amusing but the real treasure is found (hah) when it delves into the emotional depth of what this play is truly about. In this regard, Vivi nails it and thus lands the most difficult aspect to making She Kills Monsters work as a play.
What I didn't like
Judging only from the 6/8 Preview Performance – fight choreography needs to be tightened up significantly as it plays a significant part throughout the play. Pacing also needs to be tightened as the play’s fast paced nature in terms of its jokes and style cannot suffer long delay in pauses or it kills the energy of the piece. There were also tech issues as sound and light cues would not match with what is happening on stage or were just extremely tardy altogether.
This will be a strange criticism but Vivi Thai is SO good in the show that she runs circles around her cast. While the rest of the cast act well with no issues (with shoutouts given to Shikira Saul, Zach Summers, and Blair Allison who embrace their characters with aplomb), the dialogue is delivered too casually and a bit under the water for something that involves fantastical characters and situations.
My overall impression
She Kills Monsters is a wonderfully amusing comedy with many hilarious fight sequences and a surprisingly emotional core that is delivered with depth, humor, and grace by their lead Vivi Thai and a very able supporting cast.
