Deep in the second act of The Iron Stag King: Part One—a visually lush but utterly confusing new fantasy romp from the House Theatre of Chicago—our underdog heroes wheel out a scale model of a battlefield and review their plan for the climactic confrontation. It’s a classic, even hackneyed exposition scene, but I drank it in like a marathon runner at the mile-20 water station. At last I had a clear sense of what these characters were thinking, and why. So what if the only goal is to grab a magic hammer and ring a bell? A quest I can understand is one I can get behind, so let’s go find that hammer.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Maybe that makes me denser than the typical House Theatre audience member (though the strangers I quizzed at intermission seemed to feel as lost as I did). Or maybe cowriter/director Nathan Allen is banking on the notion that archetype matters more than specifics in the fantasy genre—that good guys go on a quest because that’s what good guys do, and details are for Muggles.
Contrast that base opportunism with what’s presented here as an equally dangerous yet noble monarchy. Legend has it that the magic hammer can only be hefted by true royalty—and once hefted, well, usurpers beware. Although the hammer’s only magic property seems to be its choosiness about who can lift it, it’s pretty big. A clop or two from that thing will do some damage.
