Dragons. Mythical. Mystical. Serpentine. These days, dragons are a cultural phenomenon, exemplified in the romantasy fiction genre by Rebecca Yarros‘s The Fourth Wing series and in children’s stories like How to Train Your Dragon. Rorschach Theatre’s Dragon Play, an immersive theatrical exper ience by Jenny Connell Davis, and directed by Randy Baker, draws more on the former.  Dragon Play is a blend of fantasy and reality, with dragons symbolizing power, desire, and sexual awakening. The play has two, often competing, storylines — one of a working-class couple and the other of a boy/teen. Both storylines involve the choice to be human or succumb to temptation and join the dragons in their dance and their flight far above the earth.  Erin Denman as Woman and Jalen Wilson-Nelem as Dragon in ‘Dragon Play.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography. So, enter and be prepared for a different kind of experience. The always innovative Rorschach company has transformed an unfinished retail space in DC’s Buzzard Point neighborhood into a magical theatrical lair. Dragon wings float in a circle above the stage (gorgeous set design by Sarah Beth Hall). Lighting designer Haily LaRoe’s evocative, orange-tinged wide circle of light draws us in. We are in a familiar suburban kitchen, and we are not. It’s evocative, mysterious, and we are waiting for dragons. Down the lights, and total darkness. With the strike of a long wooden kitchen match, the smell of sulfur suffuses the theater. The flame lights a woman’s face. Images of fire, blood, and scars are richly layered throughout the play. When the match dies out, the lights rise on Woman, played by Erin Denman (none of the characters have names), and Man, played by Erik Harrison, her husband, shirtless and clueless in a flaccid all-American way, facing off. Woman’s former flame has arrived. And Woman has secrets, big, terrible secrets, and the actor (Denman), with great flair, will soon reveal them.  The ex-lover, Jalen Wilson-Nelem, as Dragon, in his quiet, menacing, sensuous, fire-breathing way, is here not only to claim Woman, but to claim every scene he is in. Wilson-Nelem, a Michigan native working with Rorschach Theatre for the first time, is an intensely interesting new face in the DC-area theater scene and definitely one to watch. The white-hot desire between Wilson-Nelem and Denman set this play on fire.  He is Dragon — lean, leather-jacketed, and Lucifer-like. She is his former mate. He wants her to leave the ordinariness of her chosen human form, the daily routine of her marriage to Man, and fly with him. When he shares this about dragons, “We eat each other, and we are each other,” a pleasant thrill shot up this reviewer’s spine. And when the two actors stand at opposite ends of the circle, staring down one another, we didn’t need words to know their passion and despair as his dark eyes lit into her and she returned the flames. We felt their heat. TOP LEFT: Ben Ribler as Loser Boy and Bri Houtman as Dragon Girl;; TOP RIGHT: Erik Harrison as Man; ABOVE: Erin Denman as Woman, in ‘Dragon Play.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography. This story parallels that of the Loser Boy (Ben Ribler), who has his own Dragon Girl, played with sinewy drive and determination by Bri Houtman. An unfortunate stumble in this production is Ribler’s portrayal of Loser Boy. He’s a petulant six-year-old at the open, and an even more petulant teenager, whose repeated demands to learn about dragon sex feel whiny and heavy-handed. His characterization lacked subtlety and was not helped by a monologue outlining his search for the Dragon Girl, which led us down his path of poor choices and lost opportunities. This reviewer only wanted to shout, “Grow up,” and stop obsessing about Dragon Girl.  Instead of a sense of play or charm, or even heartfelt silent anger, which would have added layers to understanding his loneliness, desire, and wants, we are left with a clumsy portrayal of a boy’s sexual awakening. While I enjoy dragon sex as much as the next voracious reader of The Fourth Wing series, less would have been more, particularly in the scene where their relationship is consummated on the kitchen table. Bring down the lights. Better for us to imagine what dragon sex is like.  Shout out to intimacy and fight coordinator Lorraine Ressegger-Slone for her talents, which were certainly on display in this scene as well as in another tempestuous central fight scene between the so-called adults. The entire storyline between Dragon Girl and Loser Boy fails to match the intensity of grown-up desire facing Woman and her Dragon. I felt sorry for Dragon Girl, who must mate with this loser. Ultimately, in this play, the central message seems to be that one can’t choose who one ends up with in this life. There’s no choosing your own adventure. There is no adventure. This play’s core message embraces the futility of chasing our heart’s true desire, but where does that leave us? For this reviewer, the jumble of competing themes in this play left her wishing she could fly off with the dragons.  However, with a nod to Rorschach Theater’s creative spirit, the night’s experience doesn’t end there but continues outside to a huge fire pit, surrounded by new buildings, with the ancient stars twinkling above and the riverways flowing behind. Playgoers are encouraged to “think of something you’re ready to let go of … a memory, a name, a story that no longer serves you,” and release it to the fire. There is hope. There might even be dragons. Running Time: 80 minutes, no intermission. Dragon Play runs through May 17, 2026, presented by Rorschach Theatre performing at The Stacks at Buzzard Point, 101 V Street SW, Washington, DC. Showtimes are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $50 for adults, $35 for students and seniors, with a limited number of $20 “InkTix” available for each performance. Purchase tickets online. The program is online here. ...read more read less