Review: The Habits, Hampstead Theatre

Every week, Jess (Ruby Stokes), Maryn (Sara Hazemi) and Milo (Jamie Bisping) meet up to talk, drink – and defeat evil. Granted, the drink tends to be hot chocolate and the evil is largely restricted to the world of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), but to writer Jack Bradfield‘s cast of misfits it’s all very real. 

The Habits follows a group of young people brought together by shared grief, as they set out on their first D&D campaign. Bradfield cleverly uses the RPG (role-playing game) as a tool with which to tease out character values: if you are inclined to behave irresponsibly in the world of fantasy – rushing into the path of danger without first pausing to think, immediately killing the goblin in front of you before attempting to talk the problem out first – it is not a leap to suggest that you maybe do the same in life beyond the board.

It’s a compelling premise that makes strong use of the ‘show not tell’ rule. We don’t need anyone to spell out, for example, that Jess (carried with real care by Stokes) seeks control in all things. She is the Game Master and it is her responsibility alone to set the ley lines down which her fellow players will walk. It’s only later that we find out Jess’s determination to defeat the Nightmare King is rooted in an equal obsession with understanding her brother’s recent decision to take his own life. 

There’s something very Stranger Things/Stephen King/Steven Spielberg about Bradfield’s story: a group of lovable geeks play games that they struggle to keep tethered to the board. But I’m talking Stranger Things series one, before the Duffer brothers had been seduced by the promise of another four seasons and when the show still had a palpable charm to it. The Habits’ script, boasting a simple and deeply effective sentimentality, embraces its coming-of-age label with open arms. Maryn and Milo enjoy a sweet – if frustratingly inconclusive – romance; 16-year-old Jess struggles to reconcile her dwindling childhood with the emotional demands of adolescence. Bradfield’s control of the show’s narrative arc is excellent (appropriately, given his demonstrated interest in stories and those who tell them) as is the sensitivity with which he approaches the less rosy topics at hand – suicide and psychosis among them. 

There’s not a huge amount in the way of design, but what’s in place proves effective; our players sit at a hexagonal table positioned beneath a decorative D&D dragon. The cast make increasing use of the space as time goes on, spinning about the table’s circumference as our characters eventually make their way into the Nightmare King’s mountain lair. 

“You can really see it in your head” Bev (Debra Baker), girlfriend of board game cafe-owner Dennis (Paul Thornley), says of the D&D. And you really can: as Jess describes the forests, rocky mountain paths and lakes through which her characters must travel, we walk beside them. The imagination is a wonderful thing, and it allows us to explore – and exorcise – our darkest fantasies. There may not be anything particularly novel about The Habits, but a very strong script, bolstered by terrific performances across the board (pun intended), makes for a winning combination. Bradfield rolls the D20 and comes out on top: attack roll is go. 

Written by: Jack Bradfield
Directed by: Ed Madden
Designed by: Alys Whitehead
Sound Design by: Max Pappenheim
Costumes by: Florence McGlynn

The Habits plays at Hampstead Theatre until Saturday 5 April.