PG’s Playhouse: Puzzles, games, trivia, & general nerdery

45: Gadsby (ft. Hatch Escapes)

Tommy Wallach, David Spira, and the novel, Gadsby can come to the party, but Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and Peih-Gee Law aren't invited. What's the rule of the party? It's no E's, please! Tommy and Terry are the co-founders of Hatch Escapes [https://hatchescapes.com/] in Los Angeles, California. They are creators of the iconic Lab Rat [https://roomescapeartist.com/2018/09/14/hatch-escapes-lab-rat-review/] escape room and their incredible new game The Ladder. [https://roomescapeartist.com/2024/06/26/hatch-escapes-ladder-review/] They also happen to be theater people and musical writers. They've got some big thoughts on writing and what qualifies as story, so we though they'd love hearing about today's topic. Today's segment is about the 1939 novel Gadsby, by Ernest Vincent Wright, which was written entirely without the use of the letter E. David takes us on a tour of the lipogram, which is deliberately constrained writing that avoids specific letters. The game is called Easy E, where players must take a word and add an E to make a new word. Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

44: Belgian Waffles (ft. David's Mom, Joan Spira)

A vendor shows up to the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens and starts handing out light, fluffy, deep-pocketed waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Breakfast is forever changed for millions of Americans. One of them was a little girl who took the bus there every weekend with her mom and twin sister. That little girl grew up to be David Spira's mom — and she's joining us today. In honor of Mother's Day, Joan Spira joins us on PG's Playhouse to play games, share stories, and maybe troll David just a little bit. We learn about how one notorious New York City parks commissioner accidentally introduced the US to foods like falafel, kimchi, hummus, and the Belgian waffle — all because France and Italy refused to show up. Joan also shares some great stories about David growing up and some sage advice for mothers everywhere. Today's game is called Tasting Bee, and it's all about foods from around the world that have a country or place baked right into the name. Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere — especially the ones raising little kids who use the word ostentatious at age two.   Full Show Notes [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/05/14/pgs-playhouse-e44-mothers-day-ft-joan-spira/]   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

43: Funeral Strippers (ft. Hello Puzzlers AJ Jacobs)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/REACensus2026]   Funerals are usually pretty somber affairs, right? Everyone wears black and gathers to respectfully mourn the dearly departed. Well, in parts of rural China and Taiwan, they've decided to put the fun in "fun"erals. More people attending a funeral procession usually means more honor to the deceased. Well, some enterprising relatives decided to up the ante by not only hosting a party with a live band, but they also invited dancers! This spectacle guaranteed a large crowd for their lost family member, which apparently appeased the spirits. Author and podcaster A.J. Jacobs joins us to chat about this little known funeral practice. Today's game is called Going Topless, where each answer is a word that becomes another word when you remove the first letter. If you enjoy PG's Playhouse, we highly recommend A.J.'s podcast Hello Puzzlers [https://www.hellopuzzlers.com/], which contains bite-sized puzzle snacks, perfect for listening on the go. Learn more about A.J. Jacobs at his website [https://ajjacobs.com/].   Full Show Notes [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/04/30/pgs-playhouse-e43-funeral-strippers-ft-a-j-jacobs/]   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

42: The Canterbury Tales (ft. Zach Sherwin)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/REACensus2026] "Canterbury Tales was basically the precursor to Epic Rap Battles of History." The beat drops and freestylin' rappers take to the stage, battling it out to see who has the best flow. First to the stage is The Knight, and his other contenders are characters like The Wife of Bath, The Miller, or The Reeve. Our topic today is The Canterbury Tales. This is the story of a group of pilgrims who gather around the fire to tell stories, primarily in verse. Zach Sherwin, our guest today, knows a thing or two about storytelling in verse. He's a longtime writer and performer on the Youtube channel Epic Rap Battles of History [https://www.youtube.com/user/ERB]. This show pits two historical characters against each other, battling it out for rap supremacy. Zach has also created The Crossword Show [https://www.crosswordshow.com/], a hilarious live show where comedians solve a crossword while Zach performs about the topics. He also shares a few puzzles with us today as well. Today's game is called Name Dropping, and it's all about modern names that come from medieval occupations. Grab your tickets to RECON 26 [https://realityescapecon.com/] this summer to see Zach perform The Crossword Show live. Click here [https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ-7WiWmOuK9RMBuuarfvv2KYJEi--RjS&si=lhsq2_b9V9hyaXPN] for a playlist of Epic Rap Battles featuring Zach Sherwin.   Full Show Notes [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/04/16/pgs-playhouse-e42-canterbury-tales-ft-zach-sherwin/]   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

41: Black Light (ft. Wild Optimists)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/REACensus2026] Are you looking to turn your party into a rave? Black light. Trying to find that pet stain you missed? Black light. Hiding secret messages in plain sight? You guessed it, it's black light! To celebrate our April Fool's Day project – a whole cookbook and party planning guide for hosting a black light dinner party [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/04/01/black-light-dinner-party-cookbook/] – today, we explore everything about black lights. Joining us are the Wild Optimists: Juliana Moreno and Ariel Ruben. They created the Escape Room in a Box series [https://roomescapeartist.com/category/products/escape-room-in-a-box/] and have since collaborated on many tabletop games and interactive marketing campaigns. Their newest game is Lovecraft and Poe, a cooperative strategy tabletop game. Players choose characters with variable strengths and weaknesses, and work together on an ever-changing board to defeat unique villains in every game. Today's game is In the Black, a Taboo-style guessing game where every answer includes the word "black." Lovecraft and Poe will be available via Kickstarter soon, so follow Wild Optimists [http://www.wildoptimists.com] and sign up for their newsletter to stay informed. You can also learn more about their work on REPOD S1E3 [https://roomescapeartist.com/2021/03/16/reality-escape-pod-episode-3-juliana-moreno-patel-ariel-rubin-wild-optimists-escape-room-box/]. Full Show Notes [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/04/02/pgs-playhouse-e41-black-light-ft-wild-optimists/]   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner