I went to see Game of Thrones: The Mad King in Stratford, and if you’re a fan of George R. R. Martin’s world of Westeros, you can’t miss it when it comes to London next year
As modern cultural juggernauts go, it doesn’t get much bigger than Game of Thrones. Originating with George R. R. Martin’s first novel in the epic fantasy series back in 1996, it smashed into the mainstream with HBO’s megahit TV adaptation in 2011, and has since become one of the biggest franchises of all time.
And this year the world of Westeros hit the stage for the first time, with Game of Thrones: The Mad King depicting the major events 15 years before the start of the story depicted in the books and the TV series. The four-hour play closed last week after a sold-out run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon, but fear not – it’s been announced it’s coming to London next year.
I managed to snag tickets to the show in its final week, and if you’re a fan of the world George R. R. Martin created, you owe it to yourself to go and see it when it comes to the capital. The events depicted in the play are spoken about many times and from many different perspectives throughout the novels and TV series, but this is the first time we’ve seen them unfold for ourselves. And, as is usually the case in the world of White Walkers and Stone Men, there’s far more to what really happened than we knew.
One of the biggest highlights of the show is the chance to finally meet the titular Mad King, Aerys II. His initial appearance as what seems like little more than a wizened old man disguises the true scale of his cruel and sadistic nature, which is soon laid bare is truly shocking fashion.
Likewise, finally getting to meet Ned Stark’s sister Lyanna is also a rewarding moment for fans of the books and show. Thankfully, she’s no passive damsel in distress, and has far more of an active influence on the events of the play, and what happens afterwards, than we could have expected. Likewise, Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen is perhaps not the man we may have thought he was.
Fascinating new light is also cast on characters such as Robert Baratheon, who is far from the sullen, drunken buffoon we meet in the first book and the first series of the TV show, and is rather a tragic figure and a truly fearsome warrior, rampaging across the stage, smashing through soldiers with his war hammer, see Ned Stark evolve before our eyes from a young man eager to make a name for himself, into a grim-faced leader left to shoulder a grave responsibility.
Plenty of other favourites also make an appearance, including Jaime ‘Kingslayer’ Lannister, the ever-sardonic Lord Varys, as well as some other surprises I won’t spoil here.
While it’s unclear if any of the cast of the Stratford production will make the move to London, anyone taking up the roles will have very big shoes to fill, with highlights including Michael Shaeffer’s absolute tour-de-force as the titular Mad King, while Michael Abubakar as Ned Stark, Harmony Rose-Bremner as Lyanna, and Callum Woodhouse as Robert Baratheon are also outstanding.
And that’s not to mention the incredible staging. For The Mad King, the stage is placed in the centre of the theatre, surrounded on all four sides by the audience. This allows actors to perform not to an audience in front of them, but all around them. It also allows for some amazing action sequences, which are staged with a visual flourish that has to be seen to be believed, with actors rushing in from all sides.
And then there’s the puppetry. There’s a lot of running around on horses in Game of Thrones, and somewhat unbelievably, this is achieved on stage, with full-size puppets operated by humans, which are literally ridden on by the actors. And horses aren’t the only puppets we see.
I’ve barely even scratched the surface of everything on offer in The Mad King. I haven’t mentioned the incredible full-size Iron Throne that rises up through the stage, or the mysterious cloaked figure watching events from the sidelines, who doesn’t have a single line. If you’re a fan of the theatre, this is one not to be missed – and if you’ve never seen a live production before but you love Game of Thrones, you won’t believe how incredible The Mad King is.
When and where can I see Game of Thrones: The Mad King in London?
It hasn’t been announced when the show will start its run in London, or which theatre will host it, just that it will be next year. It may depend upon whether the producers want to replicate the in Stratford, or whether it’ll be rejigged to fit a more traditional stage setup.
Writing on his blog last week, George R. R. Martin said: “I had a splendid time in Stratford upon Avon for the premier of Duncan Macmillan and Dominic Cooke’s epic new stage production of Game of Thrones: The Mad King. And furthermore I’m thrilled to announce that the production will be moving on to London to share the experience with a wider audience.
New venue and premiere dates will be announced in due course, and if you would like to hear about new information feel free to sign-up at www.gameofthronesonstage.com. It promises to be an exhilarating journey.”
