The Royal Shakespeare Company has opened The Mad King, its world-premiere Game of Thrones prequel, at the Royal Shakespeare theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon after five early preview performances were cancelled.
The production, adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, has been in development for almost a decade. It centres on a jousting tournament at Harrenhal, an event from the franchise’s lore that has not previously been portrayed on the page or screen.
The play arrives 30 years after the publication of A Game of Thrones, the first novel in George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. It is being staged in a reconfigured 870-seat theatre, with audiences surrounding a cross-shaped stage.
The 225-minute production has a cast of three dozen and features characters from the Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Martell houses.
Tickets for the entire run, priced between £10 and £95, have sold out.
The RSC cancelled five early performances, saying its actors, creative team and technical staff required additional time to refine the ambitious production following unforeseen delays to the fit-up process. A spokesperson said affected ticket holders were offered refunds or the opportunity to rebook.
Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, the RSC’s co-artistic directors, described the production as the first stage work to emerge from George RR Martin’s canon. Audience members are also asked to cover cameraphones with “sworn shield” stickers to protect the production from being recorded.
The company hopes the production will draw Game of Thrones fans and newcomers to its Stratford venue. Some audience members said it was their first visit to the RSC, while others welcomed its attempt to bring new audiences to theatre.
The sold-out run, alongside the RSC’s sold-out staging of The Cherry Orchard at its Swan theatre, could support the company after what Evans described last year as a “perilous situation”. The RSC said a recent restructure had reduced its annual cost base by £2.8 million while helping it generate income for theatre-making and learning programmes.
The company has recently pursued adaptations of established properties, including My Neighbour Totoro. Its Radiohead-linked production, Hamlet Hail to the Thief, is due to open in London this winter.
