Game of Thrones goes to the theater with an original play about the Mad King

The Royal Shakespeare Company will adapt the universe of Westeros on stage by telling the story of Aerys II Targaryen, Daenerys’ father…

Westeros invades the boards.

A Game of Thrones in theater version has just been announced. The Royal Shakespeare Company is preparing the world premiere of Game of Thrones: The Mad King, a prequel play adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, with George RR Martin as executive producer and creator. The show will open this summer at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

After the books, the original series, and the spin-offs, here is the live show derived from A Song of Ice and Fire. Like Stranger Things before it (with The First Shadow), this piece will therefore be a prequel supposed to nourish a little more the mythology of the saga.

The plot takes place more than ten years before the events of Game of Thrones.

Official synopsis: “A long winter thaws in Harrenhal, and spring is promised. At a sumptuous banquet on the eve of a jousting tournament, lovers reunite and revelers speculate on the champions. But in the shadows, while concern grows over the bloodthirsty acts of the merciless Mad King, dissidents from his inner circle anxiously advance a plot of treason. In the distance, the drums of war resonate.” Several great houses will be at the heart of the story: Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Martell.

The authors specify:

“The play is a prequel set more than a decade before the events of Game of Thrones. A long winter begins to thaw, and for the first time in years, all the great houses come together for a tournament – destined to be the greatest of the era. There is a sense of a new dawn, full of hope and opportunity. But tournaments always have a darker purpose.”

George RR Martin is therefore involved in the project, even if he admits to having been taken by surprise by the proposal:

“When I first wrote Game of Thrones, I never imagined it would be anything other than a book. It was a place where my imagination could exist without limits. To my great surprise, it was adapted into a series and audiences were able to enter the world of my imagination through the medium of television. That my work is now being adapted for the stage is something I had not anticipated but which I welcome with great enthusiasm and excitement. Theater offers something A place where my imagination and that of the audience can meet and hopefully create something magical. For me, the RSC was an obvious choice when I thought about bringing a Game of Thrones story to the stage. Shakespeare is the biggest name in English literature, and his plays have been a constant source of inspiration for me and my writing. “The events of this new play will take place live. Duncan’s masterful script completely honors this universe, and I’m so excited that fans of the series – and perhaps people who have never opened a single book of mine – will be able to experience this new story in the theater.”

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre’s artistic directors, Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, are already comparing the project to Shakespeare’s historical cycles, explaining that it will explore “the true nature of power through the eyes of young characters confronting their inherited identities.”

Game of Thrones, the Hamlet-style live show!