The reviews are in for the world premiere of Game of Thrones: The Mad King at the RSC, based on the acclaimed novel series by George R. R. Martin. Critics felt the production was worthy of its Shakesperean home, but some felt that it was lacking.
Now playing at the RSC’s historic venue in Stratford-upon-Avon is a new entrant for stage adaptations. Created in collaboration with the author himself, George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones: The Mad King brings to the stage a previously unexplored period in Westeros history, one that directly precedes the events of the book and television series.
It’s been praised in reviews as a remarkable interpretation GOT fans will enjoy, but critics felt that at nearly four hours it’s a hefty and densely packed story that could trim some elements and strengthen others.
The verdict: a sweeping adaptation full of spectacle, but critics felt the hefty run time and overloaded storylines at time took away from the production.
Critic’s comparison
| Publication | Rating | The Key Takeaway |
| The Telegraph | ★★★★ | A spellbinding spectacle that serves GOT newbies and devotees |
| The Guardian | ★★★★ | Action packed, spectacular stagecraft and plenty of modern resonance |
| The Independent | ★★★★ | A stellar stage show with a surprising amount of heart |
| The Times | ★★★ | Some compelling elements, let down by a plodding, drawn out text. |
The reviews: what they loved about Game of Thrones: The Mad King
- The puppetry: In a fictional world where dragons are real and jousting is a regular occurrence; this production chose to utilise puppetry in its realising Westeros. Critics applauded the War Horse-esque puppets for dragons and horses alike.
- Michael Shaeffer as The Mad King: Shaeffer’s performance was easily one of the most compelling elements across the board, with critics all admiring his performance. The Telegraph called his nuanced performance as having ‘the distracted air of Lear on the heath but the villainy of Richard III.’
- Chloe Lamford’s design: The eye-catching design of the production received plenty of praise for its reinterpretation of Martin’s fictional world. The Independent praised her design for creating ‘a visionary space.’
- A move away from stereotypes: The Independent commented on the plays seeming interrogation that exists in Martin’s world and felt the play challenged some of the criticism the author has received for his stereotyped, exoticised portrayal of darker-skinned characters. Though they also commented that the story won’t ‘feel especially empowering for women and global majority people.’
The reviews: what fell flat for Game of Thrones: The Mad King
- The runtime: At nearly four hours, this production is a marathon, and several critics felt a little bogged down by the runtime. The Times commented that ‘only the most dedicated [GOT fans] will have the energy’ for this production.
- The cluttered story: Given the number of characters (it’s a cast of 36), several critics felt that it was too cluttered, and at times the details clouded the overall production’s end result. The Telegraph galled the long play ‘sometimes too dense with detail,’ while The Independent stated there were ‘enough characters here for at least three normal plays.’
The back story
If you’re familiar with the television show, or you’ve read Martin’s series of novels, the world of Game of Thrones will be familiar territory. And unlike the two prequels currently in production, Game of Thrones: A Mad King offers a new take on a familiar history that hasn’t yet been dramatised or written. Until now.
The play spans the final years before the events of the main series, as unease at the blood-thirsty actions of the Mad King. Elsewhere, two lovers meet and their story will inevitably lead to a rebellion that changes Westeros forever.
Featuring all the classic Game of Thrones themes like family bonds, ancient prophecies, and the sacred line of succession, this is a sweeping epic that drops fans right at the beginning of it all.
The cast of Game of Thrones: The Mad King includes
- Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark
- Elizabeth Ayodele as Princess Elia Martell
- Maxim Ays as Ser Jaime Lannister
- Miles Barrow as Benjen Stark
- Luke Brady as Brandon Stark
- Marty Breen as Catelyn Stark
- Edem-Ita Duke as Oberyn Martell
- Daisy Franks as Cersei Lannister / Golda Whent / Ensemble / Puppeteer
- Mariah Gale as Queen Rhaella Targaryen / Lady Shella Whent
- Richard Hansell as Grand Maester Pycelle
- Alexander Newland as Lord Rickard Stark
- Hughie O’Donnell as Lord Varys
- Noah Ritter as Prince Rhaegar Targaryen
- Harmony Rose-Bremner as Lyanna Stark
- Michael Shaeffer as King Aerys II Targaryen
- Marcello Walton as Ser Jonothor Darry / Lord Tywin Lannister
- Callum Woodhouse as Lord Robert Baratheon
Completing the ensemble are Sebastian Charles (Owen Merryweather / Ensemble / Puppeteer), Adrian Christopher (Prince Lewyn Martell / Ensemble / Puppeteer), Ronan Cullen (On-stage Swing / Puppeteer), Fred Davis (Qarlton Chelsted / Maester / Ensemble / Puppeteer), Islam Bouakkaz (Howland Reed), Tanisha Spring (Ashara Dayne), Daniel Hawksford (Ser Barristan Selmy), Huw Parmenter (Ser Oswell Whent), Lewis Howard (Ensemble / Puppeteer), April Nerissa Hudson (Ensemble / Puppeteer), Tom Larkin (Lord Whent / Wisdom Rossart / Ensemble / Puppeteer), Chelsea Marie (Ensemble / Puppeteer), Kel Matsena (Ser Arthur Dayne), Shaun Yusuf McKee (Ser Gerold Hightower / Ensemble / Puppeteer), Tom Stacy (On-stage Swing / Puppeteer), Matt Tait (Ensemble / Puppeteer), Tzarina-Nassor (Ensemble / Puppeteer), Simi Egbejumi-David (Ensemble / Puppeteer) and Kate Rowsell (On-stage Swing / Puppeteer).
Directed by Dominic Cooke (Follies, Hello Dolly), the creative team also includes Puppetry and Movement by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, Set Design by Chloe Lamford, Costume Design by Georgia McGuinness, Lighting Design by Jon Clark, and Sound Design by Tom Gibbons.
Where to see Game of Thrones: The Mad King
- Venue: Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford-upon-Avon, until 5 September
- Runtime: 3 hours 40 minutes (including interval)
- Age: 11+
“The Mad King has a propulsive energy redolent of Shakespeare’s history plays – only here there are puppeteered dragons too.”
“At almost four hours, it’s a long evening, sometimes too dense with detail, and it lacks the grit and gore (not to mention the nudity) of the TV series.”
“Still, it capably serves newbies and devotees, and speaks in a timely fashion to our age of unruly leaders.”
“Playwright Duncan Macmillan has been given licence by Martin (who has been heavily involved in this premiere) to rewind and unpack everything up to Baratheon’s accession.”
“The Harrenhal episode hasn’t been fully dramatised before so it’s a gift that, in director Dominic Cooke’s hands, becomes an occasion for imposing and initially spellbinding spectacle.”
“Matters come to a head at the denouement in ways that won’t surprise those steeped in the story but feel remarkable to witness, even so.”
“The most electrifying moments revolve around Michael Shaeffer’s scrawny, deeply strange Aerys, who has the distracted air of Lear on the heath but the villainy of Richard III.”
“This prequel to the TV series has one joust after another, spectacular stagecraft and plenty of modern resonance.”
“Michael Shaeffer’s King Aerys, with long white beard and flower-braided hair, strongly resembles Laurence Olivier’s television Lear.”
“Fans will be attracted by back stories of telly-legendary characters.”
“Macmillan’s dialogue is quasi-Shakespearean with a rough iambic beat. [...] The problem comes when this plausible pastiche of Elizabethan politicking collides with Martin’s supernaturalism.”
“The Royal Shakespeare Company's stellar stage show has all the thrillingly staged battles, gory deaths and, yes, dragons that the most bloodthirsty fan could hope for.”
“But there's also a surprising amount of heart – of the warm, still-beating kind – as it lingers on the faces of its fallen.”
“Dominic Cooke's stellar production uses human bodies, not chunks of scenery, to transport us to Martin's world, and it's hugely effective.”
“This densely-paced story chooses to make room for grief to spill over the stage, instead of just fake blood.”
“This family-friendly pagan venture has War Horse-style puppetry and stylised battle sequences that hint at mayhem without resorting to oceans of gore.”
“Sadly, Duncan Macmillan’s script is sorely lacking in poetry.”
“Michael Shaeffer is a thoroughly compelling presence as the cruel and chronically unstable monarch Aerys.”
“Chloe Lamford’s cross-shaped set design, dominated by a huge arch, is undeniably eye-catching. As the piece develops, though, that unorthodox format begins to cramp the drama”
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