The Royal Shakespeare Company's stage production The Mad King brings the Game of Thrones universe to life in an epic spectacle that has fans cheering. It's a new story set 17 to 18 years before the events of the TV series, imagining the downfall of King Aerys II Targaryen, the so-called Mad King.
The plot begins with a woodland skirmish where a young Howland Reed is rescued by Lyanna Stark and her clan, including a young Ned Stark. This leads to the Great Tourney of Harrenhal during the False Spring, a key event in the lore never previously depicted. Prince Rhaegar hatches a plot with associates to overthrow his increasingly paranoid father, but things go awry when he crowns Lyanna as Queen of Love and Beauty instead of his wife, sparking a chain of events involving imprisonments, armies, and new alliances.
Production details and runtime
Directed by Dominic Cooke, with Duncan Macmillan as adaptor and George RR Martin as creator and executive producer, the production took a decade to reach the stage. The final runtime is three hours and 45 minutes including an interval, which some may find too long. The King's madness is described as superficial and cartoon-like, and some battle sequences could be tightened. The political conclusion is also rushed.
As a prequel, it suffers from the audience knowing the outcome, but the journey is engaging. Macmillan and Cooke juggle a large cast well, keeping the narrative well-paced with enough sub-plots and spectacle for both hardcore and casual fans.
Cast and reception
The cast delivers solid performances, with the emergence of the Iron Throne in Act II earning a cheer. As a standalone piece, it scrapes through, but as an extension of the Game of Thrones world, it scores well. It sold out quickly upon announcement, and further performances are likely. It's hard to imagine HBO and Warner Bros not discussing a screen adaptation.
Game Of Thrones: The Mad King is showing at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.
