Review: GAME OF THRONES: THE MAD KING, RSC
Photo credit: Johan Persson
Well, where to start, Besties? The epic HBO series loved by millions, following warring families battling for control of the mythical land of Westeros, is now on stage - and in a way we’ve never seen, or had the story told, before.
Set before Game of Thrones (as we know it), the story begins, taking us to Harrenhal where winter is finally coming to an end and a lavish tournament is about to get underway. But behind the celebrations, tensions are growing over the increasingly brutal rule of the Mad King. As those closest to him begin to plot against him, family loyalties are tested and a dangerous fight for power begins.
Premiering at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, having now seen the production, it feels like this is the only venue that could have taken on a new tale of this scale. The sheer ambition and successful presentation of it is something to be massively applauded. To take something of these proportions and even attempt to recreate it live on stage is something many producers would shy away from - but not the RSC.
The Royal Shakespeare Theatre has been slightly reconfigured to include seating on all sides, surrounding a cross-shaped stage with four entrances and exits. It allows the world of Westeros to form itself around you, immersing you from the outset. Chloe Lamford’s set is dominated by an imposing, iron-like circular structure spanning the height and width of the playing space, with surprise design elements revealed throughout the show. Lifts from below the stage also produce some spectacular moments, including a stunning weirwood/heart tree, ascending from substage to meet foliage descending from the flies, and, of course, the iconic Iron Throne. They really are brilliant to behold.
This is creative collaboration at its finest. Lamford’s set, Georgia McGuinness’ beautiful costumes - clearly defining the various families - Jon Clark’s stunning lighting and Tom Gibbons’ impeccable sound design form the backbone of the piece. Dominic Cooke’s direction is one thing, but without these design departments working so brilliantly together, the play simply wouldn’t lift off the page in the same way.
The lighting and sound changes, particularly during the battle scenes, appear to rely heavily on visual cues - no mean feat for the deputy stage manager, we’re sure! Without giving too much away about exactly how these scenes are presented, what initially feels like a genius idea does, unfortunately, become a little repetitive and predictable at times as the device is used again and again.
But can we talk about the puppetry, Besties? Wow. There’s perhaps nothing here that we haven’t seen done in some form before, but the horses, dragons and ravens are all brought to life by an incredibly talented cast of puppeteers. These performers need to be at the very top of their physical game, especially when delivering a 3-hour-40-minute performance eight times a week, sometimes twice a day. Some of the show’s biggest standout moments come through the use of these puppets, with the opening procession in particular feeling truly epic and immediately living up to the scale we were promised.
The quality of the production is never in doubt, but here come our qualms.
Firstly, the length. You expect a Game of Thrones play to be longer than the norm, but at the aforementioned 3 hours 40 minutes including an interval, there was certainly some twitchiness amongst the audience, particularly towards the end of the first half. The pacing begins to lag in places as that first half progresses, while the second does a much better job of pulling the many threads together. In our opinion, shaving around 20 minutes from the first half would greatly strengthen the show.
Secondly, the dialogue is incredibly wordy, perhaps leaning more towards George R. R. Martin’s books rather than the television series. That level of detail is absolutely fine to digest on the page - his writing is brilliant - but trying to piece it all together as it unfolds live in front of you, even having watched the series, can be rather challenging. Thank goodness for the family tree in the programme, that’s all we’ll say!
Although performed impeccably by the cast, there is also something distinctly Shakespearean about the delivery of the text. Regular RSC audiences will undoubtedly lap this up, but with the run now sold out, the production is clearly attracting a much wider audience because of the Game of Thrones name. We fear attention could occasionally drift as the audience attempt to keep track of the many families, alliances and political machinations at play. Cooke’s direction and the structure of the scenes soon pull you back in, but for anyone coming to this completely as a standalone piece, we’re not convinced it would be particularly easy to follow.
This huge cast has been brought together superbly by Amy Ball CDG, and there genuinely isn’t a weak link amongst them.
With his signature white-blonde locks, Noah Ritter is particularly magnetic as Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. His conflicted relationship with his father, King Aerys II Targaryen - played sensationally by Michael Shaeffer - sits alongside the love and loyalty he still feels towards his family name, creating a fascinating character arc.
We are continually reminded of the themes of love and duty. Rhaegar is married to Princess Elia Martell (Elizabeth Ayodele), a union formed as a political alliance with House Martell of Dorne, but he goes on to take Lyanna Stark (Harmony Rose-Bremner) as a lover.
Lyanna belongs to House Stark of Winterfell, arguably the most solid and closely bonded family within the story, alongside her brothers Brandon (Luke Brady), Eddard/Ned (the superb Michael Abubakar) and Benjen (Miles Barrow). Rose-Bremner is a sensational talent. While this is very much an ensemble piece, she commands the stage and almost leads the way from her opening scenes - it’s a stunning performance.
Lyanna’s betrothed, Robert Baratheon (Callum Woodhouse), is equally brought to life with tremendous fight and passion, rounding out one of the central relationships that ultimately has huge consequences.
An epic, visually spectacular feat of theatrical ambition that brings the world of Westeros thrillingly to life.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jenny Ell
