If you’re thinking, “Of course George R.R. Martin is going to love Game of Thrones: The Mad King; it’s based on his work!” you’re forgetting his well-documented feelings about House of the Dragon. Fortunately for those involved in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Westeros-set play, which explores the Robert’s Rebellion period just before the Game of Thrones TV show, the author has given his enthusiastic endorsement. He even took to his Not a Blog, an increasingly rare event these days, to announce the production will be moving from Stratford-upon-Avon, where it opened earlier this summer after a few hiccups, to London.
“I had a splendid time in Stratford upon Avon for the premier of Duncan Macmillan and Dominic Cooke’s epic new stage production of Game of Thrones: The Mad King,” Martin wrote. “And furthermore I’m thrilled to announce that the production will be moving on to London to share the experience with a wider audience … It promises to be an exhilirating journey.”
The play’s official website also shared a short video of Martin, flanked by the Iron Throne, sharing the news:
You can head to that official site to sign up for notifications as more details are made public, which is handy since so far the only information is that Game of Thrones: The Mad King will be opening in London in 2027. No theater or exact dates as of yet, in other words.
“A long winter thaws in Harrenhal, and spring is promised,” reads the official synopsis. “At a lavish banquet on the eve of a jousting tournament, lovers meet and revelers speculate about who will contend. But in the shadows, amid growing unease at the bloodthirsty actions of the realm’s merciless Mad King, dissenters from his inner circle anxiously advance a treasonous plot. Far away, the drums of battle sound.
Family bonds, ancient prophecies, and the sacred line of succession will be tested in a dangerous campaign for power. Who will survive? Who will rise?
‘Wars aren’t won by those with most cause, but whose story’s best told.’
Come face-to-face with familiar characters from the houses Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, and Martell and witness the events that set the stage for the world’s most critically acclaimed series.”
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