With House of the Dragon escalating its body count as the season three finale approaches, another George R.R. Martin creation has been facing some chaos of its own, albeit of a far less gory variety. The prequel play Game of Thrones: The Mad King, which was officially confirmed back in February, is closing in on its opening after facing some bumps in the road along the way.
According to a newly updated report in Deadline, The Mad King finally presented its first preview on July 28. The show, which is adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, was previously scheduled to begin previews at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon on July 20.
The first week of previews was then cancelled, including a July 25 performance that was cancelled that same day. Ticketholders were refunded, but as you can imagine, there was a lot of disappointment in the air.
The Royal Shakespeare Company issued a statement to Deadline that read in part, “While we always work hard to avoid disappointment through cancelling performances, owing to the ambitious and epic nature of this production and faced with a number of unforeseen delays, we require additional time to bring Game of Thrones: The Mad King to a public audience.”
With the show finally raising the curtain on July 28—Deadline cites a Stratford-upon-Avon Herald report that it was met with a standing ovation—hopefully we’ll be getting more reports from audiences and critics soon. The play explores Robert’s Rebellion, a time in Westeros history just before Martin’s A Game of Thrones begins. It was frequently referenced in HBO’s Game of Thrones show and is the reason King Robert Baratheon is seen on the Iron Throne after a long, long line of Targaryens.
“Enter the world before,” reads The Mad King‘s official synopsis. “A long winter thaws in Harrenhal, and spring is promised. 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.’”
The characters include such familiar names as Ned and Catelyn Stark, Jaime and Cersei Lannister, and, of course, Robert Baratheon and King Aerys II Targaryen. The play runs for four hours with a 20-minute intermission, and it’s currently scheduled through September 5 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
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