{"id":35669,"date":"2026-08-10T03:00:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T22:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35669"},"modified":"2026-08-10T03:00:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T22:00:44","slug":"diehard-game-of-thrones-fans-will-cheer-watching-the-mad-king-play-its-a-spectacle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35669","title":{"rendered":"Diehard Game of Thrones fans will cheer watching The Mad King play \u2013\u00a0it&#8217;s a spectacle"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"431\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307805852-a1cc.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29335631\" alt=\"The Mad King play (Picture: Johan Persson)\" decoding=\"sync\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Game of Thrones fans know how this story ends \u2013 it\u2019s about the journey (Picture: Johan Persson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s epic. Of course it\u2019s epic. It has to be epic. It\u2019s <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/game-of-thrones\/\">Game of Thrones<\/a> \u2013\u00a0an ever-expanding fantasy franchise not known for its lightness of touch, which now tumbles off the page and screen, onto the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Company.<\/p>\n<p>But this is no straightforward stage adaptation of author George RR Martin\u2019s iconic fantasy adventure. This is a different beast.<\/p>\n<p>So while there are plenty of familiar names bandied about \u2013 from Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon and the manipulative Lord \u2018<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/spiders\/\">Spider<\/a>\u2019 Varys, to various Westeros locations \u2013 there\u2019s also a new story, one that sits within the pre-existing narrative, and is now firmly touted as canon.<\/p>\n<p>Set 17 to 18 years before the events of the TV series, the RSC\u2019s spectacular takes what we already know from other media to imagine the regime-shifting run-up to the fall of King Aerys II Targaryen \u2013 <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2022\/09\/06\/who-is-the-mad-king-how-is-he-related-to-house-of-the-dragon-17308212\/\">the so-called Mad King<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And it all begins with a woodland skirmish.<\/p>\n<p>A young Howland Reed (Islam Bouakkaz) is rescued from a mugging by a boisterous Lyanna Stark (Harmony Rose-Bremner) and her clan, including a young <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2019\/03\/27\/game-thrones-poor-series-1-ned-stark-pelted-real-rocks-death-scene-9035790\/\">Eddard \u2018Ned\u2019 Stark<\/a> (Michael Abubakar). This seemingly inconsequential incident leads us to The Great Tourney of <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/03\/house-dragon-fans-seething-humiliation-ritual-olivia-cooke-29286663\/\">Harrenhal<\/a>, during the False Spring \u2013 a key event in Games of Thrones lore, but one never depicted on screen or page.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"619\" height=\"899\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307805855-c0e7.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=619\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29335627\" alt=\"The Mad King play (Picture: Johan Persson) Credit: Johan Persson\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>The RSC play is set just under two decades before the start of the original TV series (Picture: Johan Persson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here, an audacious plot is hatched by King Aerys\u2019 son, Prince Rhaegar (Noah Ritter), and his associates to bring rival houses together to overthrow the increasingly unbalanced and paranoid King Aerys (Michael Shaeffer).<\/p>\n<p>But their machinations are unexpectedly thrown into disarray when the Prince, having won the tournament, refuses to crown his wife, Princess Elia Martell (Elizabeth Ayodele), as Queen Of Love And Beauty. Instead, the besotted youth bestows the honour on the independently minded Lyanna \u2013 who has already been betrothed to plain-talking, hard-drinking, grief-stricken man-of-action Lord Robert Baratheon (Callum Woodhouse).<\/p>\n<p>And before you know it, princesses are imprisoned, armies assembled, messenger ravens despatched, deals are made, bets hedged, dragons imagined, babies are born, lives are lost \u2026 and a new king is declared.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all very epic.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307805858-8884.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=600\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29335622\" alt=\"The Mad King play (Picture: Johan Persson) Credit: Johan Persson\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>The production features several characters fans of the show will be familiar with, including Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon (Picture: Johan Persson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Directed by Dominic Cooke, with Duncan Macmillan credited as \u2018Adaptor\u2019 and George RR Martin as \u2018Creator\u2019 (and Executive Producer), The Mad King\u2019s journey to the stage has been fittingly monumental \u2013 a decade in the planning, yet with previews mysteriously cancelled as the production continued to be refined.<\/p>\n<p>And it could still do with some refining. For starters, it\u2019s long \u2013 very long \u2013 with the final runtime clocking in at three hours 45 minutes (including an interval). Meanwhile, the King\u2019s madness feels too superficial, cartoon-like, and some of the slo-mo\/blackout battle sequences, though grand, could do with tightening. The political machinations of the conclusion are also too speedily tucked away.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/06\/15\/house-dragon-season-3-made-feel-physically-sick-28787323\/\">like all prequels<\/a>, it also suffers from the fact that we know exactly where things are heading. So there\u2019s no real surprise when we see the mad monarch finally deposed and learn the identity of the new ruler.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"860\" src=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307805854-8c88.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=646\" class=\"article-image wp-image-29335629\" alt=\"The Mad King play (Picture: Johan Persson) Credit: Johan Persson\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>\t<\/div><figcaption>It boasts a spectacular set, including a weirwood tree (Picture: Johan Persson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But The Mad King is less about the conclusion, and more about the journey, as Macmillan and Cooke do a decent job of juggling the sizeable number of characters, and ensure the sprawling narrative is largely well-paced, with enough sub-plots and spectacle to keep both hardcore and lesser-engaged fans entertained. The cast\u2019s performances are solid too, while the emergence of the iconic Iron Throne in Act II earns a scene-stealing cheer from the audience.<\/p>\n<p>As a stand-alone piece of theatre, The Mad King scrapes through. But as an extension of the Game of Thrones world, it scores well, shifting the narrative to the stage with suitably theatrical thrust.<\/p>\n<p>A swift sell-out as soon as it was announced, further performances are pretty well guaranteed, while it\u2019s hard to imagine <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/hbo\/\">HBO<\/a> and Warner Bros execs not discussing how they could eventually bring the story to the screen.<\/p>\n<p>For all its flaws, this is one Mad King whose reign is set to continue unposed.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Game Of Thrones: The Mad King is showing at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/07\/knew-ricky-gervais-alley-cats-going-terrible-christ-29314947\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">I knew Ricky Gervais\u2019 Alley Cats was going to be terrible, but Christ<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/ryan-murphys-new-serial-killer-thriller-shards-insufferable-monstrosity-29305177\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Ryan Murphy\u2019s new serial killer thriller The Shards is an insufferable monstrosity<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\"><svg><title>Arrow<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#common-right-arrow\" href=\"#common-right-arrow\"\/><\/svg><span class=\"mor-link\" data-track-module=\"mor-link_article\">MORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2026\/08\/05\/ted-lasso-season-4-best-ages-a-drawback-29293834\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\">Ted Lasso season 4 is the best it\u2019s been in ages \u2013 but there\u2019s a drawback<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Comment now<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-comment\" href=\"#social-comment\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><svg><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title>\n<use xlink:href=\"#social-preferred-source\" href=\"#social-preferred-source\"\/><\/svg><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card accent--tv\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-end-card__inner\">\n<h4>TV Newsletter<\/h4>\n<p>Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Game of Thrones fans know how this story ends \u2013 it\u2019s about the journey (Picture: Johan Persson) It\u2019s epic. Of course it\u2019s epic. It has to be epic. It\u2019s Game of Thrones \u2013\u00a0an ever-expanding fantasy franchise not known for its lightness of touch, which now tumbles off the page and screen, onto the stage of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/SEI_307805852-a1cc_1786296377.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1200&h=630&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}