We’re heading back to Westeros with a new Game of Thrones play.
Dust off the swords and kiss goodbye to your favourite characters (let’s face it, they’re already as good as dead), for a stage version of Game of Thrones is coming to the London stage in 2023. Though the TV series may have come to an end in 2019, and fans of the book are hungrily waiting for The Winds of Winter to appear, the newly-announced Game of Thrones play will fill the gap betwixt the two nicely. Well, I say “nicely” so long as you don’t expect a happy ending…
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Fans of Westeros need not fear, because this isn’t an upstart tribute but rather a blessed-by-The-Seven production that has the full support of, and input from, George R.R. Martin. He’ll be working alongside playwright Duncan MacMillan, well-known to London audiences for writing hits such as Lungs and People, Places, and Things, and adapting Henrik Ibsen’s Rosmersholm for a critically-acclaimed West End revival, and director Dominic Cooke, previously the artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre. Quite the murderer’s row of talent, then!
Per media reports, the play will be set during a pivotal moment during Westeros’ history: the great tourney at Harrenhal. Predating the TV series by some sixteen years, this tournament plays an outsized part in the history of Westeros, shaping the fortunes of the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, and Targaryens by stoking the first fires of Robert’s Rebellion. It also means you can expect to see some of your favourite characters *SPOILERS* resurrected (and not by White Walkers, mercifully), as the likes of Ned Stark, Lyanna Stark, Jaime Lannister, and Rhaegar Targaryen are all likely to feature.
Said Martin upon the annoucement of the Game of Thrones play, “Our dream is to bring Westeros to Broadway, to the West End, to Australia and eventually, to a stage near you. It ought to be spectacular.” Casting, tickets, and a venue are all still to be confirmed, but that’s as good as confirming that it’ll be on the London stage within the next couple of years, and we’re trembling with anticipation… or is that just a cold wind blowing from beyond the Wall?