Game of Thrones: The Mad King West End Reviews

The script – by Every Brilliant Thing writer Duncan MacMillan – has a lot of heavy lifting to do to explain all this to those who may be rusty on their Westerosi history, and occasionally slips into clunky exposition, with characters stating thei...

The script – by Every Brilliant Thing writer Duncan MacMillan – has a lot of heavy lifting to do to explain all this to those who may be rusty on their Westerosi history, and occasionally slips into clunky exposition, with characters stating their names, hopes, dreams and painful backstories as though in an introductory therapy session.

If Game of Thrones: The Mad King is not quite an unmitigated triumph, it’s still a must-see show (and, surely, this sold-out run will not be its last). That a production as demanding, on both sides of the fourth wall, can be funded and staged at al...

If Game of Thrones: The Mad King is not quite an unmitigated triumph, it’s still a must-see show (and, surely, this sold-out run will not be its last). That a production as demanding, on both sides of the fourth wall, can be funded and staged at all in 2026 is a tremendous shot in the arm for UK theatre itself.

The review star system can struggle with shows that some might sell their house to see but others would be reluctant to leave home for. This feels like a five-star production for most devoted throners but a three-star for those who haven’t seen the...

The review star system can struggle with shows that some might sell their house to see but others would be reluctant to leave home for. This feels like a five-star production for most devoted throners but a three-star for those who haven’t seen the TV series. Thereby, to channel this show’s infectious tones, the Judging One has trod a path between those stellar prophecies.

The Royal Shakespeare Company's stellar stage show has all the thrillingly staged battles, gory deaths and, yes, dragons that the most bloodthirsty fan could hope for. But there's also a surprising amount of heart – of the warm, still-beating kind ...

The Royal Shakespeare Company's stellar stage show has all the thrillingly staged battles, gory deaths and, yes, dragons that the most bloodthirsty fan could hope for. But there's also a surprising amount of heart – of the warm, still-beating kind – as it lingers on the faces of its fallen.

Thankfully, the Mad King largely succeeds on all fronts, the uninitiated bedazzled by a multitude of brilliantly staged battles, skirmishes and jousts, each handsomely choreographed. Especially impressive are the giant armoured horses, deftly manoeuv...

Thankfully, the Mad King largely succeeds on all fronts, the uninitiated bedazzled by a multitude of brilliantly staged battles, skirmishes and jousts, each handsomely choreographed. Especially impressive are the giant armoured horses, deftly manoeuvred into conflict by expert teams of puppeteers.

I’d like more poetry and, in a way, less puppetry – the elaborate jousting, involving manipulated knight-figures, looks effortful. The evening is over-reliant, too, on slow-motion, freeze-frame and black-outs for its combat scenes. It’s a shame...

I’d like more poetry and, in a way, less puppetry – the elaborate jousting, involving manipulated knight-figures, looks effortful. The evening is over-reliant, too, on slow-motion, freeze-frame and black-outs for its combat scenes. It’s a shame, too, that the music – atmospheric though it is – is recorded. It’s not up there, yet, with the Harry Potter or Stranger Things prequels but, on balance, the Game of Thrones franchise has yet another worthwhile and lucrative spin-off on its hands.

The result is a three-and-a-half-hour epic, one of immense scale and ambition, beyond that of any theatre production I’ve seen. Every aspect is orchestrated to perfection, with impeccable choreography well beyond fight and dance scenes. The show is...

The result is a three-and-a-half-hour epic, one of immense scale and ambition, beyond that of any theatre production I’ve seen. Every aspect is orchestrated to perfection, with impeccable choreography well beyond fight and dance scenes. The show is incredibly immersive, which was one of Cooke’s non-negotiable aspirations: the main characters are often standing, sitting and speaking from the stands, amid the seats, making the audience feel as if they were real spectators of the tournament and the war.