Game of Thrones: The Mad King description
Game of Thrones: The Mad King is a stage prequel to George R. R. Martin's Westeros novels, set a generation before the events of A Game of Thrones.
The action opens with a spring banquet at Harrenhal and the great tourney that follows, where knights joust, alliances shift and lovers meet in secret. As the reign of King Aerys II Targaryen turns more violent, members of his own inner circle begin to weigh treason. Family loyalty, old prophecy and the question of succession pull the houses of Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Martell towards the rebellion that will end a dynasty.
This is a new play rather than a revival, and the first time Martin's world has been staged. The Royal Shakespeare Company gave it its world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in the summer of 2026, played in the round with a company of 35, puppeteered dragons and armoured horses. WhatsOnStage gave it five stars and called it "a triumph; a soaring, surging spectacle", while The Guardian awarded four stars and praised its "spectacular stagecraft".
The play is adapted by Duncan Macmillan, whose People, Places and Things and Every Brilliant Thing have been staged internationally, and directed by Dominic Cooke, former Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre. The set is by Chloe Lamford and the costumes by Georgia McGuinness, with lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Tom Gibbons and music by Will Stuart. Puppetry and movement are directed by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell of Lume, and the fights by Bethan Clark.
Casting for London has not yet been announced. The premiere company was led by Michael Shaeffer as Aerys II Targaryen, with Noah Ritter as Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Callum Woodhouse as Robert Baratheon, Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark, Maxim Ays as Ser Jaime Lannister and Mariah Gale as Queen Rhaella and Lady Shella Whent.
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