dpThe upcoming “Game of Thrones” theater production “The Mad King” is still on track to open next month in the U.K. despite canceling its first week of previews, Variety can confirm.
The Royal Shakespeare Company production was set to launch previews Monday, July 20 but all four performances this week were canceled, disappointing a number of fans who traveled from afar, including overseas.
The play is taking place at the RSC’s homebase, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, two hours outside of London.
“We can confirm that the RSC and our co-producers took the difficult decision to cancel preview performances of George R. R. Martin’s ‘Game of Thrones: The Mad King’ this week, and that we are going ahead with the performance on Saturday 25 July,” a rep for the RSC told Variety. “We can also confirm that the production will officially open on Saturday August 8.”
“‘Game of Thrones: The Mad King’ is an epic and hugely ambitious production,” the rep added. “The decision to delay the first preview was taken to allow the actors, creative and technical teams the additional time necessary to progress and refine the work in real time.”
Adapted by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke, “Game of Thrones: The Mad King” is set to have its official opening night on Aug. 8 and will run through Sept. 5.
The four-hour production (which includes a 20 minute interval) is set just before the events in Martin’s novels and will follow the great houses of Westeros as ambition, family bonds and succession collide during the reign of the Mad King.
Michael Shaeffer will play King Aerys II Targaryen in the production, with Noah Ritter as Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark and Callum Woodhouse as Lord Robert Baratheon.
Maxim Ays joins as Ser Jaime Lannister while Daisy Franks plays Cersei Lannister.
As well as puppets and grand sets the show will unveil a new theater configuration that puts audiences “at the heart of the action,” according to RSC co-artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey.
