The Royal Shakespeare Company’s sold-out Game of Thrones stage play, The Mad King, will leave Stratford-upon-Avon for London in 2027.
Fans who missed the Stratford run will get another chance to see it, though no London dates have been set. The RSC confirmed in early September, before the Stratford finale, that George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones: The Mad King will open in the capital, with venue and dates to be announced. Martin, the show’s creator and executive producer, is pleased about the move.
I had an absolutely splendid time in Stratford upon Avon for the premier and am thrilled the production will be moving to London to share the experience with a wider audience. It promises to be an exhilarating journey.
George R. R. Martin, creator and executive producer
This is a play, not a TV series or a film. It premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on 8 August 2026, and its final Stratford performance was on Saturday 5 September after a sold-out run. Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey said the Stratford run drew new audiences.
The reaction from audiences in Stratford has been phenomenal, and we are so honoured that 57% of our bookers were new to the RSC.
Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, Co-Artistic Directors
What The Mad King is about
The play is set in the years before Martin’s novels and the HBO series. The official synopsis opens with a long winter thawing in Harrenhal and spring promised. At a lavish banquet on the eve of a jousting tournament, lovers meet, and revellers speculate about who will contend. In the shadows, dissenters from the inner circle of the realm’s “merciless Mad King” advance a treasonous plot.
According to Collider, the story centres on the Harrenhal tournament, with Rhaegar Targaryen, Robert Baratheon, Lyanna Stark, and King Aerys II Targaryen. The second half turns to Robert’s Rebellion, in which Robert tries to free Lyanna and bring down the Targaryen dynasty. Collider also calls it a stage prequel featuring a young Ned Stark.
Puppets, swords and a dragon
Duncan Macmillan adapted the play from Martin’s novels, and Dominic Cooke directs. According to the RSC, puppetry and movement directors Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell of Lume are on the creative team. According to London Theatre, puppets play a key role, including jousters on horseback, battling armies, ravens and a dragon. The Iron Throne also appears, formed from more than 300 individually made swords.
In Stratford, the show ran for 3 hours and 40 minutes. Time Out says the production “scored generally strong reviews”, and the official site quotes WhatsOnStage calling it “a triumph; a soaring, surging spectacle”.
What London will bring
The RSC hasn’t named a London venue or any dates beyond 2027. The London cast and running time are also still to come. The Stratford cast included Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark, Callum Woodhouse as Robert Baratheon, Harmony Rose-Bremner as Lyanna Stark, and Michael Shaeffer as Aerys II.
The producers are Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, Mark Manuel, Sir Leonard Blavatnik, and Danny Cohen for Access Entertainment, with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures on behalf of HBO. According to Nerdist, Martin announced the transfer himself in a social media video.
Tickets aren’t on sale yet. Fans can sign up for news and priority access at gameofthronesonstage.com.
The wider Westeros slate
The play joins a busy stretch for the franchise. Warner Bros is making its first Game of Thrones film, Aegon’s Conquest. Viewers in the UAE and GCC can find where to watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Anyone revisiting the original series can use our OSN+ streaming guide.
Martin has been candid about falling behind in a recent update. For now, the London run’s venue and dates are the news to wait for.
