We’re heading back to Westeros with a new Game of Thrones play!
Dust off the swords and kiss goodbye to your favorite characters (let’s face it, they’re already as good as dead), for a stage version of Game of Thrones coming to the Broadway stage! There are also plans to open on London’s West End as well as in Australia, with the first show kicking off 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 between the two nicely. Well, I say “nicely” so long as you don’t expect a happy ending…
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.
Upon the announcement of the Game of Thrones play, Martin said: “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 NYC 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?