A Game of Thrones stage play is in development set for Broadway, the West End of London, and Australia. The Hollywood Reporter broke the story. Series creator George R.R. Martin, along with playwright Duncan MacMillian will develop the story that draws on a pivotal moment, The Great Tourney at Harrenhal. The contest happened 16 years before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire (and the 1st Season of Game of Thrones).
The Great Tourney was a ten-day tournament that shaped the future of the Seven Kingdoms. “The play will for the first time take audiences deeper behind the scenes of a landmark event that previously was shrouded in mystery,” according to the play’s official description. “Featuring many of the most iconic and well-known characters from the series, the production will boast a story centered around love, vengeance, madness, and the dangers of dealing in prophecy, in the process revealing secrets and lies that have only been hinted at until now.”
Being set relatively close in time to the series, the play will feature many younger versions of fan-favorite characters. Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon, and even a teen-age Jaime Lannister were all present during The Great Tourney. After the tournament, winner Prince Rhaegar Targaryen named Lyanna Stark as the tourney’s “Queen of Love and Beauty.” Lyanna just happened to be engaged to marry Robert. This started them down the road to Robert’s Rebellion and eventually, the death of the old mad King Targaryen.
In a statement announcing the play’s development, Martin stated:
“The seeds of war are often planted in times of peace. Few in Westeros knew the carnage to come when highborn and smallfolk alike gathered at Harrenhal to watch the finest knights of the realm compete in a great tourney, during the Year of the False Spring. It is a tourney oft referred during HBO’s Game of Thrones, and in my novels, A Song of Ice & Fire … and now, at last, we can tell the whole story… on the stage.”
“An amazing team has been assembled to tell the tale, starting with producers Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, and Jonathan Sanford,” added Martin. “Their knowledge and love of my world and characters has impressed me from the very first, and their plans for this production blew me away since the first time we met. Dominic Cooke, our director, is a former artistic director of London’s Royal Court Theatre, who brought Shakespeare’s dramas of the War of the Roses to television, and our playwright, Duncan Macmillan, has previously adapted George Orwell and Henrik Ibsen, among others. Working with them (back before the pandemic, when we could actually get together) has been a treat, and I am eager for our collaboration to resume. 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.”
The drama of Westeros easily draws comparison to the works of William Shakespeare. Full of murder, betrayal, political intrigue, and war, both Shakespeare and Martin use large-scale conflict to tell very personal tragedy. It only seems natural for the story to find a place on the stage. It would not be the first time a genre series has found a way to be adapted for the stage. The Harry Potter series has found a continuation with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The show, set years after the events of the books, has set records on Broadway. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy has been adapted several times over the years, most recently in 2006 as a play with music that ran in Toronto and London.
The producers are looking at 2023 for the show to arrive before audiences, so don’t expect tickets to go on sale anytime soon. For those waiting on HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon should premiere in 2022.
