A new play inspired by “Game of Thrones” at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, has quickly become a magnet for the many fans of the books and TV series, with its weekslong run already sold out.
So ticket holders for five preview performances of the play, “Game of Thrones: The Mad King,” were more than a little dismayed last week when the shows, scheduled for July 20-24, were canceled at the last minute. A show on Saturday, July 25, was also called off just hours before the curtain was set to rise.
The R.S.C. said on Monday that the remaining previews, which are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, were expected to go ahead. It also said that it had added a matinee performance on Aug. 1, and that more seats had been released throughout the show’s run. The play is scheduled to open officially on Aug. 8 and last through Sept. 5.
“Those affected were provided with the opportunity to rebook their tickets at the same rate,” Despina Tsatsas, an executive producer with the R.S.C., said in an email.
As of Monday afternoon, all of the available performances, including the additional matinee, were marked as “Sold Out” on the theater company’s website.
The production, a stage prequel to George R.R. Martin’s fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which inspired HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” is billed as an epic four-hour show. It was developed with Martin, and is being directed by Dominic Cooke, an Olivier Award-winning theater and television director.
According to Tsatsas, the R.S.C. canceled the first previews because of the “ambitious and epic nature of this production” and “a number of unforeseen delays.” The cancellation “was taken to allow the actors, creative and technical teams the additional time necessary to progress and refine the work in real time.”
The delays, Tsatsas added, “cannot be attributed to any one single factor but were a result of a combination of circumstances.”
Several ticket holders took to social media to vent their frustration over the cancellations, including some who said they were already in Stratford-upon-Avon, having traveled from overseas.
The R.S.C. has said that affected audience members will receive a full refund, although the company will not cover expenses such as travel or accommodations.
“The decision to cancel performances is always challenging and is only taken after careful consideration of all the options available,” Tsatsas said. “We recognize how disappointing this will be for audiences, and we have apologized to all those affected for the inconvenience caused.”
Derrick Bryson Taylor contributed reporting.
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