All good things must come to an end. And sometimes a good thing ends badly.
When the television juggernaut that was Game of Thrones reached its conclusion, there was a great void in mine and millions of other people’s lives. I won’t allow myself to enter into a full-blown tirade about how disappointed I was with the last episodes of the show – the internet is already awash with plenty of that.
A couple of years ago when I was still a naïve young fan, I went along to watch Thrones The Musical at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, what with the television programme’s regular occurrences of dragons, bloody murders and hordes of the icy undead.
Thankfully I was most definitely and pleasantly surprised. So, when I spotted the poster announcing the return of Thrones and a written promise that its cast would ‘fix the last season’ – I just had to see it for myself.
Set in a modern-day living room, the show begins with a group of friends preparing for a Game of Thrones finale party. One member of the group, Linda, admits to having never actually seen an episode of the show, much to the disgust of her friends. It’s at this point, the group embarks on a re-enactment of the entire series using household items (bath mats, shower curtains and cuddly toys) as props.
Image: George Eckart
What happens over the course of the next hour and a bit is a side-splitting collection of character impressions, original and witty songs, a sprinkling of Donald Trump jibes and an unstoppable deluge of sex and murder.
It’s clear the cast have more to offer than laughs with a handful of songs demonstrating singing skills that had the whole audience wowed. One stand out performance was definitely Hodor’s song which followed the build up to his nasty and pre-determined death. Everyone was taken aback by how moving and poignant it felt, adding a bit of sentimental depth to the overall show.
Jon Snow was particularly entertaining with his deep Northern drone being ramped up with hilarious effect. With so much to try and pack into a short space of time, the team manage to cover the bulk of the story and their take on the infamous ‘red wedding’ is a stroke (or rather, a stab) of genius.
For anyone who is a Game of Thrones fan – this show is a must see. It completely hits the nail on the ‘Ned’ and reminds you why you loved it so much in the first place.
Thrones! The Musical!
Assembly George Square – Gordon Aikman Theatre
August 12 – 25, 22.30, £15
[review rating=”5″ align = “left”]
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