The article presents 16 reported revelations from Game of Thrones: The Mad King, the new stage prequel set before the original story. It matters because the production revisits the political and personal events surrounding the Tourney at Harrenhal and Robert’s Rebellion, offering fresh interpretations of characters whose earlier lives have largely been described only in the books and television series.

– The play is set in the years immediately preceding Game of Thrones.
– Its central setting is the Tourney at Harrenhal.
– Aerys II Targaryen, the “Mad King”, is a key figure.
– Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark’s relationship is explored.
– The story includes young versions of Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon.
– Jaime and Cersei Lannister appear before the events of the original series.
– Oberyn Martell is also among the featured characters.
– The production brings together the Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Martell families.
– It portrays growing unease around Aerys’s rule.
– Political plotting and dissent within the royal court feature prominently.
– The play connects the tournament to the tensions that later lead to rebellion.
– It offers more context for the figures involved in the conflict.
– It frames familiar history through a theatrical adaptation.
– George R. R. Martin is involved as an executive producer.
– Duncan Macmillan adapted the play and Dominic Cooke directs it.
– The Royal Shakespeare Company is staging the production in Stratford-upon-Avon.