Podcast Summary:

MickeyJoTheatre
Host: Mickey Jo
Episode: Did critics hate THE HUNGER GAMES? | Review roundup for the 2025 London stage adaptation
Date: November 22, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Mickey Jo delivers a comprehensive roundup of reviews for the much-anticipated 2025 London stage adaptation of The Hunger Games at the Troubadour Theatre, Canary Wharf. He explores how leading critics received the production, focusing on themes, performances, production choices, adaptation challenges, and wider implications for commercial theatre in the West End. Drawing from several leading critics, Mickey Jo synthesizes the critical consensus and highlights a few notable outliers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context and Expectations for the Stage Adaptation

[02:04]

• Mickey Jo sets the stage (literally and figuratively), emphasizing the monumental risk and challenge in adapting a franchise as globally beloved as The Hunger Games for live theatre.
• Noteworthy creators: Play by Conor McPherson (better known for introspective dramas), directed by Matthew Dunster, with a cast led by newcomer Mia Carragher as Katniss and the star presence (albeit pre-recorded) of John Malkovich as President Snow.
• The adaptation is based solely on the first book/film, raising questions about narrative completeness.

“Sometimes the odds simply aren't in your favor and sometimes it's because the show is bad. Oh my God.” – Mickey Jo, [02:04]

2. Review Roundup: Breaking Down Critical Reception

A. WhatsonStage – Alex Wood (3 stars)

[07:18]

• Headline: Flickers of Brilliance Catch Fire
• Strengths: Physicality and stamina of Mia Carragher as Katniss, especially in action-heavy second act; dynamic use of the unconventional stage and seating; inventive fight choreography by Kevin McCurdy.
  • “She comes through it with real conviction.” – Mickey Jo paraphrasing Alex Wood on Mia Carragher, [09:21]
• Weaknesses: The production feels “caught between thoughtful character study and full throttle spectacle, and never really satisfyingly landing either.”
• Cast Notes: Praise for Joshua Lacey (Haymitch) and Stavros Demetracki (Caesar Flickerman); criticism of John Malkovich’s pre-recorded, low-energy President Snow.
• Design: Set and movement/spectacle are impressive, but the production struggles to create a unique visual identity outside the shadow of the films.

“There’s a fun comparison to be made between spectators in the auditorium and Panem’s viewers hooked to their screens. Are we as complicit as they are by indulging in this spectacle?” – Mickey Jo paraphrasing Alex Wood, [13:35]

B. The Times – Clive Davis (2 stars)

[15:36]

• Headline: Welcome to the Humdrum Games
• Strengths: Energetic young cast; some inventive staging aspects; Mia Carragher praised for energetic presence.
• Weaknesses: The adaptation feels “oddly underpowered.” Excessive narration undercuts dramatic tension; Malkovich “phones it in”; spectacle doesn’t match steep ticket prices.
• Experience: The show is likened to an old-fashioned British game show rather than a dystopian spectacle.
• Audience Note: Even diehard fans left disappointed.

“Although John Malkovich’s face stares out of some posters for the show, he is present in video form only as the country’s ruler, President Snow. Even those brief clips are stilted, as if shot in a 10 minute break between his other assignments.” – Paraphrased from Clive Davis, [17:50]

C. The Stage – Holly O’Mahoney (4 stars)

[19:45]

• Headline: Plenty to impress fans of the franchise
• Strengths: Lavish use of the transforming, moving-seating auditorium; ambitious spectacle; athleticism and commitment from the young cast; sensory design (sound, fight choreography, illusions) that draws the audience in.
• Critical Point: The adaptation may lack depth for newcomers, but fans will find much to enjoy.
• Note on Adaptation Challenge: The production struggles to achieve both minimalism and blockbuster spectacle.
• Hope for Sequels: The review raises the intriguing idea of parts two and three being staged in the future, given the venue’s capabilities and commercial appeal.

“Just as it’s beginning to sound like a negative review, not worthy of the four star rating, we’re going to turn a corner: But there’s plenty here to impress fans of the franchise.” – Holly O’Mahoney via Mickey Jo, [20:55]

D. Time Out – Andrzej Lukowski (3 stars)

[24:30]

• Headline: Is it not totally nuts to adapt The Hunger Games for the stage?
• Strengths: The creative team achieved a coherent, gripping games sequence using stagecraft; the show’s most theatrical moments shine (ex. immersive intros, stylized Capitol scenes).
• Weaknesses: Lack of close-ups limits character engagement; the adaptation relies too much on narration; Mia Carragher’s performance described as more physical than charismatic; Pre-recorded Malkovich is jarring and unnecessary.
• Notable Moment: Suggestion that the show might benefit from being a musical to release emotional tension.
• Reflection: The show is “a credible job that won’t turn off fans… but it isn’t utterly thrilling,” and might have been better as an original story rather than a direct adaptation.

“At its best, it finds its groove as a sort of hybrid of The Running Man and The Devil Wears Prada.” – Andrzej Lukowski via Mickey Jo, [26:30]

E. The Telegraph – Claire Allfree (2 stars)

[32:15]

• Headline: The stage adaptation fails to reimagine its source
• Strengths: Acknowledges Carragher “acquits herself well”; some effective visual and technical moments.
• Weaknesses: Show doesn’t deliver intimacy or emotional connection; supporting tributes underdeveloped, leading to a “moral problem” given the story’s subject matter; adaptation hews too closely to the films, missing a distinct theatrical language.
• Production Design: Despite the potential of the industrial-sized theatre, much of the spectacle feels perfunctory.
• Malkovich Critique: His projection as Snow is “bizarrely blank” and disengaged.
• Adaptation Wish: Points out that script development originally conceived as a more intimate kitchen-table drama—something that “how one wishes… a way could have been found to make this daring idea happen.”

“Given that the story is about children killing each other in the name of TV entertainment, the failure properly to characterize the tributes themselves is almost a moral problem.” – Claire Allfree paraphrased by Mickey Jo, [34:15]

Synthesis of Critical Themes

1. Staggering Physical Demands and Athletic Cast

• Multiple reviews single out Mia Carragher’s demanding physical performance.
• Athleticism is lauded universally, with elaborate movement and fight sequences adding spectacle.

2. Mixed Success of Stage Spectacle

• The theatre's shape and moving seating create immersive, even destabilizing environments.
• Critics feel the show never fully escapes the shadow of the films, sometimes feeling like a live-action facsimile rather than innovative stagecraft.
• Pyrotechnics, projections, and effects receive praise, if sometimes slightly backhanded (“it looks like a behind-the-scenes video for a green screen shoot”). [20:00]

3. Adaptation Challenges

• Too much expository narration dampens tension and undermines live drama—“fundamentally flawed or... a little bit unimaginative.”
• The story’s size and emotional nuance get squeezed by the need for action and fan service.
• Several critics ask whether a new Hunger Games story (a la Cursed Child) would have been better theatrical material.

4. Characterization Issues & Moral Questions

• Supporting tributes are underwritten, making the violence less emotionally meaningful.
• The complexity and interiority of Katniss is often replaced by physicality and narration.
• Several critics lament a lack of intimacy and audience complicity—a topic the adaptation could have explored further given the source material’s themes.

5. John Malkovich as President Snow

• Almost unanimous disappointment with the pre-recorded, low-energy performance, which feels disconnected from the action and “as if shot in a ten minute break.”

6. Fan Service and Commercial Calculation

• Critics acknowledge that the production is likely to succeed commercially regardless of critical opinion.
• Mixed reviews won’t deter the franchise’s large fanbase; indeed, some hope for further adaptations (parts two and three).
• High ticket prices are flagged as an issue for the show's value proposition.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On adaptation risks:
  “Sometimes the odds simply aren't in your favor and sometimes it's because the show is bad. Oh my God.” – Mickey Jo, [02:04]

• On physical performance:
  “She comes through it with real conviction.” – Alex Wood via Mickey Jo, on Mia Carragher, [09:21]

• On audience complicity:
  “There’s a fun comparison... [between] spectators in the auditorium and Panem’s viewers... Are we as complicit...?” – Alex Wood via Mickey Jo, [13:35]

• On spectacle vs. storytelling:
  “Caught between thoughtful character study and full throttle spectacle, and never really landing either.” – Alex Wood paraphrased, [11:45]

• On Malkovich's Snow:
  “Even those brief [Malkovich] clips are stilted, as if shot in a 10 minute break between his other assignments.” – Clive Davis via Mickey Jo, [17:50]

• On adaptation’s core flaw:
  “There is simply never enough sense that we, the audience, are complicit in what we are seeing. And that's the interesting thing...” – Claire Allfree via Mickey Jo, [34:10]

• Suggestion for musical adaptation:
  “Weird alluring bits of singing and dancing make you wonder if there might not have actually been something in a musical. I thought this.” – Andrzej Lukowski/Mickey Jo, [29:50]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:04] – Context, production, and anticipation
• [07:18] – WhatsonStage (Alex Wood) review
• [15:36] – The Times (Clive Davis) review
• [19:45] – The Stage (Holly O’Mahoney) review
• [24:30] – Time Out (Andrzej Lukowski) review
• [32:15] – The Telegraph (Claire Allfree) review
• [38:35] – Synthesis and Mickey Jo’s reflections

Conclusion

Mickey Jo distills a critical consensus that, while The Hunger Games adaptation boasts notable spectacle, technical achievement, and a hard-working young cast, it is hampered by a wavering identity between meaningful character drama and blockbuster action. The result leaves critics divided (2, 3, or 4 stars), united mainly in disappointment with John Malkovich’s President Snow and in a sense of “missed opportunity” regarding the show's imaginative and emotional reach.

“Something inherently in the show itself has ended up feeling a little bit misguided… and John Malkovich, a fairly unanimously agreed disappointment.” – Mickey Jo, [40:50]

For listeners/readers considering the show:
It’s a must-see for diehard fans, a curious mixed bag for general theatre-goers, and a fascinating test case for Broadway/West End adaptations of popular franchises.

Host’s Sign-off:
“If you have seen the Hunger Games on stage already… let us all know what you thought of it in the comments… and as always, I hope that everyone is staying safe, that the odds are ever in your favour, and that you have a stagey day!” – Mickey Jo, [41:55]