← MickeyJoTheatre
MickeyJoTheatre
THE HUNGER GAMES... on stage?! | Everything we know about the 2025 London Theatre production
00:21:23
Loading summary
Transcript1 lines
- [00:00]
Mickie Jo
And may the odds be ever in your favor. Is that it? Did I say it right? Is that the thing that they say? News flash. I know nothing about the Hunger Games, but that is going to need to change because the Hunger Games, like Harry Potter, like Lord of the Rings, like Percy Jackson before it is coming to the stage. Oh my God. Hey, welcome back to my theatre themed YouTube channel. Or hello to you if you're listening on podcast platforms. My name is Mickie Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre. I am a professional theatre critic and a content creator here on social media. I am based in the UK and this is very exciting London theatre news because finally, finally, finally they have announced when we are going to see the long awaited previously announced stage adaptation of the Hunger Games. The production, which was initially announced for 2024, promised to bring the young adult dystopian story to the stage in a compellingly exciting way. But then 2024 came and went with no further updates. It has now earlier today been announced that we will be seeing this production in late 2025 at a purpose built theatre. Now, details about all of this as well as some idea as to to be excited about this even if you are not a Hunger Games fan, is what we are going to be discussing in today's video. But as always, I would love to know what you think about this as well. Are you a fan of the Hunger Games? Do you know the books? Do you know the films? Are you excited to see this on stage? Will you be fighting to get tickets in the in the metaphorical sense? Please don't kill each other. And more importantly, what on earth do we think this is going to be like as a piece of theatre? Do we think this is going to stand up to dramaturgical scrutiny or is it just going to be a newly immersive way to celebrate your enthusiasm for the pre existing intellectual property? We're going to talk about it, but just before we do, if you enjoy this theatrical news recap and you want to stay up to date with all of the West End and Broadway theatre news, make sure you are following me wherever it may be on social media, on podcast platforms, or subscribed right here on YouTube with the notifications turned on so you don't miss what are currently daily video updates from me about the world of theatre. Anyway, let's talk about the Hunger Games. So you'll have to forgive me. Like I said, the Hunger Games sort of passed me by in my teenage years. Now here's a little bit of backstory I used to run a teenage reading group at the library where I worked for several years. This really, if you know me well, ought to all make sense with my personality. And at the time that I took over running this teenage reading group, they had just finished reading the Hunger Games. And so a lot of the books that I read during that time were dictated by what I was reading with the teenagers. And they'd already read the Hunger Games. Not only that, but I was a very pretentious teenager who at that point was probably reading Julius Caesar and Essential X Men. And I'd read a lot of the dystopian and the young adult and the popular stuff. And I'd read the Harry Potters, and I'd read Lord of the Rings, and I'd read your Mallory Blackman's Naughts, and Crosses, all previously the Patrick Ness books. But for whatever reason, I just never got into the Hunger Games. And so then when the films came out, I didn't watch those either. Truly, I have never sat down and watched a Hunger Games film. I've never read any of the books. I know vaguely enough what happens. The concept here being that it's dystopian, it's talking about class warfare and corruption, and you have these teenagers pitted against each other in a televised fight to the death, sort of spoofing historic gladiatorial combat. Right. That's my understanding. Perhaps I'm completely misinformed. Our central protagonist being Katniss Everdeen. Jennifer Lawrence with the bow and arrow. This is what I've been led to believe. In any case, all of this is coming to the stage. I have received a press release. So rather than try and tell you from my own understanding, let's see what we've actually been told. The global stage premiere of the Hunger Games on stage. It's not a musical. From what I can tell, this is just a stage production, which is an interesting enough concept. Immediately, I'm getting sidetracked, because so often when we see something that has been very successful as a film brought to the stage, it's subsequently done as a musical. We're seeing this trend a lot. Popular films turned into stage musicals. Back to the Future, the musical, the Lord of the Rings, when that came to the stage, it was as a musical. And my supposition has always been that they have to turn them into musicals, because otherwise people say, well, I just watch this at home. What's the point? And making it a musical version of that story feels like a significant enough shift and feels like some level of value add Except I do think the times, they are a changing, particularly for younger audiences who will go to secret cinema events. I went to the secret cinema Bridgerton, had a lovely time, had a ball, proverbially and literally. And there have been so many of these immersing people in the world of their favourite films and TV shows and stories. And so I think there is no longer that same kind of reluctance. Reluctance to go and see a live stage version of something that you enjoyed on screen, even if it's not a musical adaptation. And I'm sort of glad that it isn't, because a musical version of the Hunger Games, while I'm sure a lot of writers could do a very decent job, does sound a little bit like something that you would see at the Edinburgh Fringe done as a parody. Now, I do think that this will contain music to some extent, and perhaps if we take a look through this press release, we will even find some evidence of that. But I anticipate that being closer to the way that music is a feature of the newest Hunger Games film. Like great. Rachel Zegler sings a song in that. Right. I think we're gonna incorporate music, but it's probably gonna be diegetic, which is to say, within the world of the story, they are. It's actually music. We're not hearing people's thoughts and feelings musicalized. Anyway, carrying on. This is, of course, based on Suzanne Collins's acclaimed book and Lionsgate's blockbuster film. And it's going to open at the brand new Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre in October 2025. If the name troubadour sounds familiar to you, it's because there is another Troubadour Theatre in Wembley Park. This, I think, will be the third Troubadour Theatre, in fact, and this one is going to be purpose built to host the world premiere of the stage adaptation of the Hunger Games, where spectators will feel like a part of the action in a dynamic in the Round venue developed with groundbreaking entertainment in mind. In the Round. That is to say that the audience will be sat around the playing area, which is not dissimilar from the current configuration of the Troubadour Theatre. Wembley park, where Starlight Express is currently playing, where newsies was playing, playing before that, which has been adapted and reconfigured to allow for different seating arrangements and different productions. Now, in the Round for the Hunger Games is interesting. Immediately it's saying to me that we are going to see less scenery and fewer set pieces, because inherently, if you stage something in the Round, you Can't be bringing on scenery. Where are you bringing it on from? And immediately you're obstructing the view of 30 to 50% of the audience at any given time. And that already is a little bit of a surprise, because when we've seen a lot of these sorts of stories, these films, these fantasy ideas brought to the stage, it's been a lot about the design and about the set pieces. I'm thinking about my neighbour Totoro. I'm thinking about Stranger Things, the First Shadow and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the original production of Lord of the Rings, which is also one of the qualities I find a little bit fatiguing about some of these properties and adaptations, as I feel like there is often a little bit of a reliance on the visuals and on the incredible staging and all of the effects. And for this to be in the round, it's already saying that that is not going to be what's happening here. Also, from what I'm picturing, and I have no idea why this sand, the floor. In my mind, there's probably not going to be. But it does feel like it's invoking the idea of a colosseum and gladiators and combat. And the biggest thing they seem to be trying to push with the explanation of how it's going to be staged is this idea of you being right up against the action and the fighting happening right in front of you, which to me sounds equal parts thrilling and unnerving. Correct me if I'm wrong, we're not supposed to be rooting for the fights to the death in the Hunger Games. Or are we? Am I misinterpreting the entire point of this story? Perhaps I'll find out in October. In any case, let's talk about exactly where this is going to be, because this is the Troubadour Theatre, Canary Wharf. Now, Canary Wharf is not the West End. It is not Central London. It is East London. It is beyond the financial district. I'm just trying to discover if I can find out the exact location of where this theatre is going to be. You know who probably already knows? It's my stagey fiance, Erin James, who likes to stalk planning permissions for these sorts of things. In any case, it's a part of the city accessible via the likes of the Elizabeth Line and the DLR and public transport. You can get there easily enough. It's not walking distance from Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road and Piccadilly Circus and the central West End, but a part of the city that doesn't have a lot currently in terms of entertainment venues, in terms of theatre, but it also won't be entirely alone because further towards that side of the Thames you have the Bridge Theatre, you have the O2, where you can find Mamma Mia. The party. The O2, of course, also being a well known concert venue. And who knows, maybe this will become such a huge success that it will create more theater going in that part of the city and other venues will pop up. I find it unlikely, but there's always a possibility. And if those secret cinema events have taught us anything, it's that people are willing to trek en masse to these random locations in the city to go to these events. Now let's keep going. This is going to be adapted by Olivier Award winning playwright Conor McPherson. If you're wondering where you know his work from, he is the writer of Girl from the north country, the West End and Broadway musical which incorporated the music of Bob Dylan. Also the Weir, the Seafarer, Shining City, the Night Alive, Port Authority, St Nicholas and the musical Cold War, recently seen at the Almeida. And from what little of his work I have seen, I am encouraged by his ability to capture pathos and this very solemn quality. There is a bit of a statement here, he says. As a dad to a teenager myself, it's especially gratifying working on a story whose values of resilience and moral courage speak to young people in these uncertain times. Aren't they just? Our singular focus is to honour Suzanne Collins achievement with a faithful adaptation that's as thrilling on stage as it is on the page. It's been a great pleasure to watch the theatrical language of this show evolving through explosive workshops under Matthew Dunster's inspired partnership with choreographer Charlotte Broome and their tireless team of young performers. Lots of information there that we're going to unpack, but one of the headlines is that it's going to be directed by Matthew Dunster. Here is the work of his that you may know. He is the director of the ongoingly successful 222 A Ghost Story, which doesn't necessarily speak to the way that he will stage the Hunger Games, but he has been nominated for three Olivier Awards and his Broadway production of Hangmen was nominated for five Tony Awards. He has directed or written over 60 shows, often with major national companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the Royal Court, the Young Vic, the Royal Exchange, Shakespeare's Globe and the Bridge. And these are the kind of venues that would speak to the ability to bring this kind of a sprawling story to the stage very well. So that's very encouraging. There's a statement here from him which says, Conor McPherson lifts the detail and power from the book and film and has provided us with the kind of taut and dangerous play he is renowned for. Oh, I like that. Dangerous. I like to see something dangerous. He honours the young voice of Katniss Everdeen. Good, I got that right. And puts her front and center. We've been workshopping the play for over a year with our world class creative team carefully honing our theatrical vocabulary because we want to bring audiences something as impactful and edgy as Suzanne Collins's novel and as passionate and exciting as the movie. But we're going to do it in our own way in the theatre. We want our Hunger Games to be uniquely, thrillingly theatrical. What would be the point if it wasn't? But indeed, we have seen this. We have seen other things brought to the stage that don't really utilize all of their theatrical capabilities. And so, just in premise, I find this to be a very exciting concept, even if I know nothing about the story, which is a good sign, I think. Now, dropped in that statement was the revelation that they have been workshopping this play for over a year. You may be wondering why there has been such a delay on the announcement of the Hunger Games. I think part of this might be to do with the venue. Building these purpose built spaces and getting planning permission and everything else lined up can be a long process. But also it sounds like they've been really working on the material and the staging and workshopping it for over a year. That's the kind of a development period that you usually wouldn't associate with plays, that you would usually associate with musicals because there are more moving parts and they take longer to put together and put together properly. But for something like the Hunger Games, this is not a traditional play, this is not a traditional piece of theatre. And I dare say just figuring out how this is going to work on a stage has taken a lot of time and a lot of thought. Now, there is much more to read from here, but I do think that we have a trailer video to watch here. So let's do a little reaction moment. Yes, I would like to open in browser. Key Art venue, pictures. Workshop video. Here we go. Okay, so this is video from that workshop. It's only a minute long, got a little bit of a logo. People are flying, people are fighting on the walls. Hard to know what kind of space we're working with here. I see a couple of step units talking about it that's Matthew Dunster, the director. Definitely more of this aerial work. Something very animalistic about the way that they're moving and choreography. Couple of recognizable faces among the company. All the climbing, like any other show, anyone's that. Okay, so this is a flying director. I'm seeing acrobatics, I'm seeing weaponry, I'm seeing awful lot of combat. I'm seeing murder. Wow. Wow. And I'm seeing music. Okay, as expected, again, fighting on the walls. Is that going to be up and over the audience, another set piece being climbed there? I mean, essentially all that we really saw in that is a lot of striking visual stuff and combat and aerial things. But yeah, made me excited. This feels like a good opportunity to talk about the rest of the creative team. Miriam Buther will be doing the set design. Moy Tran for the costume design. Charlotte Broom, choreographer. Lucy Carter's lighting design. Ian Dickinson for autograph. On the sound design. Tal Rosner, video designer. That's very interesting because in the round you wonder where that's going to come into it. Chris Fisher for Illusions, who's going to do a terrific job. Interesting that we're going to have illusions. Kev McCurdy, fight director. Very important obviously for this show as we've already seen suspended illusions for performer flying, which is a great name by the way, for them. James Maloney, arranger, musical director and additional compositions. There you go. Some music involved with Amy Ball, CDG as casting director, James Robert Moore as associate director, Robin Grant as creative assistant director. Robin Grant, who you may know from her work with Fat Rascal and Luke Smith as associate set designer and Lloyd Thomas as production manager. Now this is being produced by Oliver Roy's Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment. Isabel David and Umida Arts Theatre by arrangement with Lionsgate. Now, Runaway count among their previous productions some of the shows which I've actually already mentioned in this little recap, including the Tony and Olivier award winning Girl from the north country, including Newsies at the Troubadour Theatre, Wembley park and 222 A Ghost Story. Now, the Umeda Arts Theatre, who I mentioned, are located in Osaka, Japan and have been a leading force in Japan's entertainment industry for over a century. Their producer credits include Harold Prince's final work, Prince of Broadway, the UK premiere of the musical Violet, One Small Step Tattooer and Pacific Overtures. And they are a co producer on the Curious Case of Benjamin Button with ATG and the upcoming transfer of Fiddler on the Roof with Trafalgar Entertainment. But back to the Hunger Games then, as well as that little trailer, we have a little bit of imagery. They're not showing us too much yet. We have some animated logo artwork very familiar of the book and of the film as it has to be. You know, this is trading on recognition when it comes to ticket sales. What I'm interested in are these mock up venue images of what the theatre is expecting to look like. Very modern, very stylish, with the Hunger Games logo branded multiple times across the facade alongside a little walkway bridge area that looks a little bit like the High Line in in New York. If it does have that much bright red and yellow visibility with the Hunger Games on stage at the top, people are bound to notice it. This area does get a lot of footfall, even if it's not necessarily tourists. The tricky part for the show will be finding the tourists and getting them there. This is something that shows outside of the West End but still in London, have struggled with historically. Now, if you're wondering how writer Suzanne Collins feels about all of this, we have a statement from her as well. I'm thrilled that the Hunger Games is in the hands of gifted playwright Connor McPherson and accomplished director Matthew Dunster. Connor has done a fantastic adaptation. There you go. It's got her seal of approval, which is quite unique from the screenplay. Interesting. And Matthew's immersive, dynamic staging gives the audience a brand new way to experience the story, which it seems is really going to be the selling point here. You may have read the Hunger Games, you may have seen the Hunger Games movie, but this is your way to really be amongst it and to experience it in a compelling new way. We have a couple more statements here. This is from Jennifer Brown, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Products and Experiences at Lionsgate, who says the Hunger Games is one of the best book to movie adaptations of all time, inspiring audiences to think deeply about the world around them and the strength of the human spirit. We are honored to bring its powerful story, characters and world to the stage in this latest exciting chapter. And I'm sure they are also very financially excited as well. Tristan baker and Oliver Royd's joint CEOs and founders of Troubadour Theatres, said bringing the Hunger Games to the stage is an extraordinary moment and we knew it demanded an equally extraordinary team and venue. This specifically designed theater is the perfect home for Panem. That's the world of the Hunger Games, allowing our world class team to create a transportive, electrifying experience that fully captures the scale, intensity and spectacle of Suzanne Collins world. I just remembered some of the designs for those characters in the film version. I've seen pictures and that's going to be very fun to see on stage and hopefully it goes in enough of a different direction that they're still recognizable to fans, but also allows the creative team for this production to bring their own new interpretations to them. Every element from the staging to the technology has been tailored to transport audiences right into the heart of the Games like never before. Again, sounds slightly intimidating, but the mention of technology there very intriguing. We are, after all, making theater in 2025 and people can do some astounding things on stage now. That is almost everything we know about the Hunger Games. It does say here the state of the art troubadour Canary Wharf Theater is purpose built to host the world premiere of the stage adaptation of the Hunger Games, where spectators will feel like a part of the action in a dynamic in the round venue developed with groundbreaking entertainment in mind. I wonder if there's any consideration of what this might look like in a life beyond the Hunger Games, or if they're just hoping that this, like Harry Potter, is going to run forever. The venue is described as being situated right in the heart of London's vibrant Canary wharf and features 1200 seats, which I believe is the last piece of information that we can pull out of this press release. I am wildly excited about this, seeing that trailer, seeing the kind of concept for what they're bringing to the stage. I like this world in between plays and musicals where it's just exciting, staged pieces that incorporate music, that incorporate technology and allow people to escape into a fantasy world, but particularly one that they're already familiar with, having fallen in love with a book, having fallen in love with the film. I think people are doing wildly impressive things on stage these days that manage to allow people to disappear into those worlds in ways they never expected to be able to. And if this has convinced you half as much as it's convinced me, you may want to know when tickets are going on sale. And this is going to be at 1pm Greenwich Mean Time on Thursday 27th March 2025, so towards the end of next month. But you can sign up for priority access to tickets at thehungergamesonstage.com that's www.thehungergamesonstage.com and you will be among the first to receive announcements and updates. We have seen popular shows sell out on priority Access, sell out on presale. If you are really excited about it, I encourage you to go to thehungergamesonsonsonstage.com and sign up for priority booking. And thereafter, may the odds be ever in your favour. I feel like I did it right. I feel like that was, that was a good context to say the line. Anyway, I, in the meantime, before this comes to the stage later this year, might go and read the Hunger Games. I might go and watch the Hunger Games subsequently so that when it does come to the stage, I can go and see it, review it, and talk about its relationship to its original source material, to the film and to the book. This is like Stranger Things all over again. I'm about to become a super fan and it's a little while off yet, but make sure you are subscribed right here on YouTube or following me on podcast platforms or on other social media platforms so that you don't miss my upcoming coverage of the Hunger Games. Maybe we'll get a little bit more of a sneak peek between now and then. I will bring you as much as I can and of course, when it opens, my full review. In the meantime, I hope that you have enjoyed this theatrical news recap and I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a stagey day. For 10 more seconds, I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.