Will THE TRAITORS Work on Stage?

Thoughts on the Global TV Phenomenon Coming to the Stage in 2027

MickeyJoTheatre Podcast by Mickey-Jo (Theatre Critic and Host)
Episode Date: January 28, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Mickey-Jo explores and critiques the bombshell news that the hit reality television series The Traitors will be adapted for the stage in London in 2027. He unpacks the creative team behind the adaptation, speculates on possible formats it might take, and weighs the potential rewards and pitfalls of translating a suspense-driven reality competition into a theatrical event. The episode is a deep dive into the creative, cultural, and practical implications of bringing such a phenomenon from TV to theatre.

Key Discussion Points

The Announcement & Initial Reactions (02:20–05:00)

• Breaking News: The Traitors is being adapted for the London stage in 2027 by Studio Lambert and Neal Street Productions.
• Immediate Reaction:
  • “My immediate reaction was ‘huh.’ And my subsequent reaction after considering it for some time remained ‘huh.’” (Mickey-Jo, 02:32)
• Creative Team:
  • Written by television and radio comedy writer John Finnemore (Good Omens, Cabin Pressure).
  • Directed by Robert Hastie (Olivier Award-winner, known for Operation Mincemeat and Standing at the Sky’s Edge).
• Secretive Development:
  • “This has been in development for some time... Not a whisper of this. So they did a good job keeping it secret, as you would expect the Traitors to do.” (Mickey-Jo, 03:22)
• Cultural Context:
  • The UK version's fourth series just ended, with last year’s finale drawing 15 million viewers—“the most popular UK program of 2025.” (04:16)

Official Statements & Press Release Analysis (05:10–07:20)

• Producers' Quotes:
  • Stephen Lambert (Studio Lambert CEO):

    “Taking The Traitors from screen to stage is a hugely exciting next step for this much-loved brand... a thrilling new hunting ground for our traitors.” (05:30)

  • Caro Newling (Neal Street Productions):

    “In developing The Traitors for the stage, Neal Street and Studio Lambert have curated a team of brilliant faithful theatre makers... to bring a bold structural twist to the format that only the live medium can provide.” (05:58)

• Critical Commentary:
  • Mickey-Jo jokes about both statements shoehorning in “faithful” puns and wonders, “Couldn’t they get together and decide who gets to do the faithful pun?” (06:20)
• Lead Creatives:
  • Interest piqued by Finnemore’s comedy background—raises question if this will be a play or more of a parody.

Teaser Trailer Impressions (07:30–09:00)

• Trailer Breakdown:
  • Vague, “castle vibes,” establishing shots, an owl in a theatre, an envelope on a red seat—“a nice nod to one of the visuals that we have in the series.” (08:10)
• Format Speculations:
  • “This isn’t necessarily going to be a play or a full narrative show inspired by The Traitors, but rather a version of The Traitors being played on stage that maybe has audience involvement.” (08:28)
• Live Experience Concerns:
  • Raises the proximity to already existing “Traitors Live” experiences, questioning how the stage version will differentiate itself:
    “If this is just ‘watching people play The Traitors on stage’... that feels a little bit too close, and almost redundant.” (08:45)

How Might The Traitors Work on Stage? (09:56–15:00)

• Venue Considerations:
  • West End “traditional” versus adaptable, tech-heavy venues (e.g., Soho Place, Troubadour theatres).
• Structural Possibilities:
  • Will the adaptation use a full narrative with actors playing regular people, echoing the “series in an evening” style?
  • Notes that prior assessments have seen the show as almost Shakespearean in its psychological tension and moral stakes.
• TV Structure and Theatricality:
  • The show’s inherent drama—a group of strangers (or celebrities) enters a castle, traitors are chosen, betrayals and “murders” unfold, culminating in round-table banishments.
  • “It’s a study in the way we analyze people and trust people, with a lot of troubling revelations about unconscious bias... there is something about it that is so inherently theatrical and so of the stage.” (12:24)
  • Compares banishment debates to classic stage scenarios: “You have characters literally arguing around a table. We’ve been doing that on the stage for decades now.” (13:15)
  • Cites Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony as analogous to the audience’s viewpoint in The Traitors (13:30).
• Notable Quote:

  “Can The Traitors be theatrical? And can it exist within this realm? I think the answer has to be yes.” (14:08)

Comparable Stage Adaptations (15:00–18:30)

• Previous Models:
  • Quiz by James Graham (Who Wants to Be a Millionaire), which used the show’s aesthetic and allowed the audience to vote—“not just creating a generic episode, but depicting a real, much-discussed story” (16:05).
  • Great British Bake Off – The Musical:
    • Strong for focusing on personalities and relationships, not just replicating the structure.
  • Come Dine With Me – The Musical:
    • Less successful—fell into repetition, even though there was also a secret saboteur twist.
• Challenges:
  • How to depict the show’s highly physical challenges on stage?
  • The delicate balance between heartfelt drama and broad parody—“as soon as you start to enter that territory... it does sort of begin to push you towards the realm of comedic parody.” (17:45)
• Possible Story Devices:
  • Might employ audience voting or interactive elements (“bold structural twist”).
  • Referenced plays with multiple possible endings based on audience choice (e.g., The Mystery of Edwin Drood).
  • “Is it going to be like Quiz? ... Are the audience going to know the identities of the Traitors?” (18:15)

Can It Work? Pros & Cons (20:24–25:30)

• Pros:
  • Intense current popularity and built-in fanbase eager for more ways to experience the show.
  • The social/communal aspect:
    “It’s all of the discussion that you have afterwards. It’s the family group chats, it’s getting ready to watch it every night... That’s always been a huge part of its success.” (20:59)
• Cons/Challenges:
  • Difficult to replicate the slow-burn suspense and theorizing over weeks in a single sitting.
  • Stage versions risk becoming repetitive or feeling like uninspired parodies:
    “To just go through murder, banishment, murder, banishment, does seem like it would be a mistake.” (22:09)
  • Non-musical adaptations lack tools like montage sequences to keep things dynamic.
  • Danger of becoming a “soulless theatrical parody production... just because you loved the TV program.” (24:31)
• Notable Quote:

  “You have to walk me a certain length down this garden path before I can begin to get on board with the idea of The Traitors on stage. At this point, I can’t really begin to conceptualize a particularly satisfying version of whatever this is going to look like.” (25:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My first thought, I keep telling you my first thought, among my first thoughts, was that this was going to be some kind of a narrative version of The Traitors, where we would get a cast of actors playing a bunch of regular people... and that you would see essentially the events of an entire series play out over the course of an evening.” (Mickey-Jo, 10:26)
• “While the stage could be a fitting home for The Traitors, tonally, I’m not sure if structurally I can really understand how this is going to work... especially because, as I’ve already mentioned, to just go through, like, murder, banishment, murder, banishment does seem like it would be a mistake.” (Mickey-Jo, 22:06)
• On parody adaptations: “If there’s one thing I really don’t care for, it’s these sort of soulless theatrical parody productions that basically market themselves and sell a lot of tickets on the basis of ‘you loved this TV program, so come to the theatre, we’re doing it on stage’... I think it’s one of the less creative things that we could be doing.” (Mickey-Jo, 24:31)
• “They promised that this would be a bold and surprising theatrical performance, and that’s one of my favorite things to experience in a theatre—something genuinely surprising. So I will absolutely be going to see this for myself once it has arrived on a London stage.” (Mickey-Jo, 25:40)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:20 – Announcement and initial skepticism
• 04:16 – Ratings and cultural impact of The Traitors in the UK
• 05:10 – Producer and creative team quotes from the press release
• 07:30 – Trailer breakdown and speculation on tone/format
• 09:56 – Theatrical possibilities and venue choices
• 12:24 – Why The Traitors is inherently “theatrical”
• 15:00 – Case studies: Quiz, Great British Bake Off – The Musical, Come Dine With Me – The Musical
• 18:15 – Will the show use audience interaction/voting?
• 20:24 – Pros and cons of the adaptation
• 22:09 – Structural doubts & pitfalls of repetition
• 25:08 – Mickey-Jo’s final position: cautious intrigue

Tone and Host Personality

Mickey-Jo is witty, conversational, and earnestly skeptical—never missing an opportunity for a theatre pun or side-eye at PR platitudes. He deftly balances fandom of The Traitors with a sharp eye for theatrical merit, creative originality, and the challenges of adaptation.

Conclusion

Mickey-Jo ends by encouraging listeners to share their own theories and hopes for the stage version, stating he’ll return with updates as more details are released. While unconvinced that the adaptation will necessarily succeed, he’s open to being surprised and promises to attend with an open mind.

Final thought:

“Enduringly, I have some misgivings, but like I said, I would love to know what you all think... At this point there is still room for this to surprise me. They promised that this would be a bold and surprising theatrical performance and that’s one of my favorite things to experience in the theatre—something genuinely surprising.” (25:39)

For all major developments in the story, Mickey-Jo promises further critical coverage—and encourages “stagey” discussion in the comments.