Graeme of Thrones
Love Game of Thrones? I bet you do, but not half as much as Alex Jarrett and friends who have come up with a hilariously clever take on the worldwide TV phenomenon. Character Graeme decides that the show would be better done live, on stage, and so cobbles together a couple of mates to help him recreate the whole story in theatres, on a budget of probably five minutes worth of actual GoT. We spoke to Graeme himself, show innovator and Game Of Thrones uber fan, about what we can expect from his masterpiece, showing at the Playhouse this month. See it before the inevitable lawsuit!
Can you give us an idea of what Graeme of Thrones is all about please?
Myself, Bryony and Paul are currently working toward a stadium spectacular style recreation of Game Of Thrones. 19 hours long. In the round. With a cast of over 200. And animatronic fire-breathing dragons. Obviously we’ll be making a few changes for the performance at the Playhouse. It’s not in the round.
Where did the original concept come from?
I love Game Of Thrones but just feel that the correct medium for the show is live theatre – not TV. As such I asked my friend Paul who knows a bit about theatre lights and special effects to help with the technical aspects and then hired a proper actress called Bryony to help perform the show.
There are some great costumes and props in your show – did you get some help with those?
Myself and Paul have been working extremely hard on this - there’re over 200 costumes and props in the production and it took us nearly a whole day to make them. We even missed lunch.
With only three cast members, costume and character changes must be rife! Are there ever any mishaps that happen live?
During our first rehearsal a stage hand died but that prop has since been removed from the show so I think we’ll be all good from here on in. Incidentally if anyone would like to buy a ride-on-lawnmower decorated like a dragon please let me know. £150 O.N.O. No time wasters please. Some stains.
When the idea was first starting to come together, were there any particular scenes of characters that you felt were ripe for using in terms of comedic value?
I think there may be a misunderstanding here as this isn’t comedy. This is theatre. Serious theatre. Shakespeare. Pinter. Olivier. Graeme. That’s what they’ll be saying.
Personally I’ve come very late to Game of Thrones and am speedily whipping through the six series before the new one starts. If I haven’t seen it all, will I still get it?
That won’t be a problem – consider me your guide to the Seven Kingdoms (the world in which Game Of Thrones takes place) as we journey from Kings Landing (the capital of the Seven Kingdoms) to Beyond The Wall (the rough patch on the other side of a huge barricade made of ice, known as the wall, where bad things tend to happen). See – it’s all explained as we go.
What’s your own favourite character from GoT, and your favourite scene?
It’d have to be Tyrion – his trial scene is one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen. Our re-creation really does the original justice, in fact our version is so moving some people have had to leave the theatre. How they knew that bit was going to be too much for them before we even started that scene amazes me, but really shows the power of theatre.
Do you suggest what might happen at the end of the final series?
Not only do we suggest it, but you’ll get to see it in all its fiery bloody glory. Too good to miss right?
Shakespeare. Pinter. Olivier. Graeme. That’s what they’ll be saying.
Is there as much nudity and violence in your show as in Game of Thrones itself?
You can’t recreate Game Of Thrones without some elements of nudity and violence, but just like the TV show, we have absolutely no intention of being gratuitous.
Why should we come along and see Graeme of Thrones at the Norwich Playhouse?
Based on the distribution of this publication, probably proximity. You could come to Basingstoke or Kingston, but it’s a bit of a trek, so you should come to Norwich.
Graeme of Thrones is at Norwich Playhouse on 9th June. Tickets are available from norwichplayhouse.co.uk
