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Musical of Thrones: A Comedy of Ice and Fire is a great example of a dedicated cast that doesn't mind taking the piss out of themselves, or the classic George R.R. Martin series, Game of Thrones.
The play, which guides us through a simplified adaption of the first four seasons of the acclaimed TV show, combines Aussie comedy with superfan in-jokes and musical numbers.
My favourite characters were a tie between Princess Mrycella (played by a devilish, bearded man in a pink dress), and Prince Joffrey, who described Westoros and "A Povo Shithole" and I just couldn't contain my laughter.
A close second was the infamous Cersei. I was thinking to myself 'I straight up don't like this chick', but then it clicked, 'Duh Emma, She's acting!', and the depth of the actors performance really sank in as believable and entertaining. The show has a big heart, with a lot of the cast funding the production of out their own pockets. At the end of the last musical number, when the full cast was on stage, hands high in the air as they finish their final notes, the facade of their characters came down, and you can clearly see the relief and pride in their faces for their hard work and dedication to the production.
I have to be honest to my readers, and myself. The theatre tech and production was not good. It was so not good, it let the entire performance down and it hurts me just to type this. So as I begrudgingly continue, let's get into the let downs.
First up, the Headworn microphones weren't exactly working for every cast member, one characters voice would ring around the theatre in perfect level to the music, the other character in the duet? You couldn't hear them over sound tracks, yet alone any of the words they were saying. This made the audience miss out on important plot points and jokes I'm sure were well-executed. On top of this, come intermission, someone didn't turn off their mic, letting those show-goers like me who didn't leave the theatre to stretch my legs, to hear alllll about the in's and out's of backstage life. The lighting wasn't exactly placed in a way I believe the actors expected it to be, and the house lights came on halfway during the last song, purposefully or not, it made for a confusing and quite disruptive feel to the show. There were a few other things I could nit-pick, but taking into consideration this self-funded production has come all the way from Sydney to perform here for us, I'll let the tech problems slide.
I also know that as professionals, these hard constructive criticisms can be used to alter, work upon, and ultimately lead the team behind the Musical of Thrones to another level of accomplished theatre.
I can see that this production has a bright and interesting future, once these few kinks are ironed out, and it is clear to see that everyone behind this show has fully applied themselves into making this a hit show. I was laughing throughout the performance, and the casting was impeccable. Honorary mentions to Jon Snow, King Robert, Arya Stark, Ygritte, and Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of Her Name, the Unburt, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, and Mother of Dragons.