A standing ovation on Tuesday evening went some way towards easing the pain of a disastrous few days for the RSC. One audience member told the paper: “He said they had all been working extremely hard and he also called out Sam, the stage manager. There are puppet dragons with red glowing eyes and massive wings that sweep over the stage and audience on poles.” She flew in from her native New York especially for the RSC show only for it to then be cancelled. The official opening night of Game of Thrones: The Mad King will take place on Saturday, 8th August