THE OFFICIAL opening of the much-anticipated Game of Thrones spin-off The Mad King at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford is set to open tonight (Saturday). Penned by GoT creator George R. R. Martin, The Mad King features a variety of characters who have never previously appeared on page or screen in the globally successful fantasy series. And to mark the official opening at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the RS released this group portrait introducing members of the company in character for the first time. A number of preview perfomances, in the run up to the official opening, had to be cancelled =due to “a number of unforeseen delays”. The cast includes Michael Abubakar as Eddard Stark, Elizabeth Ayodele as Princess Elia Martell and Maxim Ays as Ser Jaime Lannister.