John Malkovich will appear as President Snow, the Machiavellian ruler of Panem, when the new state of the art 1,200-seat Troubadour Theatre in Canary Wharf opens on October 20.
Excitement is building for the huge adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s bestselling dystopian thriller, already made into a blockbuster film starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.
Mia Carragher will play heroine Katniss Everdeen in the stage version of The Hunger Games at the Troubadour Theatre, Canary Wharf.(Image: Supplied)
The script is by Olivier Award-winning playwright Conor McPherson (The Weir, The Brightening Air) and it’s directed by Matthew Dunster.
John Malkovich, whose film career ranges from Con Air to Dangerous Liaisons and Being John Malkovich, said: “I’m delighted to join the World Premiere production of The Hunger Games in London, bringing this iconic story to the stage. Playing President Coriolanus Snow will be thrilling, because I have long been an admirer of Suzanne Collins’s novels, the films and Conor McPherson’s writing.
“It is a privilege to take on this role.”
Mia Carragher – the daughter of England footballer Jamie Carragher – is set to play bow-slinging heroine Katniss, who volunteers as a ‘tribute’ at The Hunger Games in place of sister Prue.
The games are a form of social control by the ruthless Capitol, which takes two teenagers from each of 12 districts and makes them fight to the death in a televised survival match.
Fearless and resourceful, Katniss emerges as a symbol of rebellion in a story that also features a love triangle, with two boys from her District 12; Peeta (Euan Garrett) and Gale (Tristan Waterson).
The Troubadour, a sister venue to the theatre in Wembley Park where a revival of the Andrew Lloyd-Webber hit musical Starlight Express is currently roaring around the tracks, is a purpose built in-the-round venue designed to put spectators at the heart of the action.
The immersive spectacle will see ticketholders seated in Districts – so perhaps they will be encouraged to root for their two Tributes in the deadly games.
Tickets for The Hunger Games: On Stage are on sale at www.thehungergamesonstage.com and the production opens on October 20.
