Winter’s coming to a stage near you
EDITOR’S NOTE: This review contains spoilers for the first six seasons of “Game of Thrones.”
NEW YORK — The Winds of Winter are more redolent of hot dogs and stale beer than one might imagine. But they sound amazing.
That was one takeaway from the “Game of Thrones” Live Concert Experience, a symphonic spectacular that aims to re-create the visceral kicks and swollen emotion of this HBO fantasy epic in arenas across North America.
Conceived by Ramin Djawadi, the composer of the show’s score, the production landed in Madison Square Garden last Tuesday night, dazzling a crowd of more than 16,000
with live performances of signature “Game of Thrones” compositions (the main theme, “The Rains of Castamere”) accompanied by scenes from the show displayed on enormous LED screens.
Other effects were more immersive, including confetti snow, smoke, sparks and “dragon” fire that warmed the faces
of fans a dozen rows from the stage. The LED displays — several large flat screens and two floating contraptions that looked like upside-down wedding cakes — also recreated elements like the show’s leviathan ice wall and a “weirwood tree” with red leaves. Isaac Hempstead Wright, who plays the young Brandon Stark, briefly greeted the crowd. All told, there were 28 pieces performed over more than two hours.
Djawadi has said the idea was to recreate the world of the show, a Tolkien-meets-“Godfather” fantasia based on the novels by George R.R. Martin, filled with warring clans, magical happenings and gorgeous music that vacillates between percussive, martial works and minor-key pieces, billowing with anguish and dread.
All of that was on display, but the overall effect was closer to being in a gargantuan living room with a tremendous sound system. As the wait continues for new episodes of “Game of Thrones,” which ended its most recent season in June and won’t return until this summer, devotees found comfort in shared obsession.
“I wanted to be here with fellow fans and just feel it all together,” said Megan Marino, 24, who arrived dressed as Melisandre, the red priestess in “Game of Thrones.”
The idea was to recreate the world of the show, a Tolkien-meets-“Godfather” fantasia based on the novels by George R.R. Martin, filled with warring clans, magical happenings and gorgeous music that vacillates between percussive, martial works and minor-key pieces, billowing with anguish and dread.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH CONTEMPORARY TV
Such events point out the deeper relationships contemporary TV forges with fervent viewers, who parse episode recaps and fill auditoriums at events like Comic-Con and television festivals. Dramas like “The Walking Dead” have related conferences and cruises, and others, like “Nashville,” have spun off tours featuring actors who star and sing on the show.
But it’s hard to imagine a series other than “Game of Thrones” fueling a pricey 24-city arena tour based mostly on things fans have already seen and heard. (Ticket prices range from $39.50 to $250.)
At a time when TV is splintered into ever-smaller audiences, “Game of Thrones” is a hit with 10.6 million viewers a week, according to Nielsen, and more than double that when alternate platforms are counted, according to HBO.
Artistically, it’s even broader. Over six seasons, the show has unfurled a sprawling narrative that occasionally veers into gratuitous sex and violence but more frequently presents complex sequences that are more richly cinematic than the average Hollywood blockbuster.
“It’s the universal themes — family, jealousy, envy,” said Steven Godoy, a fan spotted at the Garden wearing a Jon Snow costume and carrying a cardboard sign reading “Winter Is Coming.”
In a sense, an arena is the most natural setting for “Game of Thrones,” a show that, with its dragons, epic battles and, yes, ornate score, seeks to overwhelm the senses. The stage production allows fans to wallow in the spectacle without having to track the often labyrinthine narrative.
Djawadi has conducted live performances of the show’s music at previous screenings, but this is the first dedicated tour. Leading a small touring band along with more than 50 local musicians and choral singers, he was a soft-spoken but congenial host, with a knack for stagecraft. Instruments created specifically for the tour include a 14-foot “wildling” horn, named for the nomadic folk from beyond the wall.
The performers and soloists, too, strutted up and down an illuminated multistage array that stretched the length of the Garden floor, splashing in boxes filled with water and otherwise dramatically interpreting moments from the series.
But if the production was designed to give the music new prominence, the orchestra didn’t stand a chance against striking visuals that amounted to a “Game of Thrones” greatest hits.
‘GAME OF THRONES’ STRIKING VISUALS
The montages arranged moments from the show’s six seasons in order to present the arcs of individual characters and story lines. More baroque sequences, like the “Battle of Bastards” combat montage from last season, in which Jon Snow bested Ramsey Bolton, took on new clarity presented on the expansive screens.
The performance closed with “Winter Has Come” and “Winds of Winter,” depicting the final moments of last season, as the show’s characters begin to converge.
It was a reminder that winter is, in fact, coming. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the creators of “Game of Thrones,” have said the show will have only 13 more episodes stretched over two seasons, bringing an end to the biggest hit in HBO’s history.
Still, it has to be cheering for the network to know that even when the story is done, it can take the spectacle on the road.