What did I just watch? A Review of The Hunger Games: On Stage

This summer, I eagerly awaited casting announcements for The Hunger Games: On Stage, on Instagram. On July 29, 2025, Mia Carragher was revealed to be playing Katniss. She commented, “I relate to her quite a lot. I think she’s very fearless but then she’s also got that nurturing quality about her.” Not long after, on July 31, Euan Garrett was announced to be playing Peeta Mellark, calling it “a real honour to be able to bring this character to life in a different way.” More casting followed, with Joshua Lacey as Haymitch, Tristan Waterson as Gale, Sophia Ally as Prim, Tamsin Carroll as Effie, and several others.

The Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, a 1,200-seat arena style theatre, was built and designed specifically for this production

Then, on October 1, John Malkovitch was revealed as President Snow. Only later did I notice that the caption revealed his appearance would be ‘pre-recorded on-screen only’. This was slightly disappointing, but I was curious to see how they would integrate him into the show.

 

The Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, a 1,200-seat arena style theatre, was built and designed specifically for this production. Apart from the casting, the odd rehearsal clip, and the new theatre announcement, most details were kept secret. Fans had no idea what to expect.

 

Previews began on October 20 and social media was quick to complain. There were rumours of long queues in the rain, construction still happening both inside and outside the venue, accessibility issues, and technical problems that caused one preview to finish at 11:45pm. Someone who had sat in the exact seat I booked, said their view was terrible, which made me question whether my £35 ticket was too good to be true. Still, the loyal fans repeatedly pointed out that previews are designed for fixing problems, and thus the hate was premature. Opening night began on November 12 and brought a wave of much more positive reactions, including rumours that the kinks had been ironed out and certain scenes cut. I went on Friday, November 14 to see for myself…

The show was staged in the round, with each audience block labelled as a different district and the stage as District 12

Right away, the theatre made a strong impression. The Mockingjay symbol greeted us as the entrance, and we walked straight in without a single queue in sight. Our £35 seats were in District 11, the cheapest section (and a clever marketing strategy). As soon as we entered the auditorium, it was clear why a new theatre had been built. The show was staged in the round, with each audience block labelled as a different district and the stage as District 12. Katniss’ bow hung and rotated above the centre of the stage during the pre-set.

 

Our seats did come with a “restricted view” warning due to the balcony, and this was accurate. I had to lead forward for most of the performance. It didn’t bother me, but some people nearby requested to move, and anyone who struggles to lean forward for more than two hours might find it uncomfortable. Even so, for £35, I still felt like I got a great deal…certainly better value than the £100+ seats in District 1 and 2, which I’ll come back to later.

 

The performance took some time to settle into. The American accents sounded slightly unnatural at first, and Katniss’ constant narration, though true to the books, sometimes slowed the pacing. However, the innovative set design made up for a lot of these issues. District 12 was created by cast members holding planks of wood and moving pieces of furniture, forming an entire house without actual structures. It was a clever way to work within theatre-in-the-round.

I really appreciated the number of small details included. It was clear the writers were true Hunger Games fans

The introduction of characters (Gale, Peeta, Prim, Haymitch, Effie) was slow, but each actor embodied their character perfectly. Haymitch falling off the reaping stage was a fun reference to the book, and I really appreciated the number of small details included, particularly the “Happy Birthday Haymitch” nod to Sunrise on the Reaping. It was clear the writers were true Hunger Games fans.

 

During the Reaping, the seats in District 1 and 2 moved for the first time, transforming the round stage into a long runway. It looked impressive from above, but I wondered how the people in those expensive seats felt about suddenly having a side-on view instead of a central one. Their £100 seats didn’t seem to benefit from the change.

 

John Malkovitch’s first on-screen appearance as President Snow was unfortunately one of the biggest letdowns of the entire show. His delivery looked like he was reading off a teleprompter, and I heard an audience member describe him as looking almost “AI-generated”, which honestly wasn’t far off. The presence of his character through a screen removed any sense of intimidation that he might have evoked.

 

The arrival in the Capitol was a highlight. The costumes were bold and in obvious contrast to the bleak look of District 12. But when the Capitol citizens suddenly broke into song, I couldn’t help but laugh. The song was good, but its placement was questionable and jarring.

 

The training centre sequences were one of my favourite parts. The choreography, the stunt work and the use of space were all well executed, especially when Katniss and Peeta climbed the netting up to the top of the structure. Stavros Demetraki made an excellent Caesar Flickerman during the interview portion of the show. I only wish Katniss’ dress had actually caught fire, but health and safety limits are understandable.

 

At the interval, our general feeling was mixed. I was beginning to categorise the show as somewhere between “bizarre” and “unique.” Part two opened with the long-awaited Hunger Games themselves. Reducing the tributes from 24 to about 12 made sense for the space but definitely lowered the stakes. Their costumes didn’t help either; bright orange scuba-style suits, with Katniss being the only one not wearing a hood. People near me even laughed when they entered the arena.

One of the most memorable moments came when two tributes climbed up into our District 11 balcony and fought across the wall while harnessed horizontally

The bloodbath was staged as what felt like an extended interpretative dance. It was interesting visually but dragged on for way too long. Still, the lighting and sound cues marking each tribute’s death, with the audience districts glowing red, were a clever touch.A minor technical issue occurred during the tree scene, when Katniss climbed a slanted rig and the harness seemed to malfunction. Thankfully, the pause lasted less than ten minutes, and the whole cast resumed their positions quite smoothly. The tracker jacker scene had mixed results. The beehive descended painfully slowly, undercutting the moment, but the tiny LED lights used to represent the insects worked surprisingly well.

 

One of the most memorable moments came when two tributes climbed up into our District 11 balcony and fought across the wall while harnessed horizontally. From our view it looked great, and it made the cheaper seats feel worth it. Meanwhile, John Malkovitch kept appearing on the screen with the same monotone delivery, and the impact lessened more each time.

 

The prop work throughout the show was consistently strong, with impressive weapon handling and effective fake blood. One tribute’s death (which lit up our District 11 section) was especially well staged. The contrast between the brutality of the Games and the presence of dancing Capitol citizens were highly effective. Some costumes continued to distract. The Peacekeepers resembled Squid Game guards, and Thresh’s outfit looked oddly similar to Vector from Despicable Me. It was definitely not the intimidating vibe they were striving for.

Some creative choices were strange, and some costumes were questionable, but for £35, it was definitely worth it

The final Cornucopia scene was one of the most exhilarating moments, especially with the appearance of the muttations, something which the film only brushed over. The ensemble rose from the stage as their own dead characters, moving in twisted, zombie-like motions. It was all very well done. The ending itself felt slightly rushed, but still worked as an epic climax.

 

We left with mixed reviews. I found myself thinking, “What the hell did I just watch?” but also considering whether I’d see it again. Overall, it was a technically impressive production with strong set design and clever effects. Some creative choices were strange, and some costumes were questionable, but for £35, it was definitely worth it. I’m not sure the audience members in Districts 1 and 2 would agree, but I had an entertaining evening.