Review: THE HUNGER GAMES ON STAGE at Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre

Stuart King 13 November, 2025, 00:01

In a dystopian future world called Panem, located somewhere in North America, citizens are divided into individual societies, from the richest residing in the modern central Capitol to the poorest on the periphery, where minerals are mined and crops are grown. Each year, as a reminder of the foolishness of preceding generations, two representatives are drawn from each of the 12 districts who must then journey to the capital under the glare of media spotlight to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. It’s a bloody and unpleasant spectacle with every grim detail caught on camera for general entertainment and the laying of bets. And much like gladiatorial displays at the Coliseum in Rome, the grand spectacle neatly serves to remind citizens who is in charge.

Recently opened at the state-of-the-art, purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, is the entirely inevitable stage production of Suzanne Collins’ THE HUNGER GAMES franchise, which as surely every inhabitant of the planet knows, has already been a cinematic global phenomenon of epic box office proportions.

As director, the unenviable task of marshalling the technical wizardry required to stage such a production has fallen to Matthew Dunster, only partially helped by Conor McPherson’s cut and paste adaptation which struggles to imbue the supporting characters with relatable personalities and motivations. Only Mia Carragher in the central role as Katniss Everdeen comes close to having opportunities to emote. Everyone else is busy avoiding overhead machinery and stage floor voids while flouncing in fancy frippery. Come the second half, they’re required to shout a lot as they brandish an assortment of weapons whilst trying to kill (or avoid being killed by), their fellow contestants. Only John Malkovich whose pre-recorded segments are delivered into the auditorium via huge screens, has the luxury of slow and measured delivery.

So here we are once again, with a hugely successful franchise seemingly being milked in a bid to squeeze more revenue for notoriously risk averse producers mindful of their product lines. But is this simply a cynical exercise with nothing more than dollar bills for motivation, or has the stage production tapped into previously overlooked nuances, enabling the show to proudly and meaningfully take its place among the many dazzling spectacles already on offer to London theatregoers?

The answer, as you may imagine, isn’t entirely black and white. One thing is certain, however, the new Troubadour facility which was built to house the show, must have cost a pretty penny, located as it is, in a prime Canary Wharf location. Estimates suggest initial capital outlay for the combined 1,200 seat venue and production costs, at over £26million, making it some of the most expensive entertainment venue real estate in the country.

Given that branding always feels appropriate for such large-scale theme-park style reworkings, it was a nice touch to find the seating has been divided into district sections in keeping with the story. That aside, there seemed to be something of a disconnect between the audience and the onstage performers. This is largely due to the scale and stacked seating but it is also related to the subject matter. The show follows all the major episodes which appear in the film and clearly some audience members loved reliving key moments, but I found myself asking why it wouldn’t have been infinitely simpler to have stayed at home and rewatched the movie. There are a few theatrical flourishes here and there, but fundamentally, this felt like high-end theme park entertainment with nothing new added to the source material to commend it.

Doubtless, the production will draw on its strong fan base to fill seats, and those who loved the book and movie will have fun repeating lines and adding their own mockingjay resistance gestures to those which appear on stage. Certainly, the two young women sat in front of me, positively revelled in every recognised phrase and seemed intent on pointing at every noteworthy appearance around the cavernous space, so I think it’s a fair bet the show will draw a high number of younger, non-traditional patrons.

As for the producers, in the words of the HUNGER GAMES organisers, “May the odds ever be in your favour”, and given that the show is due to continue until 18 Oct 2026, there’s a reasonably strong chance it will deliver a strong return on everyone’s investment.