The Hunger Games: On Stage - Review

★★★★☆

The Hunger Games: On Stage is not just a theatrical adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s dystopian blockbuster, but also a bold experiment in bringing a sprawling, cinematic narrative into an immersive live arena. Designed specifically for the purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, this ambitious production embraces spectacle with full throttle, but does it also deliver the emotional depth and narrative clarity that made the original story so compelling? Or does all that noise sometimes drown out the beating heart we came to see?

Mia Carragher as Katniss Everdeen. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

The story is the familiar tale of survival, loyalty, and resistance in the totalitarian society of Panem. Each year, children from the twelve districts are chosen to participate in a televised fight-to-the-death known as The Hunger Games. When Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister Prim’s place in the Reaping, she is thrust into the brutal world of the Capitol and its gladiatorial spectacle. Joined in the arena by fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark, Katniss’s struggle becomes more than just survival; it becomes a story of identity, defiance, and the unexpected sparks of humanity in a world designed to extinguish them.

There is loads to praise in this stage adaptation. Perhaps the biggest achievement is the sense of scale and immersion. Director Matthew Dunster and set designer Miriam Buether have transformed a cavernous new building into a theatrical arena that feels alive. The seating itself shifts, platforms rise and fall, and aerial work injects energy into the action. When the arena sequences kick in during act two, with characters suspended mid-air and fight choreography that blends athleticism with theatrical storytelling, you feel as though you are glimpsing the violent poetry that makes the Games so terrifying on the page and screen. It’s a spectacle that theatre rarely dares to embrace.

One of the clearest successes lies in the choreography. Charlotte Broom’s work, teamed with Kev McCurdy’s fight direction, gives the physicality a life of its own: duels, ambushes, and frantic movement across space never feel static. These sequences alone justify a ticket; they are the parts of the show where theatrical illusion and real risk meet, and the result is exhilarating.

Mia Carragher shoulders the role of Katniss Everdeen with stamina and commitment. There are no stunt doubles here; she climbs ropes, tip-toes across lighting rigs, and moves as though she inhabits this dangerous world, not just performs within it. Her portrayal captures Katniss’s vulnerability and bewilderment in a way grounded less in film iconography and more in youthful trepidation, reminding us that these are children in an untenable situation, not superheroes. Redmand Rance’s Peeta complements her well, bringing a warmth that makes their alliance feel real.

Two ensemble actors fighting in the air. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Joshua Lacey’s Haymitch and Tasmin Carroll’s Effie offer essential counterpoints. Lacey brings a mix of rough humour and haunted depth to a mentor figure who should feel worn down by the world, and often does, while Carroll’s Effie is larger than life without being a straight film mimic, giving the Capitol’s absurdity a satirical, theatrical swing. And Stavros Demetraki’s Caesar Flickerman is a blast; his campy, primetime-host energy provides the necessary lightness and earns the audience’s biggest cheer, though I wish his presence arrived sooner in the evening to cut through the gloom.

That said, this adaptation isn’t without its flaws, and chief among them is the occasional disconnect between spectacle and story. Conor McPherson’s script attempts to corral a massive narrative into a two-hour format, and the result sometimes feels rushed or fragmented. The first act frequently prioritises visual bombardment over character development, meaning we don’t always feel the weight of Katniss’s relationships with her family or district before she’s pulled into the Capitol’s orbit. It’s dazzling, it’s impressive, but it’s also lacking emotional depth.

One particularly jarring choice is the presentation of President Snow, played on screen by John Malkovich rather than live on stage. Creatively, using technology to give him a looming presence makes sense in a story about broadcast spectacle, but it often feels less ‘omnipotent villainy’ and more like a ‘disembodied projection’. In moments where actors on stage respond to Snow’s pronouncements, the gap between the screen and live performance undercuts the tension rather than heightens it. Plus, Malchovich’s auto-cue reading blazé performance leaves so much to be desired — I’m not sure his involvement is selling the tickets, is it? 

Sound design and volume offer a mixed bag. While soundscapes help evoke the chaos of the arena and the Hunger Games’ sensory overload, there are moments where the volume is overpowering, uncomfortable, and simply jarring. 

Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Despite the immersive staging, emotional intimacy can feel elusive. The pursuit of spectacle means this adaptation occasionally glosses over the psychological nuance that made Collins’s novel so compelling. The result is a production that impresses the senses but sometimes leaves the heart beating a little shallow.

All of that said, The Hunger Games: On Stage is still one of the most daring pieces of theatre to debut in London in years. Its fusion of immersive staging, athletic performance, and dystopian spectacle is unlike anything else. It does not simply restage a beloved franchise; it reimagines it in theatrical terms, even if not every choice lands with full emotional impact. For fans of the books and films, there is much here to enjoy and to marvel at; for adventurous theatre-goers, the show is an impressive demonstration of what large-scale live performance can achieve.

In the end, this is a production that rewards curiosity and imagination. It isn’t perfect, but its ambition, visual ingenuity, and the sheer physical courage of its performers make it a compelling night at the theatre. If you want to see storytelling that pushes the boundaries of stagecraft and aren’t afraid of a little chaos with your dystopia, The Hunger Games is absolutely worth joining in the arena for.