The highly anticipated stage adaptation of Suzanne Collins' dystopian novel The Hunger Games has opened in London to mixed reviews from the city's top theatre critics. The production runs at the purpose-built Troubadour Canary Wharf theatre until October 2026.
A Spectacular Visual Feast
Critics universally praised the production's ambitious visual elements. The Guardian's Arifa Akbar described the "Super Bowl optics" including a "wardrobe of great gaudy glory" designed by Moi Tran that draws from 1960s fashion, commedia dell'arte, Versailles palace styles and alien-chic aesthetics.
The set design by Miriam Buether features impressive technical elements with eight vertiginous banks of seating that move during performances, transforming the space from runway to killing fields. Holly O'Mahoney from The Stage highlighted how "set pieces rise up from beneath the arena-like stage, and props are lowered from above" creating a dynamic theatrical environment.
Technical achievements extend to Ian Dickinson's sound design that "sends the flutter of birds' wings around the auditorium" and Chris Fisher's illusions that make arrows appear to fly into their targets with precision.
Performance and Narrative Shortcomings
Despite the visual spectacle, several critics identified significant issues with the storytelling and character development. Mia Carragher, daughter of former footballer Jamie Carragher, earns praise for her energetic portrayal of heroine Katniss Everdeen, with Fiona Mountford noting her "indefatigability" as she "must run tens of miles during each performance."
However, Clive Davis from The Times identified a "distinct flaw" in that Carragher is "required to narrate much of the story while sprinting here and there." This problem stems from what Mountford described as Conor McPherson's "bewilderingly clunky script" that leaves the lead actress with "far too much exposition to plough through."
The production's first half particularly struggles according to Akbar, who noted it "lacks tension" despite Katniss's warning that "We are just hours away from being mortal enemies."
Moral and Conceptual Concerns
Some critics raised deeper questions about the adaptation's handling of its sensitive subject matter. The Telegraph's Claire Allfree argued that directors Matthew Dunster and Conor McPherson "don't critique the queasy subject matter" of children killing each other for entertainment.
Allfree expressed concern that there's "never enough sense that we, the audience, are complicit in what we are seeing" and described the failure to properly characterize the young tributes as "almost a moral problem."
Alice Saville from The Independent appreciated the Depression-era America aesthetic, noting how "a chorus of townsfolk sway like sun-bleached clothes on a washing line" in Charlotte Broom's "evocative movement sequences."
Patrick Marmion from the Daily Mail highlighted how "martial arts, modern dance, and hand-to-hand combat are what drive the pageant, heightened by strobe lighting and nasty white noise."
One particularly divisive element is the casting of a pre-recorded John Malkovich as President Snow. Andrzej Lukowski from Time Out found it "somewhat disorientating to have a famous American actor appear at massive scale on the screens" and noted that scenes where Malkovich interacts with live performers "feel a bit of an odd thing to be watching."
The production continues at the Troubadour Canary Wharf theatre in east London until October 2026, offering audiences the chance to experience this ambitious but flawed adaptation for themselves.
