Five Famous 'Game of Thrones' Scenes You Can Experience IRL This Winter

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As the global phenomenon that is Game of Thrones draws towards it's inevitable, nail-biting, appendage-removing climax, fans of the series may begin to despair. To those preparing for the long night to come, do not fear; a blood-soaked parody of the beloved show will grace the stage of the Sydney Opera House in June. Oh, and did we mention it's a musical?

From the creative team behind 50 Shades: A Musical Parody, this new venture sets the bar high for die-hard fans and newcomers alike. Not only did director Al Samuels distil the most important bits of the eight-season series into one stage show, but he also gave himself an even harder task of appealing to those who have never seen the show. How? "We created a cypher for that [uninitiated] audience member," explains Samuels. "A main character in our show admits the worst: she's never seen GoT before. Her friends are horrified, but they take it upon themselves to recreate all eight seasons for her in roughly 90 minutes. This conceit allowed us to not only appeal to a non-viewer...but also call out the greater meaning of the TV show. We [want] our show to make a social commentary about GoT."

To get the full lowdown, we sat down with Samuels to nerd out about adaptation, parody and the five key scenes that truly capture the essence of the show. Read on to discover which of your favourite scenes will hit the stage this winter, but beware, the night is dark and full of spoilers.

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SEASON 3, EPISODE 9: THE RED WEDDING

Now if you're reading this we will assume you're up to date and have watched (and rewatched) this heart-wrenching, throat-slitting and game-changing moment before. (But if not, turn back. We're serious about the whole spoilers thing.) This tragically subversive moment is perhaps the best indication of the brilliant unpredictability that makes GoT so compelling. As you can imagine, the musical version is a lot more light of heart, yet doesn't lose the sense of adventure and suspense. In Samuels' own words, "we become so invested in these well-drawn characters and their struggles and become addicted to the terror of worrying about whether they will fall in love, become queen or king, live or die." The Red Wedding scene typifies this kind of storytelling, so we're very much looking forward to seeing such a shocking scene retold via song and dance.

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SEASON 6, EPISODE 5: HOLD THE DOOR

"When I wrote some stuff for the show," explains Samuels, "I would look for those moments that when I saw them, they were emotional gut punches." And nothing was more gut-punching or heart-wrenching than discovering the backstory of our beloved Hodor. Everybody's favourite monophrasing gentle giant met a grim, yet heroic death, which offered an important insight into the history of Westeros and its characters. Originally introduced as a simple-minded stable boy and, basically, Bran's servant and mode of transportation, the loveable giant won hearts all across the land (Westeros and Earth) simply by saying his own name 'Hodor'. After making it through five whole seasons (a rare feat in GoT), poor old Hodor makes the ultimate sacrifice (albeit being controlled by a warging Bran). This scene is sure to be one that leaves not a dry eye in the house. It's hard to see how any amount of song and dance could lighten the mood, but we're hoping they'll find a way, and in turn, honour the life of the series' most loved character.

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SEASON 5, EPISODE 10: CERSEI'S WALK OF ATONEMENT

In a tale so vast as A Song of Ice and Fire, the moments that shock or stay with us the most aren't always limited to deaths. Enter Cersei. She's one of the longest survivors. She coined the term 'Game of Thrones'. And she's our favourite villain and anti-hero, who can somehow be behind the deaths of multiple well-loved characters, but still have us rooting for her and (somehow) sympathising with her. But such is the nature of GoT. "Nearly all characters are flawed," offers Samuels. "[But] all the characters have something we can sympathise with. Except Joffrey. And Ramsay. Those guys are pricks." (Ain't that the truth.) But, back to Cersei. When she takes the walk of ultimate shame — where she's stripped naked and those long golden locks are sheared off — it's the humiliation and punishment that viewers have been craving for the character since season one. While watching it all unfold, however, it feels like somewhat of a hollow victory. The viewer is instead made to feel the fear, uncertainty and 'shame' of someone the story vilifies.

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SEASON 6, EPISODE 9: DANY UNLEASHES HER DRAGONS ON THE SLAVERS' SHIPS

GoT isn't all doom and gloom; for a story that delights in the macabre, there are moments where the 'good guys' serve justice for both fans and characters. After inching towards power slowly throughout the first five seasons, we see Daenerys and her dragons grow, offering a glimpse into a world of magic initially only hinted at. We waited a long time for Dany to go full blown killer kween, and she does it in a literal blaze of glory, slaying the evil slave masters and gaining a dedicated army at the same time. Moments of pure triumph are rare in GoT, almost always marred by a last-minute derailing or fractured feelings of who you want to come out on top. But this particular moment allows for one of the most victimised characters to assert her power in a truly epic fashion. Here's hoping the stage adaptation has as much glorious flame.

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SEASON 7, EPISODE 1: ARYA AVENGES THE RED WEDDING

Character development is key in GoT and what makes people so invested in the series. And no character's growth and development has been as intriguing as young Arya's. She's become synonymous with vengeance ever since she witnessed the beheading of her father all the way in season one. And it was with her revenge upon the wicked Freys that her full wrath and dangerous potential is revealed. This moment allows fans to finally feel that justice for the Red Wedding has been served, yet it also represented one of the darkest moments for one of the youngest characters. Adding up to one of the biggest body counts for a single character, there's a morbidly Shakespearean quality to this moment — something that will undoubtedly translate to the stage in a satisfyingly gory fashion.

See these five scenes reworked in Thrones! The Musical Parody and more at the Opera House from June 5–30. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased via the website.

Top image: Thrones! The Musical Parody.