About the Show

Sam Mendes directs the West End transfer of Jack Throne's play about Burton and Gielgud’s Hamlet.

Stage & screen superstar Richard Burton is set to play the titular role in an experimental version of Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' on Broadway, directed by the scrupulous Sir John Gielgud. As rehearsals progress, these two titans of the entertainment world clash, unveiling the tumultuous relationship between art and celebrity.

This play by Jack Thorne ('Harry Potter and the Cursed Child') offers a glimpse into the politics of the rehearsal room and stars Johnny Flynn ('Lovestruck') as Richard Burton, and Mark Gatiss ('Sherlock') as John Gielgud.

'The Motive and the Cue' transfers to the West End for a limited run after its World Premiere at the National Theatre in April 2023.

Academy Award®, Tony Award® and Golden Globe winner Sam Mendes directs this production, which is recommended for ages 12+.

Critic Reviews (11)

"The Motive and the Cue is most effective is in showing...behind the scenes of a play."
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“...Jack Thorne’s ‘The Motive and the Cue,’ is a rapier-witted and stirring love-letter to theatre, and to Hamlet, and to two of the play’s most notable 20th-century exponents – John Gielgud and Richard Burton”
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“This Gielgud is – like the real man – often very funny. But it is the triumph of both play and performance that he is so much more than that. He becomes a symbol of human frailty and of resilience. In his belief in art, he becomes a beacon for life.”
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“If you have any interest in the power of theatre, I urge you to catch a play that’s both an exploration of it and a remarkable vindication of it.”
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Sam Mendes and Jack Thorne have together created a brilliant piece of theatre, certainly one that’s fascinating to anyone with an interest in the industry, but equally entertaining for anyone who loves a good story. Watching The Motive and the Cue, we should all be grateful that coin landed the way it did, because it shows us the happenings of the rehearsal room can be just as dramatic as anything happening on stage.
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“Sam Mendes’s production is stylish in the way it matches Hollywood glamour with the intellectual rigours of the theatre docudrama-style: time is marked by projections of the days and relevant quotes from Hamlet...One thing is for sure: it’s a play that epitomises the epithet ‘A love letter to theatre’.”
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“ ‘The Motive and The Cue’ is the kind of historical drama that will live on and be loved for as long as the fascination with the stars and stages of old can stretch. Bolstered by immaculate work from its leads and a sharp, insightful script, it will likely be a late entry to many end of the year lists for those of us who missed it at the National.”
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“The resulting shape of ‘The Motive and the Cue’ is both polished and full-blooded. It’s the grandeur and significance of Shakespeare laid bare. It’s history in the making: process and performance.”
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Trailer

Creative team