The Motive and The Cue

Love theatre? Fascinated by what happens when two enormous egos clash? You’ll enjoy The Motive and The Cue, theatre tickets for which are available from us. It’s a fresh new play by Jack Thorne, in co-production with Neal Street Productions. Sam Mendes directs this ‘startling’ new play about the making of Burton and Gielgud’s infamous modern-dress 1964 production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is ascending to superstardom, while Gielgud’s star is fading. As the rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and things quickly begin to go downhill.

Described as a ‘fierce and funny’ play, it delivers a glimpse into the politics of rehearsals and the uneasy relationship between art and celebrity. Sam Mendes directs Johnny Flynn as Burton, Mark Gatiss as Gielgud and Tuppence Middleton as Taylor. The Motive and the Cue is inspired by ‘Letters from an Actor’ by William Redfield and ‘John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet’ by Richard L. Stern. Theatre tickets for The Motive and The Cue take you to the Lyttelton Theatre at South Bank until 15th July 2023, then it transfers to the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre from 9th December 2023 to 23rd March 2024 for a strictly limited 15 week run.