No longer booking
  • Venue Noël Coward Theatre, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 23 March 2024
  • Running time 2 hours and 40 minutes (including interval)
  • Age guidelines 12+

★★★★★ “Thrills in the West End” – The Times

Winner! Best New Play – Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2023

Sam Mendes and Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) present The Motive and the Cue – a landmark new play about the 1964 Broadway staging of Hamlet by legendary actors Richard Burton and Sir John Gielgud.

Following an acclaimed run a the National Theatre, The Motive and the Cue transfers to the Noel Coward Theatre with its original stars Johnny Flynn (Emma, Hangmen) as Richard Burton, Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey) as Elizabeth Taylor, and Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) as John Gielgud.

This fierce and funny new play offers a glimpse into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity.

The play is based on the books “John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet” by Richard Sterne, and “Letters From an Actor” by William Redfield.

The Motive and the Cue is playing at the Noel Coward Theatre from 9 December 2023 to 23 March 2024.

Why would the most famous movie star in the world choose to do a play which everyone already knows? And what lures us back to the same plays, year after year?

Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s exacting direction.

But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.

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Stars and Creatives

Johnny Flynn
Johnny Flynn

Who is in the cast of The Motive and the Cue?

The cast of The Motive and the Cue stars Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton, Tuppence Middleton as Elizabeth Taylor, and Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud.

The cast will also include Allan Corduner as Hume Cronyn, Sarah Woodward as Eileen Herlie, Rebecca Collingwood as Linda Marsh, Luke Norris as William Redfield, Laurence Ubong Williams as Hugh McHaffie, Elena Delia as Jessica Levy, Huw Parmenter as Clement Fowler, Aaron Anthony as Robert Milli, Adam Sina as Frederick Young, Ryan Ellsworth as George Voskovec, Daniel Krikler as Dillon Evans and Waiter, David Tarkenter as Alfred Drake, Kate Tydman as Christine Cooper, Mark Extance as Mick Burrows, and Stephanie Siadatan as Susannah Mason.

Who are the creative team of The Motive and the Cue?

Written by Jack Thorne.

Directed by Sam Mendes with set designer Es Devlin; costume designer, Katrina Lindsay; lighting designer, Jon Clark; composer, Benjamin Kwasi Burrell; sound designer, Paul Arditti with casting by Alastair Coomer CDG and Naomi Downham. West End director, Zoé Ford Burnett and associate director Yasmin Hafesji complete the creative team.set design by Es Devlin, costume by Katrina Lindsay, lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Paul Arditti and music composed by Kwasi Burrell.

Inspired by Richard Sterne’s John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet and William Redfield’s Letters From an Actor.

Important Notes

Content:

Please note this production contains strong language and adult themes, with some bright lighting.

Christmas and New Year performances:

Monday 18th December: 7:00pm; Tuesday 19th December: 7:30pm; Wednesday 20th December: 7:30pm; Thursday 21st December: 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Friday 22nd December: 7:30pm; Saturday 23rd December: 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Sunday 24th December: No performances; Monday 25th December: No performances; Tuesday 26th December: No performances; Wednesday 27th December: 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Thursday 28th December: 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Friday 29th December: 7:30pm; Saturday 30th December: 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Sunday 31st December: No performances; Monday 1st January: No performances; Tuesday 2nd January: 7:30pm; Wednesday 3rd January: 7:30pm; Thursday 4th January: 2:00pm & 7:30pm; Friday 5th January: 7:30pm; Saturday 6th January: 2:00pm and 7:30pm.

Venue Information

Noël Coward Theatre , St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4AA

Nearest Tube or Train: Leicester Square (Northern line, Piccadilly line)

Nearest Buses: 24, 29, 176

Directions

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Critics' reviews of The Motive and the Cue

★★★★★ "An ode to theatre thrills in the West End" - The Times (Noel Coward Theatre)

★★★★★ "Mark Gatiss gives the performance of his career" - The Telegraph (Noel Coward Theatre)

★★★★★ "Quite magical" - What's On Stage (Noel Coward Theatre)

★★★★★ "Sam Mendes’s rich, witty production" - Financial Times (National Theatre)

★★★★ "A witty, deft, touching evocation of a fascinating, fraught encounter" - Telegraph (National Theatre)

★★★★ "Sam Mendes’s elegant production is a love letter to theatre" - Evening Standard (National Theatre)

★★★★ "Mark Gatiss is superb as Sir John Gielgud in Jack Thorne’s affecting play" - The Independent (National Theatre)

★★★★ "Mark Gatiss is mesmerising in Jack Thorne’s gossipy new play" - i News (National Theatre)

★★★★ "Will this play be a hit? I think so, dear boy, I think so." - The Times (National Theatre)

★★★★ "Mark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn are mesmerising in this absorbing real-life tale" - The Stage (National Theatre)

★★★★ "Mark Gatiss is eerily good in this clash of titan thesps" - The Sunday Times (National Theatre)

Also see: The Motive and the Cue Reviews Round-up

Frequently Asked Questions

The Motive and the Cue is playing at the Noël Coward Theatre in London
The running time of The Motive and the Cue is 2 hours and 40 minutes (including interval)
The age recommendations for The Motive and the Cue are: 12+
Yes, The Motive and the Cue has matinee performances on the following days: Thursday, Saturday
No, sorry, The Motive and the Cue has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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