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Sam Mendes directs the West End transfer of The Motive and the Cue starring Johnny Flynn, Mark Gatiss, and Tuppence Middleton. Book The Motive and the Cue tickets in the West End on London Theatre.
A new play by Olivier Award winner Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), this uproarious show based on real events astonished at the National Theatre, and now it will enjoy a limited run for 15 weeks only on the West End at the Noel Coward Theatre.
It’s 1964, and famed stage and screen icon Richard Burton assumes the role of a lifetime: Hamlet. Playing the Danish prince is hard enough, but he’s also juggling a high-profile romance with Hollywood’s leading lady, Elizabeth Taylor, whom he recently married, and an experimental directorial concept helmed by Sir John Gielgud. Rehearsals go anything but smoothly.
Burton and Gielgud represent two distinct generations, each with clashing ideas on creativity. Gielgud made Burton a star, but now the actor is ready to be his own persona. A smash hit and sold-out success, The Motive and the Cue traces the fine line between art and celebrity and offers audiences a rare look at the drama behind the scenes of a highly anticipated Shakespearean production.
Academy, Olivier, and Tony Award winner Sam Mendes directs this production. Mendes has established himself as one of the world’s most sought-after directors, having accomplished film (American Beauty, 1917) and theatre both on Broadway and the West End (The Ferryman, Gypsy, The Lehman Trilogy).
Jack Thorne’s sizzling play features beloved London actors, including Johnny Flynn as actor Richard Burton, Mark Gatiss as director Sir John Gielgud, and Tuppence Middleton as cultural legend Elizabeth Taylor.
Book tickets to The Motive and the Cue on London Theatre today.
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Assisted performances: Signed Performance: 2pm Saturday 3 February 2024 Audio described Performance: 7.30pm Thursday 29 February 2024 & 2pm Saturday 16 March 2024 Captioned Performance: 7.30pm Tuesday 20 February 2024 & 2pm Saturday 9 March 2024
2h 40m (incl. interval)
December 9th, 2023
March 23rd, 2024
12+ Everyone, regardless of age, must have their own ticket to enter the theatre. Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by and sat next to a ticket holder who is at least 18 years old. Children under the age of 5 will not be admitted.
Read our four-star review of The Motive and the Cue starring Johnny Flynn and Mark Gatiss at the National Theatre, with performances currently through 15 July.
The Olivier-winning actress will play Eileen Hurlie in Jack Thorne’s new play, based on relationships between Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and John Gielgud.
Sam Mendes directs Mark Gatiss in Jack Thorne's newest play.
The new play will premiere at the National Theatre in spring 2023.