The Motive and the Cue photo on Stagedoor

The Motive and the Cue Tickets

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Sam Mendes directs a startling new play on the making of Burton and Gielgud’s Hamlet

Date & Time

Opening 20 Apr

Thu 20 Apr - Sat 10 Jun 2023, 2.15pm & 7.30pm Captioned: Sat 13 May, 2.15pm & Thu 1 Jun, 7.30pm BSL: Thu 8 Jun, 7.30pm Audio-described & Touch Tour: Tue 23 May, 6pm & Sat 1 Jul, 12.45pm

About The Motive and the Cue

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. This fierce and funny new play by Jack Thorne offers a glimpse into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity. A co-production with Neal Street Productions.