Skip to main content

The Motive and the Cue

at the Noël Coward Theatre

by Jack Thorne
A co-production with Neal Street Productions

Booking and details

9 December 2023 — 23 March 2024
This show has now ended
The event location is

Noël Coward Theatre

85-88 St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4AP

Ticket bookings are processed on a 3rd party site operated by Delfont Mackintosh Theatres. Your personal and booking data will be shared with the National Theatre for analytical purposes.

Sam Mendes directs Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton, Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud and Tuppence Middleton as Elizabeth Taylor, in this fierce and funny new play by Jack Thorne, offering a glimpse into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity.

1964: Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway 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.

The hugely celebrated production of The Motive and the Cue transfers to the West End this December for 15 weeks only, following a sold-out run at the National Theatre.

 

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. Sterne.

Reviews

Nominated for three Olivier Awards 2024 including:

  • Best New Play
  • Best Actor – Mark Gatiss
  • Best Director – Sam Mendes

Video

Johnny Flynn sits on a wooden chair in a rehearsal room. He is wearing a black suit, shirt and leather boots. Mark Gatiss stands next to him in a brown-green corduroy suit, white shirt and black tie.
Play Video

Watch the trailer

Gallery

 

Suitability

Please note: This production contains strong language and adult themes, with some bright lighting. E-cigarettes are smoked onstage in this production.

 

Supporters

Supported by Mark Pigott KBE, KStJ, The Polonsky Foundation, Lawton W Fitt & James I McLaren Foundation, Dr Abe Peled, Monica Gerard-Sharp and Ali Wambold and Rosetrees Trust.

This play is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Plays Award.

This production is supported by the National Theatre’s Official Hotel Partner Edwardian Hotels.

 

Cast

 

Production team

Playwright

Jack Thorne

Director

Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes

Set Designer

Es Devlin

Es Devlin

Costume Designer

Katrina Lindsay

Katrina Lindsay

Lighting Designer

Jon Clark

Jon Clark

Composer

Benjamin Kwasi Burrell

Benjamin Kwasi Burrell

Sound Designer

Paul Arditti

Paul Arditti

Casting

Alastair Coomer CDG

Alastair Coomer CDG

Casting

Naomi Downham

Naomi Downham

West End Director

Zoé Ford Burnett

Zoé Ford Burnett

Asociate Director

Yasmin Hafesji

Yasmin Hafesji

Associate Set Designer

Amalie White

Amalie White

Associate Lighting Designer

Ben Jacobs

Ben Jacobs

Associate Lighting Designer

George Lumkin

Dialect Coach

Charmian Hoare

Charmian Hoare

 

The Motive and the Cue ticket prices

All bookings are handled by the Noel Coward Theatre Box Office

Tickets from £20

Groups rate

10+ tickets
Monday – Thursday performances
Bands A and B – £50 (£48.50 + £1.50)
Excluding performances in the weeks beginning 25 December,  1 January and 12 February
A maximum of 50-60 tickets per performance.
Delfont Mackintosh Group booking information

Schools rate

10+ tickets
Band C – £25 (£23.50 + £1.50)
A free teacher ticket is available for every 10 paid tickets ordered (11 tickets for the price of 10).
Excluding performances in the weeks beginning 25 December,  1 January and 12 February
A maximum of 50-60 tickets per performance.
Delfont Mackintosh Schools booking information

Group and Education phone enquiries: 0344 482 5100 (Calls to Delfont Mackintosh Theatres’ 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number).

 

Assisted performances

BSL Interpreted performance

Saturday 3 February at 2pm

Audio-Described performances

Thursday 29 February at 7.30pm
Saturday 16 March at 2pm

Captioned performances

Tuesday 20 February at 7.30pm
Saturday 9 March at 2pm

Access tickets are bookable via Delfont Mackintosh only.

Email: access@delfontmackintosh.co.uk

Phone the Access booking line: 0344 482 5137 (open 10am – 6pm daily, excluding Bank Holidays).

 

Artwork photography by Michael Wharley