The Motive and the Cue, the new play by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's
Jack Thorne that opened at London's National Theatre in May,
will transfer to the Noël Coward Theatre this winter. Performances will
begin in the West End December 9 prior to an official opening December
18 for a limited engagement through March 23, 2024.
As previously announced, Johnny Flynn, Mark Gatiss, and Tuppence Middleton will reprise their
roles as Richard Burton, John Gielgud, and Elizabeth Taylor,
respectively.
The trio will be joined by the newly announced 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.
Sam Mendes directs the play, which played the National's Lyttelton. Check out the new trailer in the video above. Read the reviews for the National engagement here.
Inspired by the making of John Gielgud’s Hamlet, as well as Letters from an Actor by William Redfield and John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet by Richard L. Sterne, The Motive and the Cue focuses on Burton, who is newly married to Taylor and set to play the title role in an experimental new production of Hamlet under Gielgud’s direction. As rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.
The production also has set design by Es Devlin, costume design by
Katrina Lindsay, lighting design by Jon Clark, music by composer
Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, sound design by Paul Arditti, casting by Alastair Coomer and Naomi Downham, and associate
direction by Zoé Ford Burnett.
National Theatre Director and Chief Executive Rufus Norris said in an earlier statement, “We’re delighted to be transferring The Motive and the Cue
to the Noël Coward Theatre later this year continuing our collaboration
with Neal Street Productions. Sam Mendes’ production brings the
theatrical process to life so vividly, perfectly capturing that heady
time in history, with Mark, Johnny, and Tuppence playing these
well-loved characters with whom we are all so familiar."
Visit TheMotiveandtheCue.com.