Flipmagazine The Motive and the Cue at the Coward Theatre a play to love

The Motive and the Cue at the Coward Theatre a play to love

Feb 29, 2024 Cultura, Teatro & Cinema

London

A three hours play, between drama and thrill. To see and see again.

The Motive and the Cue a play by Jack Thorne is on stage at the Noël Coward Theatre, based on the books ‘John Gielgud directs Richard Burton in Hamlet’ by Richard Sterne and Letters from an Actor by William Redfield and directed by Sam Mendes.

The plot: Richard Burton (Johnny Flynn) has decided that he wants to do ‘His own’ Hamlet.

To bring this about there is only one director that Richard can think of and he is Sir John Gielgud (Mark Gatiss). An actor whose performances as the Danish Prince are legendary throughout the history of theatre, in the world. So, while his wife – Elizabeth Taylor (performed by Tuppence Middleton) remains in a hotel room, enjoying her honeymoon pretty much alone, Richard, Sir John and a full cast begin twenty-five days of intense rehearsals.

Can these two artists divided by age, background and attitude to the play, come together and produce a definitive ‘Richard Burton version’ of Hamlet, or will the personalities and egos of the fiery Welsh dragon and the quiet English lion cause a clash, between actor and director that will reverberate throughout the acting profession?

The cast works very well with Flynn and Gatiss. Flynn really reminds us of the real Richard Burton with the right voice, particularly in the various scenes and soliloquies. Gatiss totally shines as Gielgud. Every mannerism and voice intonation are perfect. Moreover, the relationship between the two men and Tuppence Middleton’s Elizabeth Taylor works well.

Sam Mendes’ direction with snippets of Hamlet interspersed between the main text of the play, really works in the right way.

The Motive and the Cue is a perfect production for any lover of theatre to experience. There is a lot of comedy, Gatiss is a master of comic timing, and a lot of intrigue with some very personal elements being brought out and portrayed beautifully.

At the end, here it is Gielgud and Burton, both slaves to the grandeur of their subject matter and carrying the heavy load of their own reputations.

The resulting shape of The Motive and the Cue is both polished and full blooded. It’s the grandeur and significance of Shakespeare laid bare. A play to see with pleasure.

Mauro Pecchenino

Journalist

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