Had the toss of a coin landed differently, Jack Thorne’s stunning new play, The Motive and the Cue at the National Theatre, might never have been written. But fate means that Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, would play Hamlet on Broadway with Sir John Gielgud directing. Peter O’Toole would take to the London stage, coincidentally at the National, with Olivier at the helm.
Not only was Burton a roaring success in the role, but the production became the longest running Hamlet in Broadway history. But if something was rotten in the state of Denmark, things weren’t much better in the rehearsal room. Directed by Sam Mendes, The Motive and the Cue covers the period from first table read through to the first performance.
The play opens with Gielgud introducing the cast to each other, while Burton makes his own speech and apologises for the throng that have gathered outside to try and catch a glimpse of the movie star. It’s an early indicator that Gielgud is no longer the star of the show, and that he and Burton will be vying for the attention of the room.
The verbal sparring that follows in the subsequent days is wonderfully amusing, particularly in these witty one liners from Gielgud, where a devastating put down is wrapped in a thinly veiled compliment. Each one delivered with satisfying pomposity by the marvellous Mark Gatiss, revelling in this powerhouse performance.
Gielgud’s production was set in a rehearsal room, so there’s something deliciously meta about Thorne’s play also being set in a rehearsal room, one where arguments stem from the differing views on how Burton should play Hamlet. In one scene when Gielgud tells Burton not to shout the lines, Burton shouts all the louder. But the movie star feels he isn’t being given the direction he needs, and that Gielgud is only trying to recreate his own performance as Hamlet at the Vic.
Burton turns up to rehearsals drunk and openly mocks Gielgud in front of the company, unveiling Gielgud’s vulnerability in the wake of ‘Larry’ taking up a new position at the National Theatre. Thorne’s gloriously rich script (based on books written by those involved with the production) subtly dissects the various relationships of the players, and it’s magical to see it all unfold.
There’s a whole cast of characters, including Tuppence Middleton as a bubbly Elizabeth Taylor, and Janie Dee as the stoic Eileen Herlie, but The Motive and the Cue leaves them all largely in the shadows, instead focusing on Gielgud and Burton. Understandably so, the dynamic between the two is electric, and shows that the rehearsal room can be every bit as dramatic as anything that happens on stage.
There are plenty of Shakespearian easter eggs for those who care to look, plus longer pieces of text from Hamlet, these usually cover scene changes as Es Devlin’s gorgeous set transforms from the rather bleak rehearsal room to the sumptuous hotel suite of Burton and Taylor, culminating in a final scene that already looks iconic.
Unsurprisingly, much of the Shakespearian text is delivered by Burton, played with boorish charm by Johnny Flynn. Flynn is truly magnificent as Richard Burton, every line delivered with the beat of perfection, and when it comes to that ‘To Be or Not To Be’ moment, the audience are wholly captivated by the majesty of Flynn’s delivery.
Sam Mendes and Jack Thorne have together created a brilliant piece of theatre, certainly one that’s fascinating to anyone with an interest in the industry, but equally entertaining for anyone who loves a good story. Perhaps a Burton/Olivier production of Hamlet would have been equally as tumultuous, but watching The Motive and the Cue, we should all be grateful that coin landed the way it did.
The Motive and The Cue is at The Lyttleton Theatre until 15th July 2023.
