The Motive and the Cue review: Drama at its most witty and engaging

To see or not to see? That is the question that requires no hesitation on my part when it comes to Jack Thorne’s new play The Motive and the Cue at the National Theatre. My answer? A resounding yes. This is drama at its most witty and engaging.

A love of theatre runs through every second of this backstage story about John Gielgud directing Richard Burton in a modern-dress version of Hamlet on Broadway in 1964. The production, projected captions tell us at the end, went on to be a triumph but its journey to opening night was a fascinatingly fraught one that Thorne chronicles brilliantly.

There are pleasantries at the first table read but it soon becomes clear that Gielgud and Burton have very different visions. The former, still basking in the glory of playing the Prince of Denmark more than 300 times, wants something subtle and probing – a take on The Bard’s most-performed tragedy that no one has seen before.

Burton, however, is more inclined to bellow his way through it. At least, that is, when he isn’t cat-and-mousing with his wife Elizabeth Taylor in their hotel suite. Or drinking up a storm before, after, and even sometimes during rehearsals.

Johnny Flynn is superb as the sozzled superstar. He’s got the voice and mannerisms spot on as he digs deep into Burton’s bullishness and berates Gielgud for his mellifluous, sing-song approach. He does drunk really well and conveys a bloated ego that hides his insecurities.

Mark Gatiss is even better as Sir John, an effete luvvie who calls men ‘Dear Boy’ and refers to Shakespeare as ‘Uncle Will’. Thorne gives him the best lines (“I was born with my bladder too close to my eyes,” he says of his propensity towards tears) and Gatiss seizes upon them with a very Gielgudian relish. Gielgud’s sexuality isn’t dwelled upon (“I have no interest in your bosom,” he casually tells Taylor) but there’s a touching scene where he hooks up with a rent boy, pretending to be reckless when clearly he’s lonely.

The rest of the large cast, playing other members of the acting troupe, all do sterling work. And if Tuppence Middleton neither looks nor sounds like Elizabeth Taylor she’s an alluring presence and a wisecracker who tells Burton: “You’re the finest actor I ever slept with.”

The on-stage Gielgud is struggling to find the right tone but the play’s real director Sam Mendes is in total command of the material. It’s a fascinating insight into the rehearsal process, with thespians behaving badly and tempers fraying.

There’s a lot of Hamlet here. Chunks of it are recited during scenes and scene changes, and both Flynn and Gatiss give us their take on the most-played Shakespearean character. They’re both so good I’d pay top dollar to see them do the whole thing. Whether that’s to be or not to be in the future, well that’s the question.

The Motive and the Cue is at the National Theatre, London, until 15 July. Get tickets here.