The Motive and The Cue by Jack Thorne, The Noel Coward Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London to 23 March 2024.

4****: William Russell.

“Mark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn magnificent account of how Richard Burton’s Hamlet reached the stage.”

Transfers are tricky things – that which flourished in one theatre can be a lesser affair in another but his transfer of the National Theatre production, which was greeted with acclaim when it opened in the Lyttelton last May and enjoyed a sell out run is an unqualified success. If anything it is even better as the production fits perfectly into its new home. Even the Es Devlin set makes the transition as if it were intended to be used there from the very beginning which some sets she has designed for the National have not done when sent elsewhere.

Directed by Sam Mendes, who paces it perfectly, Thorne tells how in 1964 Richard Burton, played by Johnny Flynn, decided to play Hamlet on Broadway directed by Sir John Gielgud. Burton was then at the height of his fame married to Elizabeth Taylor and although the production was deeply troubled it was a massive hit and is the longest run of the play ever on Broadway. Gielgud, played by Mark Gatiss, took on the job because he was at a difficult stage in his career – it was the best offer he had received he says sadly - and it proved an explosive encounter with the volatile and frequently drunk Burton. What we see are the rehearsals, the discussions between star and director how to play the role, and scenes with Taylor in the lavish apartment she and Burton are living in – she knows her man, knows what it is like to be world famous, and she understands how Gielgud feels. He points out at one moment that he has played Hamlet five times, Olivier only once but Larry did the movie and that is the one people remember. By one of those coincidences the Novello was in one of its previous incarnations- possibly the New Theatre – one o the theatres in which Gielgud played Hamlet. Gatiss is uncanny, conjuring up the great man perfectly. The rest of the cast do not attempt impersonations – no prosthetic false noses on offer Maestro style here – and Flynn, while creating a tempestuous man who has clawed his way to great success on film but desperately wants to achieve the same status on stage, does not recall the real Burton. He and Tuppence Middleton, who plays Taylor have created their own versions of the real people. Hamlet is the role every actor who aspires to greatness plays at one time or another in their career – some achieve it, some simply add it to the list of roles played. The play could sound like a hymn to luvvies but it is anything but – we do learn about Gielgud, his insecurities, his private life, and his fear that the best is behind him when in fact his career was to reach greater heights and his awards would include an Oscar, and we learn about what drives Burton as he escapes his Welsh family background – an abusive, drunk father – to a career in the theatre and then cinema stardom. It is an engrossing, thrilling evening which should not be missed.

Cast

Rebecca Collingwood - Linda Marsh (Ophelia)

David Tarkenter – Hume Cronyn (Polonius)

Elena Delia – Jennifer Levy.

Ryan Ellsworth – George Voskovec (Player King).

Mark Extance – Alfred Drake (Claudius).

Johnny Fkynn – Richard Burton.

Mark Gatiss – Sir John Gielgud.

Daniel Krikler – Dillon Evans (Osric).

Shaun Yusef McKee – Robert Milli (Horatio).

Tuppence Middleton – Elizabeth Taylor.

Luke Norris – William Redfield (Guiledenstern).

Huw Parmenter – Clement Fowler (Rosencrantz).

Stephanie Siadatan – Susannah Mason (Stage Manager).

Adam Sina - Frederick Young (Barnardo).

Kate Tydman –Christine Cooper (Player Queen).

Laurence Ubong Williams – Hugh McHaffie.

Sarah Woodward – Eileen Herlie (Gertrude).

Creatives

Director – Sam Mendes.

Set Designer – Es Devlin.

Costume Designer – Katrina Lindsay.

Lighting Designer – Jon Clark.

Composer – Benjamin Kwasi Burrell.

Sound Designer – Paul Arditti.

West End Director – Zoe Ford Burnett.