The Motive and the Cue (National Theatre) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (35)
See it if you like a great piece of theatrical history explaining the greats at each others throats and how this no matter the actor still takes place
Don't see it if you want a normal play as this is something a little different
See it if You're a fan of theatre business, and find the process of creating a show interesting.
Don't see it if You're not interested in the backstage of theatre.
See it if you like theatrical business, Gielgud, Burton and Hamlet It's a guilty pleasure for theatre lovers.
Don't see it if you are not interested in backstage stories.
See it if /for a bravura performance by Gatiss as Gielgud, or if you love a good backstage story.
Don't see it if It seems to end several times, before falling back on the “and then this happened” titles movies sometimes use.
See it if you want a brilliantly acted and directed show- hats off to Gatiss and Mendes. Very stagey, lots of great references- a real ode to theatre.
Don't see it if you have no interest in backstage drama or the process of theatre.
See it if you are an actor, especially if you've performed Shakespeare.
Don't see it if the run time intimidates you.
See it if You are an actor and are interested in the processssss.
Don't see it if You aren't a Shakespeare fan.
See it if you like a good story about human relationships without surprise twists, fancy a strong ensemble play, and don't mind some dodgy accents.
Don't see it if you're in the mood for glam and glitter, you're after being shocked, surprised or challenged, or you don't like plays based on true events. Read more
Critic Reviews (11)
“Thorne’s play does so extremely well but I suspect most people – certainly those outside the hardcore nerd demographic, those that theatres surely want to reach – are more interested in product than process.”
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“It’s entertaining, with a rousing finale, but I wish ‘The Motive and the Cue’ had more of the grit and weirdness of ‘Hamlet’, not just borrowed its poetry...‘The Motive and the Cue’ may be a love letter to theatre, but in the end it feels a little too Hollywood.”
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“There is a real sense of remove too as we watch actors playing actors who, in turn, are playing characters in Hamlet, or unpicking the meanings of the play, scene by scene. Ultimately, this play-about-the-play leaves us wishing we had been there to see Burton in the real thing.”
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"This is a witty, deft, touching evocation of a fascinating, fraught encounter that captures the mood of those times. "
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“Immaculately directed by Sam Mendes, it’s a poised study of how two actors of radically different temperaments sparred in the run-up to opening night...Thorne has deftly woven the elements together, while Mendes gets first-rate performances out of his two leading players.”
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"This play is Thorne and Mendes's own love letter to the stage, full of both intellect and passion, clever and profoundly moving."
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" 'The Motive and the Cue' generates sufficient excitement not to require chivvying along from an outside source: the play and its players are in every way the thing."
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“Thorne’s play might have too much theatrical in-joking and navel-gazing for some...But the genuine love for the medium is incredibly touching and Thorne cleverly balances that with affectionate lampooning and occasional sharp skewering.”
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