The Motive and the Cue (West End) London Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (123)
See it if You like Shakespeare or are interested in the history of theatre
Don't see it if You only like musicals
See it if you love theatre or film a great point in history
Don't see it if you don't like to learn about the classics
See it if you are a theatre person and want to enjoy your passion with the most talented cast.
Don't see it if no reason at all. one of the best plays I’ve ever seen and definitely the best of this year.
See it if You love theatre. This really is a masterfully crafted love letter to the art form that is driven by two exceptional lead performances.
Don't see it if You prefer action based material. This dialogue heavy.
See it if you like straight plays jam packed with wit, allure and drama
Don't see it if you aren’t a fan of more serious theatre, plus there are no microphones so maybe difficult to hear at the back Read more
See it if You want to see fantastic performances based on a fascinating story.
Don't see it if You don’t like the history of theatre or long wordy plays.
See it if you enjoy a battle of the actors; an old school play about a play within a play; want to see how a play is created; love Hamlet
Don't see it if you're not prepared to suffer for art - the Balcony was boiling hot, airless and required edge of the seat leaning to see
See it if You want to be transported back in time to see the relationship between two of theatre’s greats. The last scene is incredible.
Don't see it if You’re not prepared to concentrate. It requires some thought on your part.
Critic Reviews (11)
"The Motive and the Cue is most effective is in showing...behind the scenes of a play."
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“...Jack Thorne’s ‘The Motive and the Cue,’ is a rapier-witted and stirring love-letter to theatre, and to Hamlet, and to two of the play’s most notable 20th-century exponents – John Gielgud and Richard Burton”
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“This Gielgud is – like the real man – often very funny. But it is the triumph of both play and performance that he is so much more than that. He becomes a symbol of human frailty and of resilience. In his belief in art, he becomes a beacon for life.”
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“If you have any interest in the power of theatre, I urge you to catch a play that’s both an exploration of it and a remarkable vindication of it.”
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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. Watching The Motive and the Cue, we should all be grateful that coin landed the way it did, because it shows us the happenings of the rehearsal room can be just as dramatic as anything happening on stage.
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“Sam Mendes’s production is stylish in the way it matches Hollywood glamour with the intellectual rigours of the theatre docudrama-style: time is marked by projections of the days and relevant quotes from Hamlet...One thing is for sure: it’s a play that epitomises the epithet ‘A love letter to theatre’.”
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“ ‘The Motive and The Cue’ is the kind of historical drama that will live on and be loved for as long as the fascination with the stars and stages of old can stretch. Bolstered by immaculate work from its leads and a sharp, insightful script, it will likely be a late entry to many end of the year lists for those of us who missed it at the National.”
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“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. It’s history in the making: process and performance.”
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