In April 2023, the play The Motive and the Cue opened at the National Theatre in London. Written by Jack Thorne, and directed by Sir Sam Mendes, the play explores the relationship between Richard Burton and John Gielgud during the making of the Broadway production of Hamlet in 1964.
During the Covid-19 lockdown, Sir Sam Mendes read the books Letters from an Actor (Penguin, 1969) and John Gielgud directs Richard Burton in Hamlet: A Journal of Rehearsals (Random House, 1967) written by Burton’s fellow Hamlet actors William Redfield and Richard Sterne. These books documented the 1964 production of Hamlet and the relationship between Gielgud and Burton, and became the basis for The Motive and the Cue. These books can be found in Burton’s extensive library collection held here at the Richard Burton Archives. His archive collection also includes photographs, audio recordings and a prompt-script of the Broadway production in 1964. There are also several references to Gielgud in Burton’s diaries – including his gift of a Shih-tzu dog to Elizabeth Taylor in July 1969!
Working in the Richard Burton Archives (RBA) in Swansea, and exploring some of the fascinating material in Burton’s archive collection, was my “motive and cue” to travel to London to see the play. With Johnny Flynn playing Richard Burton, Mark Gatiss playing Sir John Gielgud and Tuppence Middleton as Elizabeth Taylor, the show was simply wonderful. But don’t just take my word for it, the play has received wonderful reviews:-
Ultimately, this play-about-the-play leaves us wishing we had been there to see Burton in the real thing.
Arifa Akbar, The Guardian
Dazzling performances from Johnny Flynn, Mark Gatiss and Tuppence Middleton power the National Theatre’s Sam Mendes-directed Richard Burton drama.
Andrzej Lukowski, Timeout.
The show is on until 15th July, so if you get the chance, I urge you to go and see it or as Dominic Cavendish from the Telegraph says, “The Motive and the Cue: To see or not to see? No question – go“.
Further information about the play can be found via the National Theatre website.
Richard Burton’s collection held here at the RBA includes diaries, correspondence and a range of material which spans the length of his career in theatre and film. For more information see our collection guide.
Sarah Thompson
Archives Assistant