Johnny Flynn, Tuppence Middleton, and Mark Gatiss Will Lead THE MOTIVE AND THE CUE in 2023 Directed by Sam Mendes

The National Theatre has found its cast for The Motive and the Cue, opening in 2023.

The cast will be led by Johnny Flynn, Tuppence Middleton, and Mark Gatiss, who will play Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and John Gielgud, respectively. No further information has been announced at this time regarding dates or futher casting.

As previously announced, the new play by Jack Thorne and directed by Sam Mendes will open in the Lyttelton theatre in Spring 2023. The production is a co-production with Neal Street Productions following the ongoing success of The Lehman Trilogy which Mendes also directed.

Originally commissioned by Neal Street, this fierce and funny new play is set during rehearsals for the acclaimed 1964 Broadway production of Hamlet, with Sir John Gielgud directing Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, as Hamlet. Based on the memoirs of two members of the cast (William Redfield and Richard L Sterne), it explores the politics of a rehearsal room, the relevance of theatre in a world from which it can sometimes seem removed, and the relationship - and tension - between art and celebrity as two titans of British theatre grapple with a classic play.

Set Design by Es Devlin, Costume Design by Katrina Lindsay, Lighting Design by Jon Clark, Sound Design by Paul Arditti, with composition by Benjamin Kwasi Burrell.