Academy Award winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty,  1917) returns to the stage, directing Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud and Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton in this fierce and funny new play - THE MOTIVE AND THE CUE.

1964: Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under John Gielgud's exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.

Written by Jack Thorpe (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and designed by Es Devlin (The Crucible), the Olivier Award nominee was filmed live during a sold-out run at the National Theatre.