Sam Mendes' The Motive and the Cue Eyeing a Transfer to Broadway

The Motive and the Cue, a new play by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) directed by Sam Mendes, is eyeing Broadway, per a Deadline report. The play premiered at the National Theatre in London last year and subsequently transferred to the West End, where it closed in March.

Concerning a landmark 1964 Broadway production of Hamlet, the play featured Johnny Flynn (Hangmen) as Richard Burton, with Mark Gatiss (BBC’s Sherlock) playing John Gielgud in an Olivier-winning performance and Tuppence Middleton as Elizabeth Taylor. According to Deadline, the three principal cast members “have cleared their schedules to repeat those roles in NYC at a Shubert theater in the spring.”

The Independent described The Motive and the Cue, which also features sets designed by The Lehman Trilogy scenic designer Es Devlin, as “not just a heartfelt plea for the power of theatre, but a moving, often very funny, story about two generations teasing and provoking one another."

As previously reported, another play directed by Mendes is already set to transfer to Broadway in the 2024-25 season; Jez Butterworth’s The Hills of California will open at the Broadhurst Theatre on September 29.