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Fractious and fabulous, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor remain one of the most iconic couples of the celebrity era. And their fame was at its peak when Burton starred in an experimental 1964 Broadway production of ‘Hamlet’, directed by the great Sir John Gielgud, who was bemused by the celebrity circus that followed the newlyweds everywhere.
The chaotic, culture clash backstage world of Burton and Gielgud’s ‘Hamlet’ is the setting for ‘The Motive and the Cue’ (Apr 20-Jul 3) by Jack Thorne (‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’, the BBC’s ‘His Dark Materials’, about a million other things), which will be directed by massive name Sam Mendes, who likes to do a show at the National Theatre every few years in between films (his last NT show ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ will begin its second West End run in January).
It’ll run at the Lyttelton Theatre from May, with a big-name cast of Johnny Flynn (Burton), Tuppence Middleton (Taylor) and Mark Gatiss (Gielgud).
As is the way with National these days, three productions get announced at once, one for each of its theatres. Joining ‘The Motive and the Cue’ will be a big Olivier Theatre revival of Brian Friel’s Olivier Award-winning play ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’ (Apr 6-May 27) directed by Josie Rourke and starring Siobhán McSweeney, Ardal O’Hanlon and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor. Meanwhile, the smaller Dorfman will host ‘Dixon and Daughters’ (Apr 15-Jun 3), a brand new play about family and forgiveness written by Deborah Bruce and produced in collaboration with Clean Break.
There’s also a peek forward to autumn 2023 and confirmation that Anupama Chandrasekhar’s acclaimed play ‘The Father and the Assassin’ – five stars from us! – will return to the Olivier.
The new National Theatre season will go on general sale Dec 8.
The best new theatre shows to book for in 2022 and 2023.