We saw The Motive and The Cue at the National Theatre Lyttelton on 3rd June, 2023 and Dear England at the National Theatre Olivier on 28th July, 2023
Two of the biggest new plays of last year opened on the South
Bank. Big in terms of their subjects, staging, cast sizes and acting prowess, both
also enjoyed huge reach. Jack Thorne’s The Motive and The Cue concluded
its run at the Noel Coward Theatre last month and was broadcast in cinemas
across the country. James Graham’s Dear England was the first play to
run at the Prince Edward Theatre in nearly 80 years, has also enjoyed an NT
Live screening and will soon be adapted into a miniseries for the BBC. Both
were immensely enjoyable pieces of theatre and among our theatrical highlights
of 2023. And yet, I’ve struggled to write about them since. Not because they
were unremarkable – far from it. Reflecting on them several months on, and in
anticipation of the Olivier Awards this weekend, I find it striking how the
plays share some qualities.
Both plays feature characters based on real people from recent
history. And, in a way, both are work plays in which characters bring a new
approach which clashes with the old. One play looks inwards at the world of theatre
and acting through the lens of Richard Burton’s Hamlet in 1964, the
other is a state of the nation play about the England men’s football team under
Gareth Southgate’s management. One was stylish and elegant in the hands of Sam
Mendes, the other a high concept, fast-paced production by Rupert Goold. One
strived for verisimilitude even with its minor characters, the other a more broad-brush
approach even with some of its more significant characters.
“A dream itself is but a shadow”
The Motive and The Cue depicts the month-long rehearsal period of John Gielgud’s
Broadway production of Hamlet. From the read-through to the first
preview, scenes from the rehearsal room document the increasingly fraught relationship
between Gielgud and Burton as their styles rub up against each other. For
Burton, the weight of Gielgud’s Hamlet bears down on him made worse by a
perceived lack of practical direction. For Gielgud, the feeling that he produced
his best work at 27 can’t quite escape him. Thorne based his play on two books,
both chronicling the troubles from the rehearsal room, and he structures the
play excellently so the tension bubbles away. Initially it’s perhaps just a
phrase that’s taken the wrong way or which has been deliberately loaded,
designed to irritate. This slowly builds to some explosive arguments and there
are some delicious lines. But this is more than just a backstage drama, it’s a
play about aging, and actors’ changing approach to their process. Ultimately,
the play’s the thing. It’s what drives a wedge between them but also leads to
their reconciliation. The payoff is that Gielgud is able to unlock the play for
Burton who finds his own way of approaching the Dane. As Gielgud says, “Your
actions. Your deeds. Your Hamlet”.
These scenes are interspersed by lighter scenes featuring
Burton (Johnny Flynn) with his wife Elizabeth Taylor (during their first
marriage) and parties in their apartment. Taylor (Tuppence Middleton) is given more
credibility here than some other representations of her, such as in the TV film
Burton and Taylor (2013). She’s fun and doesn’t fully realise her own talents
but also has a passion for theatre even though she comes from a different acting
lineage. She also exudes great chemistry with Burton and has some cracking
lines. When Burton can’t decide whether he needs a drink or a slap, she replies
‘I believe you married me because I’m quite prepared to give you both’. Other
scenes are tête-à-têtes between Gielgud and Taylor, or his stage manager, or
even a gigolo. Mark Gatiss’ performance as Gielgud is superb. His portrayal goes
beyond the aphorisms and ‘Dear boy’ term of endearment, digging deeper to
capture his care with words, his loneliness, modesty and temperament consistently
and credibly.
Reading the text, I was fascinated by Thorne’s use of stage
directions to navigate the escalating tensions between Burton and Gielgud: ‘A
match flares between them’, ‘Gielgud knows this moment will blow up if
he continues’, ‘They are still circling each other, but finally Gielgud
goes for the kill’. The beats and silences give time for characters to process
thoughts and calculate their next steps which makes for great drama. Mendes’ production
realised this with such clarity, echoed in Es Devlin’s set with its fine eye
for detail and smooth scene transitions. The Motive and The Cue is a
great character study and a sharply written play, deserving of the Olivier.
“And the dream is over for England”
Rufus Norris isn’t the first Artistic Director of the
National to use their tenure to ask questions about nationhood. Indeed, asking
what it means to be a National Theatre and what work should be on its stages is
a key part of its role. His touring production of Carol Ann Duffy’s My Country was an ambitious if flawed attempt at holding a mirror up to the nation.
Rory Mullarkey’s Saint George and the Dragon offered an epic slice of
English folklore and a scramble to diagnose contemporary Britain’s problems.
And Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ excellent Death of England series uses
football to explore English national identity in relation to race and class.
Now its James Graham’s turn to ask the England question. And who better than
Graham, who’s become celebrated for his ‘modern history’ plays which include This House, Ink and Quiz, to write a big play about the highs and
lows of Gareth Southgate’s English national football team for a national stage.
It’s unashamedly populist fare that wears its heart on its
sleeve. In the first act, we’re given a potted history of the team’s
disappointments in recent history followed by Southgate’s appointment and how
the team adjusts to his new approach. The crux of the play comes from fear
being at the heart of what’s holding England back. Southgate’s job is to change
England’s story. And what better way to tap into the national psyche than with
the presence of an actual psychologist. Much of the play’s conflict comes from
Southgate’s addition of Head of People and Team Development Pippa Grange (an ever-watchable
Gina McKee) to his team. Her approach to make the team fearless is too
touchy-feely for some. Dramaturgically, she slows the pace of the play and
gives it some space to breathe. Despite Southgate and the team being
recognisable names and faces, it’s strange that she seems the most real
character on stage. Much has been said about Joseph Fiennes as Southgate, Will
Close as Harry Kane and Josh Barrow as Jordan Pickford. They give hugely
enjoyable, uncanny, performances. And it’s perhaps a clever trick from Graham
and Goold that they seem even more like their real-life counterparts because
the chorus is made up of a parade of caricatures (including vicars, milkmen and
workmen) giving a street-level commentary on England’s woes and triumphs.
Ultimately, the play is a game of two halves. In the second,
Graham has given himself quite the task: he’s got to finish act one and work
through another two, both of which go deeper with its questions. As Southgate
says, it’s about something much bigger than football. It does start to feel a little
rushed and as a result doesn’t quite live up to the first act. But this is not
to detract from the play’s successes. Whilst it may not be the most
intellectually rousing, Dear England is emotionally stirring in a way
that plays seldom are.
The Motive and The Cue and Dear England can still be seen at cinemas
across the country. For more information, please visit https://www.ntlive.com/. The Olivier Awards will be
presented in a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on 14th April. Both
plays have been nominated for Best New Play alongside Jez Butterworth’s The Hills of California and Beth Steel’s Till The Stars Come Down.
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| Mark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn in The Motive and The Cue. Credit: Mark Douet |
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| Lewis Shepard, Albert Magashi, Josh Barrow, Will Close, Ebenezer Gyau, Darragh Hand, Adam Hugill, Ryan Whittle in Dear England. Credit: Marc Brenner. |
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