Back in 1964, Sir John Gielgud, already a legend on stage and for interpreting Shakespeare, was set to direct Richard Burton in Hamlet, in a modern day adaptation that would run on Broadway from April to August of that year. Burton was then touted as the actor of his generation of the Young & Angry and had just married America’s sweetheart, Elizabeth Taylor. It was a box office success, but what escaped the headlines back then (good thing there was no social media) was the fractious relationship between the director and lead actor and how the presence of Taylor often exacerbated an already tense situation.

Playwright Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Enola Homes) saw this as tremendous material for creating a different kind of love letter to theater. Sam Mendes directed The Motive and the Cue when it was first staged in London in 2023. Mark Gatiss portrays Gielgud, Johnny Flynn is Burton, and Tuppence Middleton takes on the role of Elizabeth Taylor, with Gatiss picking up the Best Actor win in the 2024 Olivier Awards. It was also nominated for Best New Play and Best Director. So it’s quite a treat to find something so current already on the National Theater Live roster and have our CCP pick it out as one of their series of presentations this 2024 at the Greenbelt Cinemas. 

First, it is one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched. Beyond the fly on the wall element of watching Gielgud and Burton spar over how to present this version of Hamlet, there is so much rich dialogue about the process, acting vis a vis celebrity, motive and the cue, and the fabled history of theater. There’s talk and chatter about Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Michael Redgrave, Marlon Brando, Peter O’Toole, and other luminaries of both theater and screen. 

The transitions between scenes are illuminating, the interplay between rehearsing Hamlet and the thoughts and dialogue of the real-life characters are so poignant, and the ensemble acting is truly topnotch. There is so much to love in this filmed version that tries to faithfully recapture the magic of watching this live in a theater to the best of its ability. 

If you love theater and did not know this was being shown for one evening, contact the CCP and Ayala Cinemas and clamor for more screenings. There’s only Sept. 24 at Vertis North and Ayala Cebu. This deserves more publicity and more Makati screenings. You can’t be following theater, loving the ones staged here, and being part of the local theater community, and now just idly say you didn’t know and missed out.  

There’s a very good reason why this play reaped those Olivier nominations this year. Something so current deserves to be watched, even if it’s a filmed version. The countless revivals local theater companies have subjected us to are understandable, given the financial risks in production. However, here’s that golden opportunity to watch what has been making theater critics offer standing ovations this year, so don’t let it pass. I'm hoping the CCP and Ayala Cinemas are reading this now!