British Council presents brand new play by academy award-winning director

Saturday, 26 October 2024 01:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Screening of “The Motive and the Cue” directed by Sam Mendes today and tomorrow

The British Council Sri Lanka on Friday began screening an electrifying brand-new play by academy award-winning director Sam Mendes, ‘The Motive and the Cue’, captured live from the National Theatre in London.

Screening at Ultra Screen, Majestic Cinema, Majestic City, Colombo 3, are as follows: Saturday, 26 October at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, 27 October at 7 p.m.

In partnership with Ceylon Theatres, the play brings Richard Burton and John Gielgud’s legendary “Hamlet” rehearsals to the big screen in Colombo, Jaffna, and Kandy. “The Motive and the Cue” delves into the question: why would the world’s most famous movie star choose to perform a well-known play, and what draws audiences to timeless works year after year?

Setting: 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. This fierce and funny new play offers a glimpse into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity.

Written by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and designed by Es Devlin (The Crucible), the Evening Standard award-winning best new play garnered a host of 5-star reviews across the national press.

This play comes hot on the heels of two British Council screenings of Hamlet. Audiences in Colombo, Kandy, Jaffna, Gampaha and Matara were delighted to see Benedict Cumberbatch and then Billy Howle in the title role.