HAY FEVER and THE MOTIVE AND THE CUE Will Come to Cinemas From National Theatre Live

National Theatre Live has announced two major cinema releases coming to cinemas worldwide in 2027. Direct from its current West End run Noël Coward's comedy Hay Fever, starring two-time Tony Award winner Christine Baranski (The Gilded Age, Mamma Mia) and Academy Award nominee Richard E. Grant (Celebrity Traitors, The Other Bennet Sister) will be captured from the Wyndham's Theatre in the West End and is released in cinemas from 14 January 2027.

Following this, audiences can see Jack Thorne's The Motive and the Cue with Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, The League of Gentleman), Johnny Flynn (Ripley, One Life), and Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey, War & Peace), captured from the Lyttelton stage on London's South Bank in 2023, returning to cinemas from 18 February 2027.

All NT Live releases are captured in front of a live audience in a process honed over 16 years reaching viewers at over 1,000 venues across the UK and many more worldwide.

Christine Baranski makes her West End debut as the iconic Judith Bliss alongside Richard E. Grant, fresh from the Celebrity Traitors turret and returning to the West End stage after two decades, as David Bliss. This dazzling new production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever, a comedy of bad manners is directed by Emily Burns (Dear Octopus). The production has been praised as a 'fun and frothy revival' (London Theatre) and a 'winning star vehicle for both Grant and Baranski' (The Standard). WhatsOnStage praised Baranski's 'instinctive comic timing', while The Telegraph noted that 'Grant is in his element'.

Judith Bliss retired from her life-on-stage and she misses the applause. Idling away at their country home, the rest of the family are too self-involved to be a good audience. So, Judith invites a young fan as her guest for the weekend. But unbeknownst to her, each of the Blisses have a guest of their own arriving at the very same time.

Baranski and Grant lead an acclaimed cast including Nancy Carroll as Myra Arundel, Will Close as Simon Bliss, Charles Edwards as Richard Greatham, Ophelia Lovibond as Sorel Bliss, Ash Hunter as Sandy Tyrell, Lucy Karczewski as Jackie Coryton and Jo McInnes as Clara. The cast is completed by Helena Antoniou, Charlotte Avery, Alan Drake and Shaun Mendum.

Set and costume design by Frankie Bradshaw, lighting design by Oliver Fenwick and sound design by Tingying Dong. The fight and intimacy director is Bethan Clark, the dialect coach is Danièle Lydon the Associate Director is Blythe Stewart and Casting is by Jim Carnahan CSA and Liz Fraser CSA.

Following its sold-out run at The National Theatre in 2023, an acclaimed West End transfer, and a hugely successful original cinema release, audiences can once again experience The Motive and the Cue, from multi-award-winning writer Jack Thorne (Adolescence) and directed by Olivier, Tony and Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes (The Lehman Trilogy). The celebrated backstage drama is inspired by the making of Richard Burton and John Gielgud's landmark Broadway production of Hamlet in 1964. Set behind the scenes of one of theatre's most legendary collaborations, the play offers a fascinating insight into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity.

The Motive and the Cue features Mark Gatiss in an Olivier Award-winning performance as John Gielgud, alongside Johnny Flynn as Richard Burton and Tuppence Middleton as Elizabeth Taylor, in this 'thrilling rollercoaster of high drama' (Sunday Times) i. Across its National Theatre run, West End transfer and original National Theatre Live release, The Motive and the Cue has been seen by more than 240,000 people worldwide.

1964: Richard Burton (Johnny Flynn), newly married to Elizabeth Taylor (Tuppence Middleton), is set to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under Gielgud's exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.

Commissioned by Neal Street Productions and co-produced The National Theatre. The cast also includes Allan Corduner, Ryan Ellsworth, Aysha Kala, Luke Norris, Michael Walters and Laurence Ubong Williams. Set design is by Es Devlin, Costume Designer is Katrina Lindsay, lighting designer is Jon Clark, composer is Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, sound designer is Paul Arditti, video designer is Luke Halls, casting by Alastair Coomer CDG and Naomi Downham and associate director is Zoé Ford Burnett.

Mark Gatiss said, 'I'm delighted that The National Theatre Live of The Motive and the Cue is being reissued. Without doubt one of the most rewarding, joyous and fulfilling experiences of my career. 'Performances writ in water' no more.'

Johnny Flynn said, 'I'm delighted that people will have another chance to see this special play in cinemas. It was such a wonderful thing to be a part of, and I have the happiest memories from that time. There were clichés written in reviews about it being 'a love letter to theatre'; which is true, but… it's so much more than that. It's about the universal power of 'Story'. The deeply important role that story plays in our society and for all of us as individuals - the healing and the understanding that 'Story' can grace us with, and even more so when we bring along our own stories.'

Audiences can find their nearest screening at NTLive.com with tickets going on sale from 10am GMT on 8 October 2026.