Jonathan Harvey wrote Beautiful Thing aged just 24. It premiered at the Bush Theatre in 1993 and sold out its five-week run before transferring to the Donmar Warehouse, and then the West End (Duke of York’s), eventually winning its author an Olivier Award nomination and the John Whiting Award. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 films, which went on to be a cult hit.
In 2013 it celebrated its twentieth anniversary year, with a return to the West End for limited 6 week season, and now a new 2015 tour of the same production will take off from 23 March in Canterbury and visit Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Guildford, Leicester, Cardiff, Brighton and more to be announced. This uplifting and heart-warming new production is directed by Nikolai Foster and stars Charlie Brooks (Sandra), Thomas Law (Ste) & Sam Jackson (Jamie)
Beautiful Thing is a glorious urban love story between two young men coming to grips with their sexuality and the effect it has on the people in their lives. It tells the story of teenager Jamie’s relationship with classmate and neighbour Ste. Together the two boys find comedy, warmth and the music of Mama Cass through their loud-mouthed next door neighbour Leah. The play exquisitely depicts what it is to be sixteen, in the first flush of love, and full of optimism. Jonathan Harvey is a regular writer on Coronation Street, and wrote hit TV series Gimme, Gimme, Gimme and Beautiful People. and Closer to Heaven, as well as the bestselling 2012 novel All She Wants. Follow ‘BeautThing’ for more information. www.BeautThing.com
