Beautiful Thing

This is a love story. Mother to son, neighbour to neighbour, and the best friend who’s desperate not to fade into the background.

It’s 1997- Ste, Leah and Jaime are fighting school, the world, each other and their parents, but none of them really know how to ask for the help they need. Until one night when something finally changes, something beautiful grows and blooms in the harsh grey soil of the South London council estates.

Beautiful Thing is a love story about resilience, community, queerness and how choosing to love and love freely, can be the most important part.

Beautiful Thing by Johnathan Harvey was written in 1997, yet it is as powerful today as when it was first performed. It is a coming-of-age story, tracking Ste and Jaime's love as they grow into themselves, and their queerness and begin to find courage in each other. Set in a council estate, the play shines a light on the struggles of working-class Britain. It emphasises the joy of finding community and choosing your family - even if that family is your weird neighbour who's obsessed with Mama Cass. Even when the odds are stacked against them, Ste, Jaime, Sandra, and Leah face the world with grit, kindness and steely humour.

CREATIVE TEAM

Presented by Company of Dramatic Arts (CODA)

Playwright: Jonathan Harvey

Directors: Finn Stannard and Rebekah Parsons