beautiful thing
by jonathan harvey
directed by elinor lower
design by gi vasey
creative team
director elinor lower
designer gi vasey
lighting design nicola crawford
sound design + composer jack orozco morrison
stage manager benedict jones
intimacy director lex kaby
producer joe spurgeon
production photos jack offord
rehearsal photos chelsey cliff
South East London, 1993.
Section 28’s in the schools and the HIV/AIDS crisis has gripped the media, but in three flats on the Thamesmead Estate, something small and beautiful is beginning to grow…
Teenagers Ste and Jamie have both got trouble – one at home, one at school; Leah, a hotpot of sass and backchat next door, waits out her school exclusion, a ball of frustrated potential; and Jamie’s sharp-tongued single mum, Sandra, strives for a better life whilst her latest lover, Tony, watches on wearing her spare dressing gown.
Over sunny afternoons and late nights set against the distant glimmer of Canary Wharf, we watch these five lives entangle and collide, spinning closer and closer.
Directed by Elinor Lower, Jonathan Harvey’s much-cherished portrayal of first love celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2023 and remains as full of heart, soul, generosity and optimism as ever.
