Last
night I was a part of History. I attended the private dress rehearsal
of the 20th Anniversary Production of Jonathan Harvey's 'Beautiful
Thing' at the Arts Theatre, London. At the start of the show,
producer Tom O'Connell came on stage to welcome us to this special
event. He asked us to keep in mind that this was a Dress Rehearsal, a
fact that I had completely forgot by the interval.
For
those of you who may not know the play, “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.”
As a fan
of the play anyway, I was extremely excited and intrigued to see this
production. It's safe to say, in no way was I disappointed. Every
aspect of the show came together beautifully, making the whole thing
so believable. Colin Richmond has done a fantastic job with the
design. Although fairly simple, he did a great job creating a set,
that was pleasing to the eye.
The cast
on a whole, came together perfectly. Suranne Jones plays Jamie's mum,
Sandra. Her portrayal of this loud-mouthed, single
mother who
is more pre-occupied with ambitious plans to run her own pub
and
an ever-changing string of lovers, is very well executed and
believable. Her comedic timing is superb. The first scene in Act 2,
between her and Jake Davies, who plays Jamie, was simply stunning.
The acting between both of them was so true, and made the
relationship between them seem so real. In fact, they reduced me to
tears.
Oliver
Farnworth, who plays Sandra’s boyfriend Tony, and Zaraah Abraham’s,
who plays Leah, the 'slag' next door, both commanded the stage,
proving themselves to be great actor's.
 |
| Jake Davies & Suranne Jones in rehearsal © Michael Lidbetter |
The
relationship between Danny-Boy Hatchard (Ste) and Jake Davies (Jamie)
was convincing and drew you in. The infamous 'Peppermint Foot Lotion'
scene was executed beautifully, with
both boy's showing off their acting skills to their best.
Nikolai
Foster has done an outstanding job in directing this one of a kind
piece of theatre, which leaves you feeling an array of emotions. I
would highly recommend this to anyone, Gay or Straight. I feel very
privileged to of been able to witness such a beautiful thing, on what
was a wonderful night. You would be a fool to miss it!
'Beautiful
Thing' opens today at the Arts Theatre, London until 18th May, before
going on a short UK tour. For more info, dates and to book tickets
visit http://www.beautthing.com/.
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