Beautiful Thing

It is the story of Ste, who finds refuge from his violent home in sports. It is the story of sixteen-year-old Leah, her neighbor, who has found her idol in singer Mama Cass and is searching for meaning in life in an often oppressive daily routine.

It is also the story of Sandra, Jamie's single mother, and Toni, her current boyfriend. One night, on the run from his abusive father, Ste spends the night at Jamie's house. While they find comfort in each other, Leah takes her drug use one step too far in the apartment next door. "Beautiful Thing" weaves five stories into the story of a community.

With explicit and raw language, Jonathan Harvey tells of homosexuality, generational conflict, class issues and love in a working-class London neighborhood. Written in 1993, the play quickly became one of the most important and encouraging LGBTQ+ narratives of its time and is being retranslated for Parkaue. A feminist approach to contemporary drama also accompanies director Babett Grube's exploration of "Beautiful Thing" by placing the care work of a community at the center of her production.