Beautiful Thing

How amazing and how scary it is that a play, so poignant 25 years ago, still carries such an important and valid a message. Young gay people still have to face the same demons as they did then. Jonathan Harvey’s skill as a writer is superb, funny and pointed, his characters finely drawn, his story cleverly wrought. And the cast more than do justice to this. Suranne Jones is excellent as the mother, brittle but with a soft centre. Zaarah Abrahams is great as the disenfranchised Leah, and Oilver Farnsworth plays Tony with great charm. But it is Jake Davies and Danny-Boy Hatchard, the two boys, who steal the show. Hatchard beautifully captures the fragility of sporty Ste, the boy abused by his brother and father, he captures the gangliness of youth and of innocence awakened. Davies is quite brilliant as Jamie, he has boyish charm, naivety and the ability to portray the physicality of a man child. At the same time he has the emotional depth to convey the sexuality and emotional charge required to express that this is not just a phase, a physical itch that must be scratched, but a true and natural emotion that cannot be ignored or denied. It brought back so many feelings that, whilst I laughed outloud at the humour, I also shed tears.

Theatre Royal Brighton, 10 June 2013

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