Beautiful Thing

Teenage boys Ste and Jamie are neighbours on a South London estate. Jamie is more knowledgeable about <i>The Sound of Music</i> than football while classmate Ste never misses a sports day. Both are being bullied Jamie at school and Ste at home by his violent father and brother. <br/><br/>One night when things get too much Ste seeks refuge in Jamie's flat and sharing a bed the boys strike up a new relationship. Together they come to terms with their sexuality and explore their feelings alongside their Mama Cass loving rebellious friend Leah and with the much-needed emotional support of Jamie's lioness mother Sandra.<br/><br/>Thirty years on from its initial publication Jonathan Harvey's iconic coming-out and coming-of-age story set in the nineties still resonates with ideas on community friendship rites of passage and what it is to be sixteen and in love. <br/><br/>This edition is published to coincide with the revival at London's Stratford East theatre in September 2023.