Wolverhampton Grand Theatre premieres new production of queer coming-of-age play

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is set to premiere a brand new production of Jonathan Harvey’s BEAUTIFUL THING; a coming-of-age story “about finding the courage to be yourself – and discovering that love can blossom in the most unexpected places.” A brand new production of the comedy drama, created by Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, will play in Autumn next year.

A press release from Wolverhampton Grand Theatre describes the plot of Harvey’s play: “Ste and Jamie are sixteen, next-door neighbours, and about to discover that life can change in a heartbeat. When Ste seeks refuge from his troubled home life at Jamie’s, an unexpected connection begins to blossom into something neither boy has dared to dream of. Amid the chaos of teenage life, the warmth of a close-knit community and the thrill of first love, something beautiful is born.”

Beautiful Thing is a 1993 play written by Jonathan Harvey (Coronation Street, Gimme Gimme Gimme), set in a working-class area of South East London. It was staged for its world premiere at Bush Theatre, London (1993), directed by Hettie MacDonald, and starring Patricia Kerrigan, Mark Letheren, Jonny Lee Miller, Sophie Stanton and Philip Glenister. In the following years, it has been staged at various theatres worldwide including: receiving an Australian premiere and American premiere in 1998. In 1996, a screen adaptation of the play was released by Channel 4 Films, with a revised screenplay, also written by Jonathan Harvey.

Karl Steele, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre’s Associate Director of Creative and director of BEAUTIFUL THING said; “This play is a tender, funny and deeply human story about love, friendship and finding the courage to be yourself. What makes this piece so enduring is its honesty — beneath the humour and warmth are characters searching for connection and a place where they truly belong. 30 years after first seeing this film as a 16-year-old young man, unsure of his own identity, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to direct this truly important piece for the Grand Theatre stage, leading a wonderful creative team to rediscover these characters and tell this story for a new audience. At its heart, this is a play about love in all its forms, and I hope our production captures both the rawness and the joy of that journey.”

Beautiful Thing, directed by Karl Steele and designed by David Shields, plays at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre Thursday 9th - Saturday 18th September 2027. Tickets are on sale to Friends of the Grand and members now. Public sales open at 10am on Wednesday 4th November. Casting is still to be announced for Beautiful Thing, "a love story that will make you laugh out loud, fall head over heels and leave the theatre with your heart full."