Beautiful Thing
Presented as part of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras the next production to take to the stage at Newtown New Theatre is entitled Beautiful Thing. The production follows Jamie, a shy and bullied 15-year-old boy who is coming to terms with his sexuality.
As the show plays out Jamie and Ste, the football-mad boy next door to whole Jamie has a crush on, grow closer and closer before ultimately falling for each other.
When Jonathan Harvey wrote this tender, open-hearted play about two damaged boys and the love that heals them, the age of consent for gay sex in the UK was still 21, it was illegal to ‘promote’ homosexuality in schools, and civil unions and same-sex marriage weren’t even on the radar.
Yet, nearly 30 years on, it still holds remarkable power, because what it explores is timeless: discovering your sexuality, finding love and acceptance, fighting your demons, surviving against the odds, being an outsider, and the importance of family and community
What better way to celebrate Mardi Gras than with this funny, irreverent, deeply human coming-of-age love story, an urban fairy tale for our times.
Feb 2-Mar 6. New Theatre, 542 King St, Newtown. $20-$35+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.newtheatre.org.au
