Book Review: Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey

By georgelthomas on 10 Nov 2023 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am reviewing the play Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey.

Beautiful Thing by Jonathan Harvey was first written and performed in 1993.

The Plot
Beautiful Thing is a captivating play that explores the coming-of-age of Jamie, a nearly 16-year-old boy living in a working-class neighbourhood in southeast London. The play revolves around Jamie’s budding relationship with his next-door neighbour, Ste, and the challenges they face as they navigate their newfound feelings for each other amidst the homophobic society they live in.

Characters
Jamie
Jamie is the play’s protagonist. He is a sensitive (almost) sixteen-year-old boy. He is shy and keeps to himself, except for his neighbours Leah and Ste. Jamie is picked on at school and is struggling to deal with his sexuality, as he is confused about his feelings towards Ste.

Ste
Ste is Jamie’s sixteen-year-old neighbour and love interest. He comes from a broken home and is often subjected to physical and emotional abuse by his alcoholic father and brother. He finds support along with Jamie in the form of Jamie’s mum.

Sandra
Sandra, Jamie’s mother, works as a server in a bar to support her and Jamie. She’s a single mother and portrayed as a strong and supportive figure, fiercely protective of her son. Once she realises he is gay, she quickly lets Jamie know that she accepts him and that he is at no risk of being abandoned by her.

Leah
Leah is Jamie’s next-door neighbour on the opposite side of his flat to Ste’s. Leah is sassy, outspoken, and unabashedly confident. Her character provides a stark contrast to Jamie’s quiet and reserved demeanour. She is obsessed with Mama Cass and likes to sing – loudly. She is also a support to Jamie and Ste.

Tony
Tony is Sandra’s newest boyfriend. He’s a middle-class man in his late 20s who dresses as a hippy.

Writing Style
Harvey’s writing style is engaging and evocative, and the play is hard to put down once you start reading it.
The play is a brilliant piece of writing. I’ve read it a couple of times now, and although I’ve seen the 1996 movie based on the play, the reading of it offers a unique experience. It feels very intimate – in the sense that you often feel you’re eavesdropping on the characters.

Harvey has used a mixture of raw humour, emotion and sensitivity, making for a very poignant story. You get a real sense of Jamie and Ste’s worries, and you can’t help but want good things for them.

The dialogue is equally engaging, and I feel it perfectly captures the nuances of what it means to be a teenager struggling with who you are. The language and the characters’ behaviours fit seamlessly together to make you feel as if you are witnessing the private moments of real people rather than reading a play.

The story shows realistic portrayals of how difficult it can be to come out and the obstacles faced by young LGBTQ individuals while also providing hope and encouragement that there are people out there, parents such as Sandra, who want only happiness for their children.

Final Thoughts
I think Beautiful Thing is an outstanding piece of writing, and I related to it so much. There was a time (way back when) when I felt some of the same emotions as Jamie and Ste, and I only wish I had known about this play or its film adaptation back then.

This play is such a significant commentary – not only of life in the early 1990s but also of the present in 2023. In reading it, it’s easy to see how many things are different for people of the LGBTQIA+ community but equally, sadly, how much is still the same. I really recommend reading the play. It’s not a long read, and it really is a lovely story.

I am giving Beautiful Thing a 7/10.

Have you read Beautiful Thing or seen it performed live? Have you watched the film version? Which do you prefer?

Thank you, as ever, for reading my review. Your time means a lot to me.

Until next time,

George