Australian promotional poster for the film release

Beautiful Thing is a play written in 1993 by Jonathan Harvey and the 1995 Channel Four production based on the play, with a screenplay revised by Harvey. Initially, the movie was only intended for television broadcast, but it was so well-received that it was later released theatrically. It is arguably the first film to show a realistic same-sex romance between two gay teens, and features many homosexual themes. Image File history File links Btaus. ... Image File history File links Btaus. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Jonathan Harvey is a British playwright whose work has earned multiple awards. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Channel 4 is a television broadcaster in the United Kingdom (see British television). ... A screenplay or script is a blueprint for producing a motion picture. ... Since its coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ...

Plot

The story is set and filmed in Thamesmead, a working class area of London. Thamesmead is a new town, more realistically a new suburb, in London built on the southern bank of the River Thames, 9. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Jamie (Glen Berry), a teen who is infatuated with his classmate, Ste (Scott Neal), has to deal with his single mother Sandra (Linda Henry), who is occupied with her ambitious plans to open her own pub, and with her ever-changing lovers, the latest of whom is Tony (Ben Daniels), a neo-hippie. Sandra finds herself at odds with Leah (Tameka Empson), a sassy and rude neighbor girl who has been expelled from school, does several drugs, and constantly listens and sings along to her mother's Cass Elliot records. While Jamie's homosexuality remains concealed, his introvert nature and dislike of football are reason enough for his classmates to bully him at every opportunity. Glen Berry is a Romford, Essex-born British actor born on April 21, 1978. ... Scott Neal is a British actor born on June 10, 1978. ... Linda Henry is a British actress, best known for her role as Yvonne Atkins in the television drama Bad Girls. ... An amusingly named pub (the Old New Inn) at Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswold Hills of South West England A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada... Ben Daniels (born June 10, 1964) is a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award winning British actor. ... Singer at contemporary Russian Rainbow gathering Hippie, occasionally spelled hippy, refers to a subgroup of the 1960s counterculture that began in the United States, becoming an established social group by 1965 before declining in the 1970s. ... From left to right: Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot, and John and Michelle Phillips. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual and romantic attraction between two individuals of the same sex. ...

Ste (Scott Neal), who is living together with his drug-trafficking brother and his abusive and alcoholic father in the apartment next door, one night gets beaten by his brother so badly that Sandra takes pity and lets him sleep over. Scott Neal is a British actor born on June 10, 1978. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

Lacking a third bed, Ste has to make do with sleeping top-to-toe with Jamie. However, after a massage and a minor conversation, the boys soon change sleeping arrangements, lying side by side, and Jamie kisses Ste for the first time.

The next morning, Ste panics and leaves before he awakens, avoiding him for days. Jamie works up the nerve to steal a gay magazine at a news shop, apparently starting to accept his sexuality and his affection for Ste. Jamie finally spots Ste at a nearby party and confronts him; they prepare to leave together. The party ends badly though, with Sandra taking vengeance on Leah for gossiping, who then spills the beans about Ste and Jamie. Ste reacts poorly, angrily rejecting Jamie and running away. This article is about the issues and phenomena pertaining to human sexual function and behavior. ...

US promotional poster for the film release

Slowly, Ste accepts Jamie's love and their relationship develops as they visit a gay pub together. Sandra follows them and discovers their secret, and the movie reaches its climax as a bad trip by Leah (on an unnamed drug) precipitates Sandra's breakup with Tony; the news of Sandra's new job comes out; and Sandra confronts Ste and Jamie. Sandra comes to accept her son's relationship. Image File history File links Beautiful_Thing_(US_Promo,_1996). ... Image File history File links Beautiful_Thing_(US_Promo,_1996). ... A gay bar is a drinking establishment which can vary in character as much as any other type of bar, but which caters exclusively or primarily to a gay and / or lesbian clientele. ... A bad trip is a profoundly unpleasant experience using a hallucinogenic drug such as LSD or psilocybin, caused by one or more of the common undesired effects of the drug: Panic reaction Amplification of unconscious fears Self-aggression Suicidal ideation Fear of going insane or of the inability to return... Oral medication Caffeine is the most widely used psychoactive substance in the world. ...

The movie ends with the two boys slow-dancing in the courtyard of their council flats to the tune of the Cass Elliot classic, Dream a Little Dream of Me, while a guarding Sandra dances defiantly at their side with Leah, as the local residents look on, some of them shocked, some of them enjoying the moment themselves. The council house is a form of public housing found in the United Kingdom. ... Dream a Little Dream of Me is a song, music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt in 1931, lyrics by Gus Kahn. ...

Theatrical productions

The film is based on Jonathan Harvey's original play script.

• 28 July, 1993: Beautiful Thing was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, dircted by Hettie McDonald. It featured Patricia Kerrigan, Mark Letheren, Jonny Lee Miller, Sophie Stanton and Philip Glenister.

• September 1994: The play opened in the West End at the Duke of York's Theatre, with Amelda Brown, Zubin Varla, Richard Dormer, Diane Parish and Rhys Ifans.

• February 1998: The Australian premiere was directed by Michael Darragh and produced by Make Believe Productions in Sydney. A Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival event, the critically-acclaimed independent production starred Fiona Harris, Simon Corfield, Andrew Wallace, Natalie Murray and Charles Kevin.

• 16 May, 1998: The American premiere was produced by Famous Door Theater Company in Chicago, Illinois.

• July-September 2006: A production of Beautiful Thing takes place at the Sound Theatre in London starring Jonathan Bailey, Gavin Brocker, Steven Meo, Carli Norris and Michelle Terry.

• September 2007: A production of Beautiful Thing will take place at the South London Theatre.

Bush Theatre, based in Shepherds Bush, London, is one of Britains leading new writing theatres. ... Jonny Lee Miller Jonny Lee Miller (born November 15, 1972) is an English actor. ... Sophie Stanton is an actress and playwright. ... Philip Glenister is a British actor, the son of director John Glenister and the brother of actor Robert Glenister. ... // West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland . Along with New Yorks Broadway Theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of theatre in the... The Duke of Yorks Theatre in London, UK, opened on 10 September 1892 with Wedding Eve, was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte. ... Zubin Varla is a British actor and singer. ... Diane Parish, born 1969 in London, is a British actress who has starred in many television roles including The Bill and its spin-off , playing DC Eva Sharpe, and Babyfather. ... Rhys Ifans [pronounced hris iv-ans] (born 22 July 1968, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire) is a Welsh actor. ... Michael Robert Darragh (born March 4, 1975 on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia) is currently based in Shanghai, China. ... Make Believe Productions was an independent, not-for-profit Australia theatre company based in Newtown, Sydney. ... The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is a parade and pride festival for the gay and lesbian community, held annually in Sydney, Australia. ... Nickname: The Windy City, The Second City, Chi Town Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in Chicagoland and Illinois Coordinates: Country United States State Illinois County Cook Incorporated March 4, 1837 Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area    - City 606. ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... The South London Theatre is a theatre in West Norwood in London, England. ...

External links

• Beautiful Thing at the Internet Movie Database