NEWS TICKER
Published on
December 3, 2014
Beautiful Thing Tour Cast Announced
By
editorial
Vanessa Babiyre, Thomas Law, Sam Jackson, Charlie Brooks and Gerard McCarthy in Bautiful Thing. Photo: Anton Belmonte
STOP PRESS: The UK Tour of Beautiful Thing will close after it plays Northampton and Leicester. For further information please see our news post.
Full casting has been announced for Nikolai Foster’s celebrated anniversary production of Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing, which will return to the UK in 2015 with an 18 week UK tour, opening in Canterbury in March, then visiting Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Northampton, Leicester, High Wycombe, Cardiff and Brighton, with a West End run to be announced.
Beautiful Thing is a glorious urban love story between two young men set on an inner city housing estate. It tells the story of teenager Jamie’s relationship with classmate and neighbour, Ste. Together the two boys find comedy, warmth and the music of Mama Cass through their loud-mouthed next door neighbour Leah. Jonathan Harvey combines comedy with drama in his critically acclaimed award winning play. Beautiful Thing truly captures what it is to be a teenager and to fall in love.
Best known as series regular ‘Kris Fisher’ in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks most recently seen on screen in BBC2’s The Fall, and on Netflix’ epic Titanic: Blood and Steel, Gerard McCarthy will star as ‘Tony’. Other theatrical credits include The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Globe, and Blue/Orange for ATG. Vanessa Babirye, recently seen on screen in BBC 2’s Our Girl, and at the National Theatre in Romeo and Juliet will star as ‘Leah’. Also joining the company will be Rob Ellis and Natalie Law. Multi-award winning actress Charlie Brooks, best known for her role as ‘Janine Butcher’ in EastEnders, will lead the cast as ‘Sandra’. Other notable credits include ‘Jenny’ in Bleak House, winner of Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, and a critically acclaimed stage performance in Our Country’s Good (Liverpool Playhouse). Thomas Law, whose roles include ‘Peter Beale’ in EastEnders, ‘Matt Haddon’ in Casualty and most recently as a young Simon Pegg in blockbuster film The World’s End will star as ‘Ste’. Sam Jackson, whose roles include ‘Alex Henley’ in Skins (E4), ‘Jack’ in Drifters (E4) and a critically acclaimed performance as ‘Billy Casper’ in Kes (Derby Theatre), will star as ‘Jamie’. The producers of Beautiful Thing have partnered with Stonewall, and will raise money for the charity’s No Bystanders campaign with bucket collections in every venue. Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall, said, “Beautiful Thing is one of the iconic screen plays of modern gay culture. We’re absolutely thrilled that the UK wide tour of this fantastic production will take this heart-warming story to a new generation whilst also raising money to support Stonewall’s work to tackle bullying in Britain’s schools”
http://youtu.be/Mp8jH1F957o
BEAUTIFUL THING 2015 UK TOUR
Hippodrome Studio, Birmingham
30 March – 11 April 2015
Quays Studio, Lowry, Salford
13 – 18 April 2015
Nottingham Playhouse
21 April – 9 May 2015
Royal and Derngate, Northampton
18 – 23 May 2015
Curve Studio, Leicester
25 – 30 May 2015
Arts Theatre, London
3 June - 11 July 2015
New Theatre, Cardiff
14 – 18 July 2015
Theatre Royal, Brighton
20 – 25 July 2015