I recently went to Theatre Latte Da’s production of “Beautiful Thing” at The Lab Theatre in Minneapolis. For those that do not know, Beautiful Thing is a play written in 1993 by Jonathan Harvey. It is about two lower class London boy’s coming of age, their coming out, and then falling in love. It’s about family, being accepted for who you are, and being connected. The play spawned a film adaptation in 1996, which I have watched, with romance in my heart, many times.
The Lab is a vetical, cozy and intimate space which worked well for the two level stage that was used. The apartments were on the upper level, with the orchestra hidden below, and the bedroom and front street were at floor level.
The three apartments, decorated so that I immediately knew who lived in each unit (from my familiarity with the movie), were cleverly done so that nearly all the action took place outside on the “porch” of each unit.
The actors all used an English accent that worked well for me. I’m no expert here, but they sounded authentic enough that only once or twice I questioned whether what they said would come from an East Ender. The music was all Mama’s and Papa’s classics sung by a local favorite, Erin Schwab, as Mama Cass. She sung as she walked and mixed with the stage and actors. I have heard her before, the last time at a One Voice Mixed Chorus event, so I was slightly disappointed because I know the power of her voice and I did not think it all came through somehow.
I really loved all the acting and have a lot of praise for what they did under the skilled direction of Jeremy Cohen, producing artistic director of The Playwrights’ Center. I happened to attend a showing where the cast and director held a Q&A after the show. It was clear they worked well together and learned from each other.
This is a story that I would heartily recommend to anyone with romantic longings in their bones, but especially for the younger crowd, who either are struggling to come out, or have struggled coming out. I understand that, at certain showings, there was strong attendance from Gay / Straight alliances in local high schools, and that these audiences brought a special understanding to the play.
Go see it if you can, click here for information. The play runs through March 18, 2012.
Take a look at the movie as well. Here’s a preview from YouTube and the IMDB movie information.
