Reader Reviews
Beautiful Thing (Sound Theatre, Inner London)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | Wonderful! Simply wonderful!!!!Carli Norris as Sandra bought such energy to the part of the struggling mum,a beautiful woman with a heart of gold...she just shines.Gavin Brocker is an absolute star,this boy will go far,he mesmerises the audience,you can't help but love him.Michelle as Leah is absolutely fantastic,a joy to watch,clever girl!Johnathan Bailey so sensitive and still so young!Well done Jonathon Harvey,I just LOVED IT !!!!THANKYOU XXX - 84.65.32.114) | 27 Jul 06 |
| Welcome back to Joanthan Harvey's play which has lost nothing over the past, dare I say, 10 years... If you have seen other productions come look again and if you have never seen it before - what a treat. This is a great producuion and the cast is A1. Jonathan Bailey is making a big splash in his first major London role since A levels at Oxford. All parts are thought through with care and well done Michelle and Carli for finding so much new in the Mum and the girl next door Leah... The set is spot on from Ben Stones and some nice change of time of day,heat of summer and a lovely touch for the end of the play by Emma Chapman (lights). All brought together in the very good hands of Toby Frow. Do not miss this summer treat in the city - and with FULL air con! - 217.13.129.151) | 26 Jul 06 |
| The star of the show is without doubt Andrew Garfield. He is absolutely stunning. I had seen him before in the National's trilogy Chatroom/Burn/Citizenship where again he stood out in an already outstanding young cast. This talented actor who reminds me, at times, of a young Anthony Perkins will undoubtly become a major force on the english stage. - 195.93.21.104) | 05 Jul 06 |
| An amazing performance by Gavin Brocker in particular, being very realistic in his approach. The whole cast had the audience gripped from the outset. With out a doubt 5 out of 5! - 62.252.128.26) | 06 Feb 06 |
| If 1 is bad and 5 is brilliant then Beautiful Thing is 6! And Sophie Staunton is 10! Just fantastic. - 217.207.157.89) | 06 Feb 06 |
| This is one of the best plays I've seen in a long time. It's really funny and touching. The actors are all excellent and work really well together. The production uses the tiny space really well too. Don't go for the cheap seats/standing upstairs as the view is awful. Definitely worth catching and a bargain price too. - 193.201.196.10) | 25 Jan 06 |
| This is absolutely amazing. A must see for anyone interested in theatre and the Beautiful thing story. All the Actors were brilliant and fitted into their characters superbly. I love the way Gavin Brocker brought Ste's character to life when coming to terms with his sexuality. The bedroom scenes between the two were amazing, great young actors i applaud you both. What an amazing Production thank you for bringing this back im so glad i got to see it!! - 172.215.235.227) | 17 Jan 06 |
| Wonderful show,the setting is such that you are almost on the floor with the actors, so you really feel part of it. The actors were superb, and the story flowed. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would even like to see it again. - 195.93.21.3) | 16 Jan 06 |
| Great show! At first I wasn't sure about the small size of the theatre but being so msall it really paid off. I felt completely absorbed in the play. The cast was excellent and played well off of each other. - 82.45.130.217) | 16 Jan 06 |
| As an actor and avid theatregoer, I always start off trying to find fault in a production...but in this one, everything was just unquestionably 'beautiful'. The intimate set perfectly complemented the progress of Jamie and Ste's relationship and their external forces. A truly astonishing and mesmerising performance of Jamie by Andrew Garfield (who was equally superb in Channel 4's Sugar Rush). Gavin Brocker also brought Ste to life with tender and subtle acting. A true ensemble piece, all the actors gelled wonderfully in bringing Jonathan Harvey's witty and poignant rhetoric to fruition. A unique experience and full marks to the production team which had clearly worked hard on bringing us a high-quality show. The ending was just amazing and Saturday night's full-house audience could not have appreciated it any better. I left feeling as exhilarated as I remember doing 12 years ago. DON'T MISS THIS! - 86.138.213.75) | 15 Jan 06 |
| abosolutely beautiful......nice theartre....well casted...and nice production...and the actors well complemented each other...enjoyed it lots and recommend to everyone.. - 86.139.176.18) | 15 Jan 06 |
| Jonathan Harvey’s most famous play returns to London in an intimate format at the Sound Theatre in London with as cast of up and coming young actors whose performances in this environment have the dynamism to lull you into the sense that you are a voyeur, watching this wonderful story unfold out side your own flat in Thamesmead. Almost to the point of feeling uncomfortable watching the bedroom scene as you feel you shouldn’t be up against a window watching the intimate tenderness of the peppermint fool lotion being rubbed into a bruised Ste or watching Sandra and Jamie as his secret unfolds after his visit to the Gloucester. One of the many joys of this production, is the appearance of Sophie Stanton as Sandra in the past she has played Leah in the original Bush Theater production in 1993 and played Louise in the Film. She embraced role of Sandra as if it was written for her. The raw emotion in the fight scene and the encounter with Leah was breathtaking. Andrew Garfield as Jamie showed us that he is a star in the making. He played Jamie as a very believable awkward 15 year old who doesn’t like games. In the role, Andrew Garfield drew the audience a roller coaster ride through gay adolescence with all the absolute joy and sorrow that it brings. A wonderful and unforgettable performance. Naomi Bentley as Leah was an inspired performance; I haven’t seen this role played better. She has exactly the right amount of sassiness with the perfect amount lovability. Her Momma Cass scene was a real show stopper I expect to see her name in more theatre programmes in the future. Gavin Brocker as Ste slowly drew the audience into his version of adolescence you could feel yourself warming to the boy next door as he struggles to accept his homosexuality in a very honest and heartfelt performance. Leo Bill as Tony played the part in a delightful way just as Harvey had written him as a little bit of a middle class dropout slumming it in a working class estate. A great performance of a frivolous but difficult part. These excellent performances were enhanced by a wonderful set which encompassed a life size row of flats with the audience sitting on the landing with the performers. This intimacy gave the final dance scene, that always felt in other productions, awkward and out of place, a wonderful sense of privacy. The audience left feeling secure that Jamie and Ste had a future together. - 87.112.10.77) | 15 Jan 06 |
| Jonathan Harvey has never written anything finer than this: delightfully funny, emotionally satisfying, and ultimately enchanting. The salty dialogue just leaps off the stage. For my taste, Toby Frow's production starts off somewhat over-emphatically, missing a number of laughs, but the 2nd act is a constant delight (the "coming out" scene between teenage Jamie and his motormouth Mum is especially beautifully handled). I doubt anyone will ever recreate the magic Jonny Lee Miller & Mark Letheren brought to the teenagers in the original production but Andrew Garfield & Gavin Brocker are cute and convincing, Brocker being especially impressive (if a tad chunky to be teen sport addict!). In a coup of casting, the original Leah, Sophie Stanton, now plays Sandra the brassy but ultimately good-hearted Mum...and she is magnificent. Sophie Bentley looks stunning as Leah and lends the part a wonderful physicality although some of her vocal delivery is a bit odd. Leo Bill is good value as the "artistic" boyf although the role works better when he's played as a middle class bloke slumming it. Minor quibbles aside, this is wonderful, heart-warming mass populist drama. Get in there. - 195.82.123.181) | 14 Jan 06 |
| Great cast includes Naomi Bentley, Leo Bill,Gavin Brocker, Andrew Garfield and Sophie Stanton. Great direction by Toby Frow. First time to the Sound Theatre I was plesently surprised what a great location and good theatre it is. Everything about this production is simply BEAUTIFUL! from an audience point of view. - 86.138.127.158) | 10 Jan 06 |
