There’s a fantastic new show at a fantastic new venue where both are drawing in theatre crowds.
The show is the 25th anniversary production of ‘Beautiful Thing,’ the classic gay young love story, and the venue is Above the Stag’s new beautiful home just steps away from Vauxhall tube station (instead of making a right out of the station to the old venue, make a left and it’s just past Chariots Vauxhall).
‘Beautiful Thing’, originally performed at the Bush Theatre, was turned into a hit movie in 1996. The story deals with two young men (Ste and Jamie) who fall in love and happen to live next to each other on a housing estate. In the new play, these roles are performed by the fantastic Ryan Anderson and Joshua Asaré. Their memorable next door neighbor – Leah – who also goes by the name Mama Cass – is brilliantly played by Phoebe Vigor – and she has scenes that she eats up! Kieran Mortell ably plays Tony, the boyfriend of Jamie’s mum Sandra, excellently played to perfection by Kyla Frye. The story, as you already probably know, deals with the ups and downs of Ste and Jamie experiencing first love. The story takes place on the balconies of a housing estate as well as in Jamie’s bedroom – effective for a story where it’s all about the acting, and the cast hit their marks and Vigor and especially Frye rising above and beyond.
Above the Stag’s new venue is the culmination of years and years of having a bigger venue to call home in which to stage their very popular productions. The new venue has two fabulous two theatres – a 110 seat main house and a 60 seat studio. There is also a large bar with plenty of sitting room to enjoy the drinks, and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out towards the embankment. It’s a new beautiful space, and it’s another production that Above the Stag can be proud of. Go see it, both the new venue and the new show. ‘Beautiful Thing’ is a beautiful thing.
Photo provided by Above the Stag