“The production is cute, sad, and fluffy in all the right places, but it has a tendency to lean into the comedic side of the text a tad too much for the gravity of certain aspects to hit...The show is generally delightful, but one can’t shake the feeling that there’s so much more to explore...There could be a deeper exploration of class, homophobia, and the horrors of domestic violence that’s unfortunately discarded for the benefit of a laugh.”
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“The moments of awkward discovery and eventual acceptance are beautifully done but are sadly too brief...I wanted less stereotypes and more exploration of love along with more examination of the themes at play.”
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“ ‘Beautiful Thing’ continues to be relevant because is a well-written, heart-warming and timeless love story.  Part of ’Beautiful Thing’s’ on-going success is due to its optimism. It is refreshing to see a queer narrative that has a happy ending.”
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“The message of Harvey’s play remains pertinent today. Despite the amusing references to 1990s culture, it doesn’t wallow in nostalgia; instead, it highlights how far the gay community has come in terms of visibility.”
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“We’ve got Heartstopper now. We’ve got gender discourse. You’d think the radicalism of ‘Beautiful Thing has’ dimmed. Far from it. Even if it clunks occasionally, Simpson-Pike’s production, without much fuss, renews the play’s claim to gay greatness.”
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“Soap and panto, big heart and shameless gags: they were already there in ‘Beautiful Thing’. It’s a bumpy mix, but there’s also a stubborn utopian impulse – an insistence that love will find a way, that lives can take the shape they need.”
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“...this anniversary production of ‘Beautiful Thing’ proves beyond any doubt why the play is regarded as such a modern classic. With stellar performances across the board and a real, lived-in quality to not only the relationships but to the world around them, this play truly is beautiful, and as resonant as it has ever been.”
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"It feels somewhat reductive to say that this is a queer play just because its protagonists happen to be gay when it is, in fact, a very human story that defies you not to leave the theatre wrapped in a warm, nostalgic glow. "
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