FERNDALE, MI – The Ringwald Theatre at Affirmations in Ferndale is proud to mark the 30th Anniversary of Jonathan Harvey’s play Beautiful Thing with its upcoming production, opening March 8 and running through April 1.

Teenage boys Ste and Jamie are neighbors on a South London estate. Jamie is more knowledgeable about The Sound of Music than football, while classmate Ste never misses a sports day. Both are being bullied, Jamie at school and Ste at home by his violent father and brother.

One night, when things get too much, Ste seeks refuge in Jamie’s flat, and, sharing a bed, the boys strike up a new relationship. Together they come to terms with their sexuality and explore their feelings alongside their Mama Cass-loving, rebellious friend Leah and with the much-needed emotional support of Jamie’s lioness mother, Sandra.

Thirty years on from its initial publication, Jonathan Harvey’s iconic, coming-out, and coming-of-age story set in the nineties still resonates with ideas on community, friendship, rites of passage, and what it is to be sixteen and in love.

The New York Times says, “Only a theatergoer with an ice cube where his heart should be would remain indifferent to the plight of Jamie and Ste, the teenage heroes of Beautiful Thing, Jonathan Harvey’s endearing, lopsided smile of a comedy about a boy who falls for the boy next door…”.

Joe Bailey, who directed the Los Angeles premiere in 2000, directs here assisted by Gretchen Schock. The cast is nick Easterling, Garett Michael Harris, Fernanda Hernandez, Jamie Warrow, and Cole VanAmberg.

Set design is by Sean Sullivan, lighting design is by Brandy Joe Plambeck, and costumes are by Rachael Parrott. Foster Johns is on board as Dialect Coach and Harry Totten will serve as Stage Manager.

Beautiful Thing will run from March 8-April 1, 2024 and tickets are $25 for performances on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and $15 on Mondays. Please note: there will be no performance on Easter Sunday, March 31^st. Tickets are currently available at theRingwald.com. This year the Ringwald will be going cashless but credit cards will be accepted at the door. Performances on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays are at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 3:00 PM. The Ringwald is located inside of Affirmations Community Center at 290 W. 9 Mile Road in downtown Ferndale, Michigan.

The Ringwald opened 16 ½ years ago on May 11, 2007, with Fatal Attraction: A Greek Tragedy and became a mainstay of Detroit’s theatre community. Past highlights include The Inheritance, Misery, Puffs, Head Over Heels, The Rocky Horror Show, Heathers The Musical, Mr. Burns: a post-electric play, Angels in America, Into the Woods, August: Osage County, Mercury Fur, The Bad Seed, and Evil Dead: The Musical. The Ringwald was named 2009, 2012 and 2013 Best Theatrical Troupe by Real Detroit and Best Place to See Local Theatre in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by readers of Metro Times.