Charlie Brooks to Lead BEAUTIFUL THING, Coming to Marlowe Theatre This Month

Charlie Brooks, best known as Janine Butcher from EastEnders, stars in Beautiful Thing, at The Marlowe Theatre, later this month (March).

Capturing what it is like to be a teenager and to fall in love, Jonathan Harvey's classic play opens its 18-week tour in Canterbury. Set on an inner city housing estate, Beautiful Thing tells the story of Jamie's relationship with classmate and neighbour, Ste.

Together the two boys find comedy, warmth and the music of Mama Cass through their loud-mouthed next door neighbour, Leah.

Multi-award-winning actress Brook leads the cast as Jamie's mum, Sandra. Her other notable credits include Jenny in Bleak House, winner of Strictly Come Dancing, I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, and a critically-acclaimed stage performance in Our Country's Good (Liverpool Playhouse).

Jamie is played by Sam Jackson, whose roles include Alex Henley in Skins, Jack in Drifters and a critically-acclaimed performance as Billy Casper in Kes. Thomas Law plays Ste; his roles include Peter Beale in EastEnders, Matt Haddon in Casualty and most recently as a young Simon Pegg in blockbuster film The World's End.

Vanessa Babirye (recently seen on screen in Our Girl, and at the National Theatre in Romeo and Juliet) plays Leah, while Gerard McCarthy (Hollyoaks, The Fall, and the Netflix' epic Titanic: Blood and Steel) is Tony. Also joining the company will be Rob Ellis and Natalie Law.

Harvey wrote beautiful thing when he was just 24. It premiered at the Bush Theatre in 1993 and sold out its five-week run before transferring to the Donmar Warehouse, and then the Duke of York's, eventually winning its author an Olivier Award nomination and the John Whiting Award. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 films, which went on to be a cult hit. Harvey is a regular writer for Coronation Street and wrote the TV hit series Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, as well as the best-selling 2012 novel All She Wants. His plays include Canary and Corrie!

Over its 20-year history, the play has featured in the careers of many famous actors including Jonny Lee Miller, Suranne Jones, Hugh Bonneville, Philip Glennister, Andrew Garfield, and Rhys Ifans, and has been produced more than 25 times worldwide, with international dates in China, France, Canada, Australia and Holland.

Beautiful Thing is directed by Nikolai Foster, who was recently appointed Artistic Director of Curve Leicester. His work has been seen in most of the UK's leading regional theatres, touring houses and internationally, and recent productions include The Hired Man, Calamity Jane and Brecht's The Good Person Of Sichuan.

Beautiful Thing Executive Producer Tom O'Connell said: "Having produced the original anniversary production, I am honoured to now partner with Nottingham Playhouse and Curve Theatre, Leicester, two fantastic producing theatres, to bring Jonathan's hit comedy to the stage one more time. Nikolai and I made a promise to each other that if we ever re-visited his production it would play cities and theatres that it hadn't been to before. We feel with this new cast and with some new elements added to the show, this new production will have audiences smiling all the way home."

Beautiful Thing was the winner of The Public Reviews Best Touring Production 2013, and So So Gay's Best Play of 2013. It is at The Marlowe Theatre at 7.30pm on Monday 23 and Tuesday 24 March (there is also a 2.30pm matinee on Tuesday). Tickets, priced from £17 to £31.50 (concessions available; booking fees apply), are from the Box Office on 01227 787787, or marlowetheatre.com.

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