The Line of Beauty offers a fascinating insight into 1980s queer life in London – review

You may already be familiar with The Line of Beauty – this stage adaptation is based on Alan Hollinghurst’s classic queer novel which won the Booker Prize in 2004 – but if not, it tells the tale of Nick Guest, a young and impressionable gay man who has moved to London in 1983. Throughout the mid-1980s we watch a range of issues clash – politics, race, class, homophobia – set against a backdrop of the unfolding AIDS crisis. The story has been adapted for stage by Jack Holden (who brought us Cruise and KENREX, both of which we loved) and is directed by Tony- and Olivier-winner Michael Grandage.

There’s been so much anticipation for this show that the whole run has already sold out (if you’re keen to catch it, check the box office for returns). So does it justify the hype?

It is quite a task to distil Hollinghurst’s hefty 500-page tome into a two-and-a-half hour play, but Holden has done an impressive job in condensing the key events. If you’re not familiar with the story, it’s a fascinating one, following Nick’s journey as he navigates London during the 1980s. He has moved in, as a lodger, to the family home of his university friend: the father has just been elected a Tory MP in Thatcher’s landslide election victory that year. As such, Nick is afforded an opportunity to peek into a world of privilege and power that he could only dream about, as he mingles with the political elite.

While this is very much a story about Nick (played by Jasper Talbot, who we recently caught in the thrilling Inter Alia), we encounter a sizeable cast of characters along the way. We meet the Fedden family, who Nick is lodging with: head of the household and new Tory MP Gerald (Charles Edwards), his wife Rachel (Claudia Harrison), daughter Cat (Ellie Bamber) and Toby (Leo Suter) who was Nick’s university friend. We also meet two of Nick’s lovers: Leo (Alistair Nwachukwu), who is black, left wing, and works for Camden Council; and Wani (Arty Froushan), the millionaire son of a respected business tycoon.

There’s an awful lot of story to squeeze into the running time, and we’d have liked to have explored some of these relationships in more detail, particularly the issue of race in Nick’s relationship with Leo. As we don’t examine Nick’s relationships as intimately as the book does we also feel a little less invested in these characters, which does somewhat dampen the impact when the AIDS crisis really starts to take hold, which is a shame.

The Line of Beauty is at its best when it’s exploring the intersectional issues of the era – when we witness the Fedden family’s glitzy high-class politics clash with their underlying attitudes towards Nick’s sexuality, the play feels truly exciting. Not every aspect of the story lands as effectively, but adapting this ambitious text was always going to be a tricky feat and the creative team have done a commendable job here. For the most part this is a beautiful retelling of a classic queer tale, and if you’re able to buy a ticket, it’s worth checking out.

GAY TIMES gives The Line of Beauty – 4/5

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