British playwright Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing, an urban fairy tale [sic], finishes its return run. May 13, at San Francisco's New Conservatory Theatre, where the play made its West Coast debut in 1998. The revival, with much of its cast and director Ed Decker still intact, began performances March 22 with an opening April 1.

The leads Tony and Jamie are the replacements, which Gabriel Diamond and Ryan Canfield will play, respectively. Returning are Linda Chavez Languas as Jamie's neighbor Leah, James Marks as Ste and Patricia Miller as Jamie's mother Sandra.

Beautiful Thing debuted at London's Bush Theatre in a production that starred a then-unknown Johnny Lee Miller (subsequently to achieve fame as Sickboy in the film, "Trainspotting") as one of two teen-age boys acting on his dawning sexuality.

A Donmar Warehouse production in London in 1993 was a recast restaging, and subsequently transferred to the Duke of York's, before it was turned into a warmly-embraced movie.

The play captures the awakening love between two male teenagers growing up in southeast London. Beautiful Thing received its US premiere at Famous Door Theatre in Chicago. That production transferred to Off-Broadway in January, 1999.

Tickets are $22-$13. The New Conservatory Theatre Center is located at 25 Van Ness Avenue. For information and tickets, call the NCTC box office at (415) 861-8972.

-- By Christine Ehren
and Robert Simonson