British playwright Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing will make its New York debut at the Cherry Lane Theatre, Feb. 4 for an open ended run. The official opening is Feb. 14, 1999. Tickets for Beautiful Thing go on sale Nov. 20. For information, call (212) 239-6200.

The play's American premiere was mounted last May by Chicago's Famous Door Theatre with Gary Griffin directing. Griffin and his entire Chicago cast will transfer over for the New York stint.

Beautiful Thing premiered at London's Donmar Warehouse in 1993, played the Duke of York's Theatre in 1994, and has been made into a movie produced by Island World Productions. The play captures the awakening love between two male teenagers growing up in southeast London.

Griffin is one of the hottest resident directors in Chicago, recently nominated for four Best Director Jeff Awards last month for musicals staged in 1997-98. He recently staged the Chicago premiere of Gross Indecency at the Court Theatre and is an artistic associate at Apple Tree Theatre. This production would mark his Off-Broadway debut.

Thing is produced by Roy Gabay, whose producing credits include How I Learned to Drive and Side Man. With Beautiful Thing making it to Off-Broadway, it would be the second hit Chicago show to arrive this season. Killer Joe, a big hit for Evanston, IL's Next Theatre in 1993, is currently receiving a commercial production in Soho starring Amanda Plummer.