The Line Of Beauty
19 November 2025
Almeida Theatre
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
The Line of Beauty, adapted from Alan Hollinghurst’s novel by Jack Holden, is currently running at the Almeida until 29 November. Most performances are sold out, keep an eye out for a West End transfer of the show though, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was one coming soon.
London, summer 1983, student Nick Guest moves into the mansion home of his wealthy Oxford friend Toby. He is welcomed into the world of Toby’s father, newly elected Tory MP Gerald Fedden and his privileged social circle. Dazzled by the wealth and power of his new surrounding, he forges a bond with the family’s troubled daughter Cat while discretely exploring the city’s gay scene at the height of the Aids epidemic. He meets Leo, a black council worker, a relationship Nick keeps secret from the Feddens, before receiving an offer that would change his career trajectory. Wani Ouradi, a closeted, insanely rich son of an influential businessman, whisks Nick away on a trip around the world, a dizzying world of sex and drugs and power.
The show is set in Thatcher’s Britain of the 80s, an examination of how the other half lives, and how temptation to become part of this world demands unspoken sacrifices. Tinged with the tragedy of the Aids epidemic, the plot focuses more on the personal cost of striving to rise through classes, having to leave behind part of oneself to fit into a world so different from ones own. A working class, openly gay man pushed to change himself, to keep heavy secrets, plunged into a society full of corruption and lies while lured by the glittering beauty of satisfying material desires.
The staging of this play is extraordinary, with a very simple set and a strong lighting design placing the focus on the emotional turmoil at play throughout. Dark blue and bright whites dominate, while gaps between scenes are beautifully filled with contemporary music and people walking across the stage as the set changes. There is a crisp, harsh quality about the visual design, which meshes incredibly well with the plot.
The stark difference between Nick’s inner desire for honesty, truth, and love, and the drive to become part of the nepotist wonderland of wealth and power he is flung into creates a fascinating whirlwind examining power dynamics and what is lost when personal sacrifices are demanded to climb the ladder. There is a delicious disparity between Nick’s personality and his decisions, the struggle to stay true to himself while trying to maintain the newly discovered dreamland he is flung into, haunted by betraying his own political beliefs to fit in with the opposition who have so much to offer.
Jasper Talbot is transcendent as Nick Guest, embodying the young man to tremendous effect, constantly simmering with deep passion held back by ambition. There is an air of tragedy behind every smile, every grand gesture, wildness tamed to fulfil the needs of the hands that feed him. From explicit encounters in private gardens to sophisticated parties attended by Thatcher herself, Talbot presents a strong characterisation that feels real, raw, and deeply conflicted.
The Line Of Beauty is a gorgeous production, poetic and deeply touching, leaving the audience shaken and stirred in the most tranquil way possible.
