Tony Award-winning director Michael Grandage will helm the world premiere of The Line of Beauty, a new stage adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst’s Booker Prize-winning novel, set to run at the Almeida Theatre from 21 October to 29 November 2025.
Adapted for the stage by Olivier Award nominee Jack Holden (Cruise, Kenrex), The Line of Beauty brings to life Hollinghurst’s acclaimed exploration of desire, privilege, and political power at the height of Thatcher’s Britain. This marks a rare stage adaptation of the novel, which has long been praised for its richly detailed portrayal of class, sexuality, and cultural tension in 1980s London.
Set in Notting Hill during the summer of 1983, the story follows Nick Guest, a young, gay postgraduate who is drawn into the lives of his university friend’s wealthy Conservative family. As he becomes enmeshed in their world of glittering parties and guarded secrets, Nick’s pursuit of beauty leads him into a fragile dance between personal freedom and social expectation.
The creative team for The Line of Beauty includes set and costume design by Christopher Oram, lighting by Howard Hudson, sound and composition by Adam Cork, and movement and intimacy direction by Ben Wright. Casting is by Sophie Holland CDG.
Supported by The Charlotte Aitken Trust, the Almeida production marks the first major stage adaptation of Hollinghurst’s novel since its 2004 release. It was previously adapted for television by the BBC in 2006 starring Dan Stevens and Hayley Atwell.
Grandage joins Rupert Goold’s farewell season
The Line of Beauty is part of Rupert Goold’s final season as Artistic Director of the Almeida, a ten-production programme featuring new writing, classic revivals, and bold adaptations. Goold praised Holden’s adaptation as “one of the most compelling new takes on modern literature we’ve ever staged.”
Goold’s final season includes a mix of world premiere and revivals with highlights including Romola Garai in A Doll’s House, Josh O’Connor in Golden Boy, a revival of American Psycho, and Romans: a Novel (Read more about Almeida Theatre season).
Michael Grandage, former Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, most recently directed My Master Builder, a new adaptation of Ibsen’s play starring Ewan McGregor, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kate Fleetwood (wife of Rupert Goold). The production is currently running at Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End until 12 July.
Grandage’s extensive stage credits include the Tony and Olivier Award-winning Red, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Photograph 51 with Nicole Kidman, and Disney’s Frozen the Musical, which is set to be released on Disney+ later this year.
The Line of Beauty runs from 21 October to 29 November 2025 at the Almeida Theatre, London.
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