Book and lyrics: Tom Macrae
Director: Matt Ryan
In this delightful northern musical of acceptance and understanding, “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” takes the audience on a dynamic heartfelt journey. With book and lyrics by Tom Macrae, directed by Matt Ryan, featuring choreography by Kate Prince and musical direction by Danny Belton, the production beautifully brings to life the true story of Jamie Campbell and his determination to attend his school prom in a dress.
Ivano Turco shines in the lead role of Jamie, capturing the character’s ambition and dreams of becoming a drag queen, his movement is excellent and he maintains the character throughout. Rebecca McKinnis delivers strong vocals as Jamie’s supportive mother Margaret, particularly standing out in the moving song “He’s My Boy.” Darren Day adds charm to the production in the role of Hugo/Loco Chanelle, seamlessly and humorously covering a slip in his lines.
The trio of drag queens, played by Anthony Guide (Laika Virgin), David McNair (Tray Sophisticay), and Garry Lee (Sandra Bollock), steal the spotlight in each scene with brilliant and sassy performances, it would have been great to see more of them in Act 2. Shoba Gulati brings a lot of the humour to the production as Margaret’s friend Ray, and Talia Palamathanan is perfectly cast as Jamie’s best friend Pritti, infusing the role with warmth and elegance.
The show maintains an energetic and heartwarming atmosphere, with smooth and slick scene changes. The choreography, especially the dynamic class scene around the desks, adds an engaging visual element. The direction is smooth and pacey but I feel a somewhat deeper dive into the characters motivations might have been beneficial.
Despite the stellar cast and captivating performance, the overall experience is slightly marred by occasional issues with sound and microphones, including some static. Additionally, vocal audience members briefly interrupt the show. Nevertheless, the resilience of the cast prevails, making “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” a solid production well worthy of its multiple awards, it leaves a lasting impression of acceptance and determination. Well worthy of the loud standing ovation at the end of the evening, it’s clear to see why everybody, actually is, talking about Jamie.
Rubs until 25 November and continues on Tour
The Reviews Hub Score
A northern musical delight
