REVIEW:
EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE
Review - Everybody's Talking About Jamie
A relevant modern day musical that is at once truthful and a heightened musical world. It truly is, as the show’s catchphrase states, “a bit of glitter in the grey.”
On paper, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie may seem like “traditional” book musical, but the diverse characters that inhabit it are anything but traditional. From the boy who likes to wear a dress, to his mother who must also play father, the sassy aunt with big balls, a teacher who longs for nurturing, and a formerly fabulous drag queen who becomes a mentor, this is a world where complex femininity reigns.
Inspired by the real life documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, the musical follows Jamie (John McCrea), a male high school student who dreams of becoming a drag queen and wearing a dress to prom. With the support of his mother Margaret (Josie Walker), Aunt Ray (Mina Anwar), and best friend Pritti (Lucie Shorthouse), Jamie attempts to be his true self in a conformist “real” world.
The theme of “keeping it real,” announced in the opening scene in Jamie’s career orientation class led by exasperated teacher Miss Hedge (Tamsin Carroll) is reflected in the set. While school is represented by stylized desks, home is a realistic-looking kitchen, inhabited by his mother Margaret and Aunty Ray. It is at home that Jamie is allowed to fully express himself, his first pair of heels are a birthday gift from his dedicated mother.
The “real” is challenged by the heightened world of drag. Although the store Victor’s Secret appears drab, it is where Jamie discovers a man can express his true feminine self through costumes and make-up.
Kate Prince’s fun-filled choreography compliments the heightened/real dichotomy, striking a perfect balance between story-telling, flashy moves, and a loving homage to Madonna. One particularly delightful moment, that elicited audible gasps from the cinema audience, showed the prom committee playing a round of cups in the next room. The choreography works as a moment of child-like play in real life, and also as the perfect backing track to Jamie’s heightened musical world.
Under the direction of Jonathan Butterell, Jamie continually transitions from the heightened, to the real, and back again in mere moments.
The heightened/real is particularly evident in scenes featuring Jamie’s mother played by the astonishing Josie Walker. Her performance, so elegantly captured in the broadcast, is a masterclass in acting through song.
Another standout in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is Pritti, Jamie’s best friend, played by Lucie Shorthouse. The role of Pritti, who is Muslim and an aspiring doctor, is a groundbreaking one. I don’t think there is another musical with a Muslim woman, let alone a woman wearing a hijab… at least not in mainstream musical theatre (there is a male Muslim character in the currently playing Broadway musical Come From Away, Ali the hotel chef). Pritti’s songs are breathtaking. A scene in her bedroom, adorned with starry-sky wallpaper and a starry lamp, is moving. As Jamie is reminded by Pritti, he is drawn to wearing beautiful outfits because that’s who he is on the inside.
By being his true self, Jamie gives permission to others around him to express their true selves. Sometimes, as in the case of Jamie’s absent father, that self is dark and bigoted. The power of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is how the good can survive, and thrive, even alongside the darkness.
Produced by More2Screen and Nimax Theatres, the capture of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is superb, and surprisingly without bells and whistles. There is no pre-show footage of the theatre, or the audience, and no making-of vignettes.
Filmed with a range of dynamic camera angles and shots that move with the action, there are enough long and wide shots to give a full sense of the action on the whole stage. A camera sitting at audience level below the front of the stage provides a literal front row view and intimate upward-directional shots. Used too often, it just gives a feel of looking up the actors’ nostrils.
Although there are rumors of a Broadway transfer, I hope more encore screenings are planned, or that the broadcast is picked up by one of the streaming services. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is heart-warming and powerful show that should be widely seen and celebrated.
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Theatre: Apollo Theatre, London
Producer: More2Screen, Nica Burns
Book and Lyrics: Tom MacRae
Music: Dan Gillespie Sells
Director: Jonathan Butterell
Musical Director: Theo Jamieson
Choreography: Kate Prince
Scenic/Costume Design: Anne Fleischle
Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
Sound Design: Paul Groothuis
Cast:
John McCrea (Jamie), Josie Walker (Margaret New), Mina Anwar (Ray), Tamsin Carroll (Miss Hedge), Lucie Shorthouse (Pritti Pasha), Phil Nichol (Hugo), Alex Anstey (Laika Virgin), James Gillan (Tray Sophisticay), Daniel Jacob (Sandra Bollock), Ken Christiansen (Jamie’s Dad), Luke Baker (Dean Paxton), Courtney Bowman (Fatimah), Jordan Cunningham (Sayid), Daniel Davids (Levi), Ryan Hughes (Mickey), Harriet Payne (Bex), Shiv Rabheru (Cy), Lauren Rae (Becca), Kirstie Skivington (Vicki)
On paper, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie may seem like “traditional” book musical, but the diverse characters that inhabit it are anything but traditional. From the boy who likes to wear a dress, to his mother who must also play father, the sassy aunt with big balls, a teacher who longs for nurturing, and a formerly fabulous drag queen who becomes a mentor, this is a world where complex femininity reigns.
Inspired by the real life documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, the musical follows Jamie (John McCrea), a male high school student who dreams of becoming a drag queen and wearing a dress to prom. With the support of his mother Margaret (Josie Walker), Aunt Ray (Mina Anwar), and best friend Pritti (Lucie Shorthouse), Jamie attempts to be his true self in a conformist “real” world.
The theme of “keeping it real,” announced in the opening scene in Jamie’s career orientation class led by exasperated teacher Miss Hedge (Tamsin Carroll) is reflected in the set. While school is represented by stylized desks, home is a realistic-looking kitchen, inhabited by his mother Margaret and Aunty Ray. It is at home that Jamie is allowed to fully express himself, his first pair of heels are a birthday gift from his dedicated mother.
The “real” is challenged by the heightened world of drag. Although the store Victor’s Secret appears drab, it is where Jamie discovers a man can express his true feminine self through costumes and make-up.
Kate Prince’s fun-filled choreography compliments the heightened/real dichotomy, striking a perfect balance between story-telling, flashy moves, and a loving homage to Madonna. One particularly delightful moment, that elicited audible gasps from the cinema audience, showed the prom committee playing a round of cups in the next room. The choreography works as a moment of child-like play in real life, and also as the perfect backing track to Jamie’s heightened musical world.
Under the direction of Jonathan Butterell, Jamie continually transitions from the heightened, to the real, and back again in mere moments.
The heightened/real is particularly evident in scenes featuring Jamie’s mother played by the astonishing Josie Walker. Her performance, so elegantly captured in the broadcast, is a masterclass in acting through song.
Another standout in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is Pritti, Jamie’s best friend, played by Lucie Shorthouse. The role of Pritti, who is Muslim and an aspiring doctor, is a groundbreaking one. I don’t think there is another musical with a Muslim woman, let alone a woman wearing a hijab… at least not in mainstream musical theatre (there is a male Muslim character in the currently playing Broadway musical Come From Away, Ali the hotel chef). Pritti’s songs are breathtaking. A scene in her bedroom, adorned with starry-sky wallpaper and a starry lamp, is moving. As Jamie is reminded by Pritti, he is drawn to wearing beautiful outfits because that’s who he is on the inside.
By being his true self, Jamie gives permission to others around him to express their true selves. Sometimes, as in the case of Jamie’s absent father, that self is dark and bigoted. The power of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is how the good can survive, and thrive, even alongside the darkness.
Produced by More2Screen and Nimax Theatres, the capture of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is superb, and surprisingly without bells and whistles. There is no pre-show footage of the theatre, or the audience, and no making-of vignettes.
Filmed with a range of dynamic camera angles and shots that move with the action, there are enough long and wide shots to give a full sense of the action on the whole stage. A camera sitting at audience level below the front of the stage provides a literal front row view and intimate upward-directional shots. Used too often, it just gives a feel of looking up the actors’ nostrils.
Although there are rumors of a Broadway transfer, I hope more encore screenings are planned, or that the broadcast is picked up by one of the streaming services. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is heart-warming and powerful show that should be widely seen and celebrated.
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Theatre: Apollo Theatre, London
Producer: More2Screen, Nica Burns
Book and Lyrics: Tom MacRae
Music: Dan Gillespie Sells
Director: Jonathan Butterell
Musical Director: Theo Jamieson
Choreography: Kate Prince
Scenic/Costume Design: Anne Fleischle
Lighting Design: Lucy Carter
Sound Design: Paul Groothuis
Cast:
John McCrea (Jamie), Josie Walker (Margaret New), Mina Anwar (Ray), Tamsin Carroll (Miss Hedge), Lucie Shorthouse (Pritti Pasha), Phil Nichol (Hugo), Alex Anstey (Laika Virgin), James Gillan (Tray Sophisticay), Daniel Jacob (Sandra Bollock), Ken Christiansen (Jamie’s Dad), Luke Baker (Dean Paxton), Courtney Bowman (Fatimah), Jordan Cunningham (Sayid), Daniel Davids (Levi), Ryan Hughes (Mickey), Harriet Payne (Bex), Shiv Rabheru (Cy), Lauren Rae (Becca), Kirstie Skivington (Vicki)