Review: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – The Lowry

Everybody’s talking about Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

It’s being recommended to me, I’ve been asked if I’ve seen it, asked if I recommend it…

Yes

In short.

In long, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, is an award-winning ‘feel good musical sensation,’ which debuted in the West End and has opened its UK tour at The Lowry.

I write ‘feel good musical sensation’ in quotes purely because I didn’t say it first, but completely agree.

It’s a feel good musical sensation.
me

The show tells the story of an extraordinary lad with what should be accepted as ordinary dreams. Jamie New (a stage-stealing performance from Layton Williams) is sixteen, from a Sheffield council estate and doesn’t fit in.

His careers class dictates that his destiny is to be a fork lift truck driver. His dream is to be a drag queen. And a sensational one at that.

But first, Jamie has to overcome bullies (George Sampson putting in a mean – in every sense of the word – performance as Dean), prejudice and judgement, not least from his own Dad (Cameron Johnson).

Helped along by a solid foundation of love from single mum Margaret (Amy Ellen Richardson) and mad mate Ray (Shobna Gulati), the best mate a boy or girl could have in Pritti (Sharan Phull) and an encouraging word and song or two from Sheffield dress shop owner/drag queen (Shane Richie putting in something of a guilty pleasure performance as Hugo/Loco Chanelle), Jamie is able to ‘step out of the darkness, into the spotlight’.

I could do with some tips from Jamie myself, having side-stepped the red carpet and photographer laid out for guests at The Lowry on Saturday night, shyly shimmying sideways like a cowardly crab straight to the bar. What an odd image I conjure.

Anyway.

With an original score of catchy pop tunes by lead singer-songwriter of The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells, writer Tom MacRae (Doctor Who) and the cast have brought to the stage a high-octane, bouncy, bitingly funny and at times emotionally charged tale of bravery, determination and finding your inner fabulousness.

And by the end, you’ll feel so good and energised, you’ll practically be pirouetting your way out of those theatre doors and onto your tram (if only the red carpet had been available at the end – I would have posed up a storm).