Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Well of course they are. This show is not just a little bit of sparkle in the grey. It’s a ginormous explosion of glitter and it’s currently strutting its stuff at the Opera House Blackpool (until Saturday 25th November).
This smash hit West End show is on its second UK tour and features a stellar cast, led by Ivano Turco as Jamie and including Shobna Gulati, Hayley Tamaddon, Rebecca McKinnis and Darren Day.
The musical is based on the true story of 16-year-old British schoolboy Jamie Campbell, who beat the school bully and his inner demons to embrace his dream of becoming a drag queen. With more than a little love and support from his close, devoted circle and an unexpected mentor in the form of veteran drag queen Hugo/Loco Chanelle.
Why is it so good?
This show flies the flag for being yourself, living your best life and most of all, overcoming prejudice. In a fast-moving spectacle of high energy choreography, catchy tunes and belting ballads, amidst a witty, sometimes gritty script, it has you laughing one minute and crying the next. It’s relatable. It delivers a serious moral message without being too deep. It’s inspirational. And oh my days it’s a lot of fun.
The best bits
All of them actually. But to pick out a few highlights:
The stage set – which features huge building blocks as a backdrop. In some scenes, these depict a dreary comprehensive school building, within whose walls Jamie’s teacher Miss Hedge says his psychometric test reveals his ideal career to be a forklift truck driver. In another they’re lit up with the bright, bold lights of the drag club where Jamie is transformed into Mimi Me. In between, bleak clouds drift across LED screens displaying the gloomy rooftops of Sheffield. Which against all odds becomes Jamie’s San Francisco, where putting the bins out in stilettos turns out to be a celebratory rite of passage.
Darren Day – a reassuring presence, who expertly demonstrates how the glitz, glamour and true grit that got Hugo/Loco Chanelle through the 80s eclipses the ordinary to reveal the extraordinary, whilst reminding Jamie this is just the beginning of his story.
How skilfully every single cast member brings their individual character to life through song, filling the Opera House with a beautiful assortment of incredible voices.
The comparison of Beyoncé to Emmeline Pankhurst.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a work of art and it’s getting rave reviews. Catch the #jamietour while you can and – in the words of one its life-affirming numbers – step out of the darkness, into the spotlight.
