AD | Press tickets
This week Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has come to Norwich Theatre Royal as part of the UK tour! We got to see the show on opening night; read on to find out what we thought!
About the show
Jamie New is sixteen and lives on a council estate in Sheffield. Jamie doesn’t quite fit in. Jamie is terrified about the future. Jamie is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight. This ‘Funny, outrageous, touching’ (Daily Telegraph), musical sensation is to be experienced by all the family and not to be missed!
Funny, fabulous and feel good, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie features an all-star cast including West End sensation Ivano Turco as Jamie, musical theatre icon Rebecca McKinnis as Margaret, star of the stage Sejal Keshwala as Ray, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie wonder Talia Palamathanan as Pritti WITH X-Factor winner and legend Sam Bailey as Miss Hedge AND Strictly Come Dancing royalty Kevin Clifton as Hugo/Loco Chanelle.
Set to an original score of catchy pop tunes that will ‘blow the roof off the Theatre’ (Mail on Sunday) by lead singer-songwriter of The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells and writer Tom MacRae (Doctor Who). Choreographed by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince (Into The Hoods, Some Like It Hip Hop, SYLVIA, Message In A Bottle). This ‘sparkling coming-of-age musical’ (The Times) will have everybody talking about Jamie for years to come.
Did we enjoy the show?
At 16, Jamie New doesn’t really know what he wants to do with his future… apart from to become a drag queen. Peers at school aren’t quite as open and welcoming towards Jamie and the thought of living his dream of going to prom in a dress seems impossible.
This is a show that has a little bit of everything; an emotional story, growing up and trying to figure out who you are and different family dynamics. Between Jamie himself, his parents, friends and teachers, there is a lot to compliment the main ‘reason’ of the show. However, this is also such a beautiful story with a strong message of celebrating your true self and being exactly who you are.
I really enjoyed there being a mix of super upbeat and fun scenes combined with some really emotional and sentimental moments between characters, really representing the highs and lows of life.
Songs
The song list for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is quite a varied one, and maybe not exactly what I was expecting. In my head, I thought this was going to be a full show of upbeat pop songs but I was quite wrong. While they are there, you can enjoy much slower, more meaningful songs such as ‘It Means Beautiful’ and ‘He’s My Boy’.
Set
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has quite a simple set, with a few moving parts making the change from classroom, to home, to a shop. The transitions are done quickly and easily throughout, helped by the use of fun and upbeat music and lights. It really made me feel like I was at a party. The set isn’t super fancy, and I think that’s a good thing because it doesn’t detract from the story.
Cast
On opening night we had a couple of cast changes, with Finton Flynn playing the role of Jamie and Daniel Jacob as Jamie’s Dad. Sometimes, it can be disappointing to know that you’re not getting to see who would usually be playing the lead role however, Finton Flynn was superb as Jamie.
This part needed just the right amount of sass, mixed with teenage emotion and Flynn nailed it. Also, hats off to anyone who can walk in those heels, let alone dance and sing in them! It was an emotional end to the show too, with a very well deserved standing ovation from the audience.
Seeing Kevin Clifton in a show is always a highlight for me, as someone who also comes from Grimsby. The last show I saw him in was Strictly Ballroom, also one of my favourites. I loved Clifton as Huge/ Loco Chanelle. This was a very different role I think for Clifton but he was amazing, and actually maybe than I was expecting. He gets some quite big songs, with The Legend of Loco Chanelle (and the Blood Red Dress) being one of my favourites from the whole show.
The whole cast are fantastic though, with those such as Rebecca McKinnis playing Jamie’s Mum, Sejal Keshwala playing the hilarious Ray, Talia Palamathanan as best friend Pritti and of course, Sam Bailey as Miss Hedge.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is such a fantastic show. A modern musical, with something I think most people will be able to connect with in one way or another!