Peacock Theatre – until the 23rd March 2024
Reviewed by Fiona Leyman
4****
There will always be people in this world who will lift you up and those who will bring you down. Jamie’s message is clear: surround yourself with people who want to fan your fire, not put it out. Write your own life story, rather than allowing others to write it for you. There is a place in this world for everyone!
Everyone’s Talking About Jamie returns to London’s West End for a limited season at the Peacock Theatre, following a record-breaking three-year residency, a sold-out tour, and an award-winning film. Jamie is back and ready to tour the country once more.
Jamie New (Ivano Turco – Andrew Lloyd’s Cinderella) is a 16-year-old boy who knows he is different, special and dreams of becoming a Drag Queen. Those who don’t understand are cruel, telling him he’s not worth it or that he must blend in and be ‘normal’. This is a heart-breaking, upbeat (at times) journey of acceptance, self-confidence, and search for a place where you belong.
This cast includes many well-known names. Shobna Gulati, who previously appeared on Coronation Street and Dinner Ladies, returns to play Ray. Shobna’s comedic delivery and timing were a big hit with the audience, providing laugh out loud moments with her well-delivered punchlines. John Partridge, a well-known TV personality and stage star (Eastenders, MasterChef, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats), plays Hugo and the flamboyant Loco Chanelle and does so brilliantly. Newcomer to Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Author and Podcaster Giovanna Fletcher (I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here 2020, 2:22 A Ghost Story) appears as unsupportive, Miss Trunchbull-esque Career Teacher Miss Head. Although not known for singing, they added some familiarity to this new cast. Rebecca McKinnis (Dear Evan Hansen) reprises her role as Margret and was the night’s standout vocalist. Her performance of ‘He’s My Boy‘ drew loud applause and standing ovation from some of the audience due to the sheer strength and emotion she conveyed.
Jonathan Butterell, the show’s original director and co-writer, as well as the book and lyrics writer Tom Macrae, should be commended for their writing. They were able to accurately convey societal language despite not adhering to traditional musical theatre writing conventions. They did not shy away from derogatory homophobic and racist language, which is unfortunately common in everyday culture. As a result, this story was more impactful than I had anticipated.
Throughout the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie performance, there were clear sound issues. Unfortunately, the lyrics became inaudible during the larger musical numbers. Most of the upbeat songs were difficult to understand and had a noticeable effect on the entire show. This show’s score is unquestionably second to none. The music and orchestration by The Feelings frontman Dan Gillespie Sells is a modern, relevant, pop earworm that will stick in your head, but these sound issues detracted from the impact they were attempting to make. As someone who had always loved songs like ‘The Wall in My Head‘ and ‘He’s My Boy‘ but had never seen the film or seen it before in the West End, seeing them performed on stage made the context much more poignant.
Aside from the sound issues, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has a lot of appeal. It’s flamboyant, extravagant, skilfully staged, and over the top in the best way possible!