Customs House, South Shields – until 24th May 2025
Reviewed by Sandra Little
4****
This version of “Everybody’s Talking about Jamie” at the Customs House is an amateur production from Astravaganza Entertainment, produced by Liam Glendinnning and directed by David Ducasse. It is based on the smash hit musical of the same name which ran for three years in the West End.
The musical follows the trials and tribulations of Jamie New ( played by Corey Clarke), a 16 year old living on a council estate in Sheffield. From the outset it is clear that Jamie doesn’t fit in to this environment, he struggles with his identity, the reactions of others to his choices and is terrified about his future. Despite careers advice from school suggesting Jamie could be a fork lift truck driver, he has other ideas. From an early age Jamie has loved dressing up in girls’ clothes and his 16th birthday present from his mum is a pair of red stiletto shoes which he adores. At this point we learn that Jamie really wants to be a drag artist and not a fork lift truck driver!
Throughout his journey Jamie is supported by his mum (Nathalie Baxter) and her friend Ray (Deborah Taylor-Smith). Unfortunately Jamie’s dad (Chris Page) is unable to accept Jamie’s unconventional behaviour and rejects him. Jamie finds this rejection painful and he also faces prejudice and bullying from others along the way. Jamie’s plans to attend the school prom as a drag queen don’t go as smoothly as planned, but the story does have a happy ending when Jamie overcomes the prejudice he faces and beats the bullies. Although this “coming of age” story does have some darker moments, there are also lighter elements and some very amusing scenes.
I couldn’t begin to choose one stand out scene or performer in this fast paced, high energy musical, however it must be said that the dance routines are very polished and sometimes convey great emotion. The scene with drag artists and Legs Eleven club was both funny and touching and I particularly enjoyed Morgan Newman’s performance as Hugo / Loco Chanelle. In contrast the scene where Jamie’s mum sang, “If I met Myself Again” was quite tender and likewise the ballad, “He’s my Boy” was also quite moving.
As Jamie’s story evolves it demonstrates the importance of having the courage to to be yourself and to stand up to the bullies. In one tender moment, early in the show, Jamie’s friend, Pritti (Emily Jones) tells Jamie to stop waiting for permission to be himself and by the end of the performance it seems as though Jamie has taken on board this advice.
Although this is an amateur production, the performance on the opening night was a very polished “professional” offering from a predominantly young cast. I have seen several performances from this production team and the standard they achieve is quite amazing.
This production does contains strong language, mild sexual references and adult themes including homophobia.