New Victoria Theatre Woking – until 19th March 2022
Reviewed by Emma Barnes and Gill Gardiner
5*****
Based on the real story of Jamie Campbell, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a musical portrayal of a gay teenager who knew from a young age that he wanted to be a drag queen.
The story covers all of the trials and tribulations that sadly you might expect both in school and the wider society, it is skillfully portrayed with a perfectly balanced mixture of comedy and sensitivity. Jamie’s desire to wear a dress for the school prom explores all the prejudices that a teenager could expect at the time not just from other pupils but also parents and staff.
The legendary Layton Williams is charismatic and lovable as Jamie. His ability to sing, dance in killer heels and portray the powerful emotions of a teenage boy seeking acceptance from his father is highly commendable. His performance takes us on a rollercoaster ranging from magnificent high energy sequences in “ the wall in my head “ to emotionally charged scenes where his character is left totally overwhelmed.
Amy Ellen Richardson’s wonderful performance of “He’s My Boy” captures the intense emotional spectrum of motherly love for her son, a beautiful moment which had many audience members reaching for a tissue. Later came the thought provoking “If I Met Myself Again” song which explores past mistakes and the realisation that memories however painful cannot be regrettable as they resulted in a much loved son. This was accompanied by two exceptional dancers who’s physical interpretation of the inner turmoil was absolutely on point.
Shane Richie oozed fabulousness as Hugo/Loco Chanelle the aging drag queen and mentor to Jamie. He helps Jamie on his journey to find his inner drag queen character. It was a pleasure to hear Shane sing.
Additional notable performances were given by Sharan Phull as Pritti, Lara Denning as Miss Hedge and Sasha Latoya as Ray. This was an exceptional cast which had the whole audience applauding leading to a well deserved prolonged standing ovation at the end.
This production is a feel good modern musical theatre at its very best, including stand out vocal solos, heart warming storylines and toe tapping singalongs that you are guaranteed to be humming for days.