INITIAL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR AWARD-WINNING HIT MUSICAL EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE 2023-24 TOUR * Fairy Powered Productions

INITIAL CASTING ANNOUNCED
FOR AWARD-WINNING HIT MUSICAL

EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE

2023-24 UK & IRELAND TOUR

The smash-hit and critically acclaimed musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie announces initial casting for its second UK & Ireland tour.

The cast includes Ivano Turco (Get Up, Stand Up!, Cinderella) as Jamie New, Rebecca McKinnis (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie West End, Dear Evan Hansen, We Will Rock You, Les Misérables) as Margaret New, Shobna Gulati (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie West End and Film, Coronation Street, Brassic) as Ray, Talia Palamathanan (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Tour and film) as Pritti, with John Partridge (Eastenders, The View Upstairs, La Cage Aux Folles, Chicago, A Chorus Line, CATS) as Hugo/Loco Chanelle (7 September until 11 November 2023 and 16 January until 16 March), Further casting to be announced.

Nica Burns, Producer of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie said: “We are absolutely delighted to be announcing a cracking cast for our second national tour. A huge welcome two new talented stars to the cast of Jamie: Ivano Turco in the title role and John Partridge as his mentors, Hugo/Loco Chanelle. They join two superlative fan favourites from the West End cast, Rebecca McKinnis as mum Margaret and Shobna Gulati also reprising her role in the film as Ray. Talia Palamathanan who was such a hit in the ensemble steps up to the lead role of Pritti.

We thank all our audiences for the incredible reception they have given us and look forward to sharing our joyful musical once again on tour round the UK”.

Following a record-breaking three-year West End residency, sold out UK & Ireland Tour and Amazon studios award-winning film the show opens at The Lowry on 7 September 2023 before visiting Sunderland, Nottingham, Bromley, Birmingham, Cardiff, Brighton, Leeds, Blackpool, Llandudno, Oxford, Newcastle, Wolverhampton, Woking, Sheffield, Liverpool and Glasgow with further tour dates to be announced.

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!

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 Woods, 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.

Sixteen: the edge of possibility. Time to make your dreams come true.

Watch the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie trailer

Music by Dan Gillespie Sells

Book and Lyrics by Tom MacRae

From an idea by Jonathan Butterell

Directed by Matt Ryan from original direction by Jonathan Butterell

Design by Anna Fleischle

Choreography by Kate Prince

Lighting design by Lucy Carter

Sound design by Paul Groothuis

Video Design Luke Halls

Casting by Will Burton

Musical Supervisor Theo Jamieson

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

Ivano Turco plays Jamie New. Early training: Arts 1 School of Performance, The Urdang Academy. Credits while training: Sleeping Beauty (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry). Upon graduating in 2020 he debuted in the Original West End cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella starring as Prince Sebastian (Gillian Lynne Theatre). He was a part of ALW’s Cinderella Original Album Cast Recording which received a GRAMMY Nomination for Best Musical Theatre Album in 2021 with Ivano further receiving a nomination as a Featured Artist. In 2021 he was the winner of the Black British Theatre award for Best Male Actor in a Musical for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, sharing the same nomination at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2021. In 2021 he starred as Mordred in Lambert Jackson’s CAMELOT: In Concert (London Palladium); he was a part of the original London workshop cast of FANGIRLS as Salty/Dance captain. He also appears on the studio album of Footballer’s Wives as Salvo, featuring on the singles ‘Lonely Moon’ and ‘Let’s Dance’. Most recently Ivano was the alternate Bob Marley in Get Up! Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical. (Lyric Theatre).

Rebecca McKinnis plays Margaret New. Her theatre credits include Tessa in Wish You Were Dead (UK Tour), Heidi Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen (Noël Coward Theatre); Joan in You Are Here (Southwark Playhouse); Bridget in St Anne Comes Home (The Actors Church); Margaret in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Apollo Theatre); Christina in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre); Tina Ruston in A Small Family Business (National Theatre Olivier); u/s and Lauren in Viva Forever (Piccadilly Theatre); Les Misérables (25th Anniversary Tour); Teacher and u/s Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre); u/s Jeanie in Fat Pig (Trafalgar Studios); Susannah Townley in Three Hours After Marriage (Union Theatre); Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew (Changeling Theatre Company); Lucy Lockett in Beggar’s Opera (Changeling Theatre Company); u/s and Donna/Tanya in Mamma Mia! (Prince of Wales); Virus/cover Kim and Big Sue in Taboo (UK Tour); Starting Here Starting Now (Upstairs at the Gatehouse); Kitty in Charley’s Aunt (CMC). Other credits include: Sound of Music Live (ITV); Comedy Cuts (ITV2) and Beauty and the Beast (Disney).

Shobna Gulati plays Ray. Shobna will soon be seen returning to the role of Nima in the upcoming second series of Channel 4’s Hullraisers. She became a household name for her role as Anita in Victoria Wood’s dinnerladies and as Sunita, in Coronation Street. She trained at Manchester University, Trinity Laban, Goldsmith’s College, London, Darpana Academy for Performing Arts, India and has a postgraduate in teaching dance from Middlesex University. Theatre credits include The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (UK Tour); Cinderella (Lyric Hammersmith); Richard II (The Globe); Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (The Apollo Theatre and tour ); Daisy Pulls It Off (The Park); Anita & Me (Birmingham Rep/Touring Consortium); Grease (Leicester Curve); Mamma Mia International Tour 2015- 2016, Jon Godber’s April in Paris (Derby Playhouse/ National Tour); B!rth, Hunger for Trade, Come Closer Pretend You Have Big Buildings, Cafe Vesuvio (Royal Exchange, Manchester); How High is Up?, The Jungle Book, (West Yorkshire Playhouse); dinnerladies, Girl’s Night (National Tour), The Vagina Monologues (Mark Goucher Ltd); Romeo and Juliet, Crazy Lady (Leicester Haymarket, Contact Theatre ); The Mikado (New, Vic Stoke and Stephen Joseph Theatre) A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Tara Arts/National Tour) , Moti Roti Puttli Chunni, Blaggers, and D’yer Eat with Your Fingers? (Theatre Royal, Stratford East). Film credits includeEverybody’s Talking About Jamie (New Regency/Film4/Warp Films); Finding Fatimah (British Muslim TV); Junkhearts, (Dir. Tinge Krishnan) and BAFTA award winning short film, Shadowscan (BFI/Channel4/Disruptive Element Films). She has also written and directed the critically acclaimed comedy show for young women The Masala Girls. Television credits include Brassic (Sky); Inside No 9 (BBC); My Name is Leon (BBC); Midsomer Murders (ITV); Murder They Hope (UKTV); 4Stories – On the Edge (Blacklight Productions); Doctor Who (BBC); Moving On (LA Productions); River City (BBC Scotland); Treasure Champs (CBeebies) Casualty (BBC); Doctors (BBC); Coronation Street (ITV), Hold The Sunset (BBC), In the Club (BBC), Eastenders (BBC), New Street Law (BBC), Magnolia (BBC), Paranoid (ITV1/Red/Netflix), You, Me and Them (UKTV Gold), The Slammer (CBBC), Jackanory (CBBC), Bedtime Stories (Cbeebies), Coming Up (Channel 4), Where The Heart Is (ITV1)and dinnerladies (BBC). As a panellist she was seen on Call My Bluff, Have I Got News For You, Countdown and was a regular on ITV’s Loose Women until 2014. She appeared in Best Home Cook and was a semi- finalist in Celebrity Masterchef for the BBC and has appeared in Soapstar Superstar and Stars in their Eyes for ITV. Documentaries include: RTS award winning, River Walks, BBC1, Empire’s Children, Channel 4, Back In Time For Tea BBC2, Disappearing and Discovering Britain, More4. Shobna has also worked extensively as a dancer and choreographer in regional theatres and also in community and education settings across the UK. Between 1992 and 1994 she was a dance animateur for Yorkshire and Humberside. She has written her critically acclaimed memoir, REMEMBER ME? Discovering my mother as she lost her memory, published by Octopus Books in September 2020. She is a Doctor from Bolton University, University of Huddersfield, and Sheffield Hallam, and is Chancellor of The Children’s University, Oldham. She is also a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater Manchester.

Talia Palamathanan plays Pritti Pasha. Talia trained at The Brit School and part time at the Laura Bruce Dance Academy and Flawless Dance School. Her theatre credits include Stacey in Pump up the Volume for MTFest (Turbine Theatre), Lizbeth in Original London Cast of Cages (Riverside Studios), Becca/Understudy Pritti Pasha in Everybody’s Talking about Jamie (Original UK Tour, Ahmanson Theatre Los Angeles), Anne Margaret in Teenage Dick (Donmar Warehouse), West End Musical Celebration (Palace Theatre), Hortensia in RSC’s Matilda: the Musical (Cambridge Theatre). Her TV credits include The Late Late Show with James Corden performing with Everybody’s Talking about Jamie (CBS), Pav in Hank Zipzer (CBBC), and Children in Need performing with the cast of Matilda: the Musical (BBC). Her film credits include Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: The Film (Warp Films). Workshops include: Sharmina in Soho Dreams (The Lowry). Music Videos include: Michael Bublé & Idina Menzel ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside’. Other Work Includes: Soho Dreams Cast Workshop Recording, The Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2019 with Drew Mconie & Cush Jumbo, Dancer in Flawless: Chase the Dream Tour, Various Hip-Hop/ Commercial dance works for Flawless, Aston Merrygold, Dance Proms & MOVEIT.

John Partridge plays Hugo/Loco Chanelle. John is a British actor, singer, presenter and writer. John initially trained in ballet at the Royal Ballet School and went on to train in musical theatre at the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts and Doreen Bird College of Performing Arts. At the age of 16, John left college to join the cast of the original UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical CATS. He went on to join the West End production of the show at the New London Theatre, to star as Rum Tum Tugger. John was subsequently asked to play the role in the official film of the show, opposite Elaine Paige and John Mills. Other West End credits include: Zach in the London revival of A Chorus Line (London Palladium); Robert Martin in The Drowsy Chaperone (Novello Theatre); Gringoire in Notre-Dame de Paris (Dominion Theatre); The Fix (Donmar Warehouse) directed by Sam Mendes; Hawker/Captain Walker in Tommy (Shaftesbury Theatre); Grease (Dominion Theatre); Electra in Starlight Express (Apollo Victoria Theatre); and The Butcher in The Hunting of the Snark (Prince Edward Theatre), Taboo 20th Anniversary Concert (London Palladium) and Daryl Van Horne in The Witches of Eastwick in Concert (Sondheim Theatre). John most recently played Maitland in The Chalk Garden (Theatre Royal Windsor & Yvonne Arnaud Theatre); led the National Theatre & CAST Doncaster production of The Doncastrian Chalk Circle as Azdak; toured the UK as The Emcee in the Rufus Norris production of Cabaret; played Buddy in The View Upstairs (Soho Theatre); Turai in Tom Stoppard’s Rough Crossing (UK Tour); and Chief Superintendent Tanner in The Case of the Frightened Lady after having starred as Albin, who moonlights as star drag act Zaza, in a brand new version of La Cage Aux Folles. He played Billy Flynn in Chicago (UK Tour); Prospero in The Tempest (Northcott Theatre); John in Miss Saigon (UK Tour); Roger in Rent (European Tour); appeared in Black Goes With Everything (Churchill Theatre, Bromley); and Marilyn in Boy George’s musical Taboo (The Venue). Screen credits includes: Julius Caesar in African Queens (Netflix), Felipe in Involuntary Activist (Iris Prize/BBC); and the long-running and much-loved role of Christian Clarke in EastEnders (BBC, 2007-2016). A well-known TV personality, John was crowned Winner of Celebrity MasterChef (BBC); bared all on The Real Full Monty (ITV); was a judge on Taking The Next Step (CBBC); competed in Battlechefs with Marco Pierre White (Watch) and gymnastics show Tumble (BBC). John was a celeb judge on the hugely successful Over the Rainbow (BBC); regular guest host of The National Lottery Draws (BBC); and is frequent guest contributor on Jeremy Vine (Channel 5). John has worked with several rock and pop acts, including: U2, Pet Shop Boys, Kim Wilde, Neneh Cherry, Pete Townshend, Mica Paris and Ultra Naté. In 2009, John won the Inside Soap Award for the Sexiest Male and, in 2010, he was awarded the Entertainer of the Year Award at the annual Stonewall Awards ceremony. In 2013, John performed his first live one-man show Dames ‘n’ Dudes at The Matcham Room, Hippodrome. Following its success, John released Dames, Dudes + Cowboys Too, his debut album featuring original songs alongside classic covers. In 2018, he premiered his all-new live show John Partridge: Stripped at The Other Palace Studio. Following its success, he revived the show in August 2018 at Assembly Checkpoint, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, returning back to London for a final performance at The Pleasance. Following his Celebrity MasterChef win, 2020 saw the release of his debut book, There’s No Place Like Home.