Curve, Leicester
Monday 20th September
‘Beautiful, a little bit of glitter in the
grey’
This past
weekend saw the return of the much-loved West End Live in Trafalgar Square. A
free festival for theatre lovers, the event has increased in popularity each
year (I still remember the early years when everyone was crammed into Leicester
Square and only a handful of shows took part!), and eventually it will outgrow
its current home too (where next? Hyde Park?). It’s a true highlight of the
theatrical calendar and I have many fond memories of attending every year as a
birthday treat with my mum and sister. And it was on such a day several years
ago that we, alongside thousands of fellow musical fans, were treated to Dan
Gillespie Sells’ acoustic preview of a couple of tracks from his new musical
project: an adaptation of a little-known documentary about an aspiring teenage
drag queen from Sheffield. Little did I know on that scorching afternoon in
June that Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
(co-written with Tom McCrae and original Director, Jonathan Butterell) would be
the biggest new British musical in a decade, playing over 1000 performances in
the West End, spawning a film adaptation (which was released on Amazon Prime
last Friday), and now heading off on it’s first (belated) UK tour.
The story is simple but effective.
Sixteen year old Jamie New longs to be a drag queen, an ambition he keeps
secret from his classmates and his waspish teacher, who continually tells him
to ‘keep it real’ while recommending that he pursue a ‘normal’ career such as becoming
a fork-lift driver or prison guard. With the help of his selfless mum, studious
best friend and a local veteran drag queen, Jamie fulfils his dreams, though
not without hitting a few snags along the way.
While the musical’s themes of
acceptance and embracing individuality are universal, it’s a quintessentially
British show. Jamie’s glamourous fantasies are juxtaposed with the kitchen-sink
reality of life in a working-class community, and the relationship between
Jamie and Margaret is touching and grounded representation of single-parent
families. McCrae’s amusing yet low-key plot, coupled with Butterell’s simple
direction, is one of the show’s selling points, as the emphasis is placed on
small, everyday situations, based in a relatable environment. Jamie isn’t
aiming for fame and fortune, he isn’t campaigning on a global scale, his goal
and driving passion is his determination to wear a dress to his school prom.
The scale is small, but the stakes are high and highly personal, making the
final triumph that much sweeter. Hopefully every young person watching that has
ever felt different, or had to hide their true self can identify with Jamie and
find inspiration from his story.
Gillespie Sells’ music is catchy
without being cloying, offering a mix of poppy bangers such as the title song, ‘Work
of Art’, and ‘And You Don’t Even Know It’, interspersed with sweetly
contemplative numbers like ‘The Wall in My Head’ and ‘It Means Beautiful’.
Margaret’s Act 2 showstopper ‘My Boy’ is a tear-jerking and heart-warming ode
to a mother’s unconditional love for her child, delivered with powerful emotion
by Amy Ellen Richardson. The domestic setting occasionally gives way to
glorious flights of theatrical fancy, courtesy of the drag performers at the
local Legs Eleven club. A particular highlight is camp noir pastiche number ‘The
Legend of Loco Chanel’, as Shane Richie’s Hugo has a blast recounting his alter-ego’s
misadventures of old. Curve veteran Sharan Phull also excels in the role of
Pritti, Jamie’s kind and fiercely loyal best friend, while Shobna Gulati offers
great comedic support as family friend, Ray. Layton Williams returns after leading
the show in the West End, and his Jamie is wonderfully endearing, charismatic
and sympathetic. Williams has excellent comic timing and in his sheer
effervescence he emanates that elusive quality that producers world-over
clamour for: Star Power.
Neither cynical nor saccharine, Gillespie Sells, McCrae and Butterell’s show is currently the jewel in the UK Musical Theatre crown. I have no doubt that Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will continue to delight audiences for years to come, and has hopefully paved the way for more home-grown musicals that celebrate the unapologetic joy of individualism within British culture.
Everybody’s Talking
About Jamie plays at Curve until 25th September and
continues to tour the UK. For full tour details please visit: https://www.everybodystalkingaboutjamie.co.uk/2020-uk-tour/
The cast of Everybody's Talking About Jamie Credit: Matt Crockett |
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