Shades of Gay is Brig Arts pride month celebration of queer culture, with two articles each week focusing on queer poetry, writing, reviews and artists.
Everbody’s Talking About Jamie is back on UK touring stages. The spectacular production stars Ivano Turco as Jamie New, Kevin Clifton as Hugo/Loco Chanelle and Sam Bailey as Miss Hedge. It follows the story of 16 year old Jamie who longs to be a drag queen and step into the spotlight.
Queer identity
The plot of the show is remarkably similar to Billy Elliot: The Musical as it follows a male character pursuing a career which society views as feminine. In Billy, it’s ballet. In Jamie, it’s drag. However, Everbody’s Talking About Jamie has more of a focus on queer identity.
Jamie is gay and is bullied at school for both his sexuality and aspirations. He also has an absent father who resents his self-expression. The book by Tom Macrae does not shy away from touching on realistic challenges that gay people face, while maintaining an optimistic message.
The production design is simplistic but effective with the orchestra situated above the actors. This highlighted the spectacle of the dancing and drag performers rather than relying on intricate sets to entertain the audience.
Extraordinary vocal power
The music, by Dan Gillespie Sells (music) & Macrae (Lyrics), is wonderful, ranging from folk-song story-telling in The Legend of Loco Chanelle to ballads (He’s My Boy) to dance pop (Work of Art).
Ivano Turco was great as Jamie, with a confident energy and perfect comedic timing. Talia Palamathanan had great chemistry as his best friend Pritti Pasha and their emotional scenes were very touching.
However, it was Rebecca Mckinnis with her extraordinary vocal power during He’s My Boy that stole the show as Jamie’s mother Margaret. Sejal Keshwala was also delightful as Margaret’s bestie, Ray, who is also one of Jamie’s biggest supporters.
Some sound issues persisted throughout the show, with particularly low-volume dialogue being hard to hear. The second act also could have done with at least one more upbeat song as ballad after ballad is a noticeable dip in energy.
However, the finale got the audience going crazy, wooing at the drag queens as they came out to perform, with the whole cast going full blast.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a powerful, moving musical with a strong anti-bullying message that values self-expression and identity.
Featured Image Credits: Sheffield Theatres Production
He/Him
Arts Editor 24/25
Press email: arts@brignews.com
