Review of Everybody's Talking About Jamie at Milton Keynes Theatre

Everybody's Talking About Jamie first appeared back in 2017 as a stage musical with a score written by Dan Gillespie Sells and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae and co-writer/original director Jonathan Butterill. However, the beginning of this story, and the true story that it is, came to the public eye a little earlier with a 2011 British television documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16. This tells the story of Jamie Joseph Campbell (also known as Fifi la True) and his coming-of-age journey to the world of drag, and this musical inspiringly tells this tale.

Without hesitation and from the outset there is no question that Everybody's Talking About Jamie is an exceptional show. The key initial reason for this is that it has a stunning collection of songs, and what better requirement for a musical? It sets the benchmark high from the very beginning number and never drops in standard. Dan Gillespie Sells songs from start to finish are pure magic, be that a proud anthem (And You Don't Even Know It), a pure pop one (Work of Art) or a stunning, emotional powerhouse (He's My Boy), for a relatively new musical the collection is incredible. These are complimented with some brilliant lyrics by Tom MacRae and Jonathan Butterill and their genuinely funny and heartwarming book.

With a good show comes the requirement for an excellent cast to deliver it and this new UK Tour has an exceptional one. Jamie New himself is played with genuine love and drive by Ivano Turco. He does at times have such a softness of delivery that he can occasionally be difficult to hear and this does translate to some of the big numbers where he can be overshadowed by the music or fellow singers. However, it does sit well with the character as well and his early development comes through as he builds confidence. No question though, it is an amazing performance holding the show together throughout and commanding the stage.

If it is Turco's drive that gives the show momentum, it is Rebecca McKinnis who gives the show its heart, a tremendous beating heart of emotion. Her performance is incredible and in particular her two solos of If I Met Myself Again and He's My Boy. Anyone with a dry eye after the latter is made of strong stuff.

As Hugo AKA Loco Chanelle, Kevin Clifton is quite a revelation. Quite a departure from his cheeky clean-cut image from Strictly Comes Dancing, his swaggering sweary performance here comes as an initial shock. While you could quibble that he is far too young for the role, he still nails both the character and singing numbers, including a very good performance of the immensely fun The Legend of Loco Chanelle.

The entire cast is top-notch to be fair, with a minxy performance from Talia Palamathanan as "family member" Ray, and a touching performance from Talia Palamathanan as Jamie's closest schoolfriend Pritti. Jordan Ricketts plays the totally unlikeable Dean with total conviction making it a powerful character to its end. Finally of the cast, there is a great understudy turn by Georgina Hagen, on for the absent Sam Bailey, as Miss Hedge, this includes a great performance on the unbearably catchy number Work of Art.

Kate Prince's choreography is visually striking from up-to-date-in-your-face dance routines to sublime contemporary, every number has its own visual style offering great depth to the show. Designer Anna Fleischle has also created a sharp set with swift stylish set changes offering no delay to the show which director Matt Ryan keeps moving with flair.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie is simply a beautiful, captivating show, one of the very best of new musical offerings and deserves all the success it continues to have.

Joyous and uplifting, everybody should be talking about Jamie.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Monday 10th June 2024 at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie runs at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 15th June 2024.

For further details about Milton Keynes see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Production photos: Matt Crockett

Review of & Juliet at Milton Keynes Theatre

First performed in 2019, & Juliet has become quite a global success, and now, as part of a UK Tour, it has arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre for a two-week run. Featuring a book by David West Read, it tells the what-if story of the survival of Juliet at the end of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet . Primarily a jukebox musical, it more specifically features the works of Swedish songwriter Max Martin (and friends, as the credits describe). The question is, does & Juliet provide more than the standard of many a jukebox musical before it, and does it honour the tragic tale from which it has sprung? Our story opens with William Shakespeare presenting his latest work, Romeo & Juliet , for the first time. However, when his wife, Anne Hathaway, learns how he intends the tale to end, she is away with his quill and planning on her reworking of the story. At the core of this touring production's success is Geraldine Sacdalan's powerhouse performance as Juliet. Her Juliet ...

Review of Northern Ballet - The Great Gatsby at Milton Keynes Theatre

This production of The Great Gatsby performed by Northern Ballet was my fifth encounter at the theatre of a full ballet production and as before, I happily share my review of the show with nearly zero knowledge of-the-art form and more of a casual theatre-goer. You could say that this is a poor direction to come in on a review, but I would say that casual audience are the ones to review this for. Over the years, Northern Ballet has set quite a high benchmark for ballet productions, and any audience member who is worth their salt as a ballet fan would no doubt have tickets for this new touring version of the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby , lovingly created by David Nixon OBE. So much is Nixon part of the very fabric of this show, that he not only provides the choreography and direction but also the initial scenario and costume design (assisted by Julie Anderson). So, discounting those ballet fans already sitting in the audience, what does this offer for the more casual theatre-goer ...

Review of The Rocky Horror Show at Milton Keynes Theatre

Richard O’Brien’s anarchic, surreal, and often incomprehensible musical, The Rocky Horror Show , has captivated audiences for over fifty years now. With this new tour, it feels as fresh and unpredictable as if it had just emerged from O’Brien's vivid imagination yesterday. While another review might seem unnecessary given the countless dressed-up fans who fill every theatre it visits, let’s go ahead and write one anyway. The Rocky Horror Show follows the adventures of Brad and Janet, a newly engaged couple. On a dark and stormy November evening, they run into car trouble and seek refuge at a mysterious castle reminiscent of Frankenstein’s. There, they encounter the eccentric handyman Riff-Raff, the outrageous scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter, and a host of other bizarre characters. What unfolds is a science fiction B-movie narrative that is at times coherent and at other times bewildering — yet somehow, that doesn’t seem to matter. I first saw The Rocky Horror Show in 2019 and exper...

A Small Mind At The Theatre

Search This Blog