Everybody's Talking About Jamie - Sheffield Crucible/Apollo

We saw the understudy for Jamie’s mum on NYE and agree we felt the same very talented and carried the role well but yep didn’t quite reach the heights in the money notes. Still enjoyed her portrayal though ..... i love priti great performance all round
And I don’t think you are the only one with a crush on dean lol OMG seems like quite a few of us are strangely. Drawn

My review:

Before I put together this review of the musical which started in Sheffield and which now has a new life in the West End, I tracked down the original documentary on which it is based – Jamie: a drag queen at 16 – and watched the basic story of how gay teenager Jamie Campbell was supported by his mother, family friend Lee, best friend Sam(antha), and drag queen Simon to achieve his dream of having a drag show and of taking that character to the school prom.

Three years in the making, the musical version takes Jamie (now with the surname New) and his mother Margaret, and the basic plot, as jumping-off points to present a narrative filled with pulsating dance beats, big ballads, and racially diverse characters (Lee, a white woman, is now Ray, an Asian woman, and Sam has become the hijab-wearing Pritti (Lucie Shorthouse, who gives what could be a stereotypical character an interesting slant)).

After watching the documentary it feels a bit of a shame that stage Jamie’s final prom dress is so understated, and you only ever see the famous make-up from the posters just once, as ‘Mimi Me’ struts her stuff on the Legs Eleven stage.

John McCrea (who I saw last some years ago in The Sound of Music as the eldest Von Trapp boy) totally convinces as the teen who is working through both confusion and confidence, and when his doting mum purchases a dazzling pair of red high heels for his birthday, he walks in them as if he’s been wearing them all his life.

The big production numbers are all set in the schoolroom (‘And You Don’t Even Know It’; ‘Work of Art’; ‘Out of the Darkness’), while the slower songs – Jamie’s ‘The Wall in My Head’ and ‘Ugly in This Ugly World’; and Margaret’s ‘If I Met Myself Again’ and ‘He’s My Boy’ are in the home or elsewhere (maybe in a single spotlight).

At the performance I saw, Rebecca McKinnis was on as Margaret, and both her acting and singing were superb. I also enjoyed the lovely and understated performance of Phil Nichol as Hugo/Lolo Chanelle and the ‘out there’ shenanigans of real-life drag queens Alex Anstey and Daniel Jacobs, who perform as Vileda Moppe and Vinegar Strokes respectively out there, and as Laika Virgin and Sandra Bollock here; they are joined by James Gillan, a former Marilyn in the Boy George musical Taboo, and who doesn’t feel out of place.

This is a truly life-affirming musical, with memorable tunes and lyrics by Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae, and if it is a little corny, and extremely camp, it doesn’t care. I would have snipped out the bigoted dad, and toned down the pantomime queen teacher, and made Jamie really put himself out there, but these are small quibbles.

The musical is about the importance of being yourself rather than hiding behind what others might want you to be, and that message comes out loud and clear, with the audience accomplices in the claps, cheers and whoops that the cast, the fabulous band, and the book (both funny and tragic) deserve.

For anyone interested, they had a 'full house' sign out last night when I walked past about 17:30.

Is it really selling this well? or are they just closing off one of the circles and upgrading people? I've listened to some of the songs and I just don't get it. 

I was upgraded when I saw it back in December but that was a Friday matinee so I'm guessing it's selling okay on weekdays but better on Saturdays. Given it's in a 658 seater theatre, it'd be worrying if it was only half full. 

According to a friend who works for a theatre producer it's not going to be open past April. Things might change if it picks up more awards but unlikely, apparently.

Well the issue with awards is that (don't anyone get pissed at me), but really in terms of the Oliviers, yes it will get nominated for Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Musical, as well as an outside chance for Supporting Actress in a Musical but that is a stacked catagory (all deservedly so!). But baring those catagories, it hasn't really got anything particularly outstanding enough to really get nominated for in my opinion anyway. Its all good, but its not exactly outstanding. Hamilton, Follies, 42nd Street are bound to dominate with nominations, and other shows will get a few nods each. I can see Jamie sadly being one of those shows that gets one or two nominations, but being pushed aside for the bigger, splashier shows. Also the Oliviers aren't like the Tonys in terms of impact. Remember when Top Hat won for Best New Musical... it won in the Spring and closed by the Autumn.

I'd like to see Jamie stay around personally, I enjoyed it!

When is the cast recording going to be released? I need it ASAP...

I cant Get “Wall in my Head” out of my head!

I'd say Josie Walker could be up for Best Actress in a Musical. 

Maybe in small midsize theatres .... I’m very hopeful it would it’s much better than a lot of more recent tours ... (cough cough )the wedding singer .... if I hadn’t paid the discounted price I’d have walked out and demanded Money back lol

At the show tonight and seems pretty full. All levels open and can’t see any spare seats in the stalls at all.

Now extended through Oct 06, 2018!