Everybody's Talking About Jamie - The Lowry, Salford - Tuesday 12th September 2023

A few weeks ago I was at The Lowry, Salford watching Everybody's Talking About Jamie at its first venue of a UK tour. A firm favourite of mine and also Mama Wendy, we went in with high expectations and let me tell you, they were EASILY met and beaten in more ways than one!

The story of ETAJ (got to watch my character limit!) is based on a BBC Three documentary that aired in 2011 called Jamie: Drag Queen at 16. It focuses on Jamie as he overcomes prejudice, small minded thinking and bullying to step “Out of the Darkness”, become a Drag Queen and wear a dress to the school Prom.

After an initial run in 2017, a fabulous West-End run in 2017, a UK Tour in 2020 (well… 2021 after the C word!) and a short run in Los Angeles in 2022, ETAJ is embarking on it’s 2nd UK tour with a fabulous cast and a heart-warming story that I could see over and over again.

Ivano Turco has been passed the heels by previous Jamie, Layton Wiliams for this tour. One thing that stands out for me about Ivano is the range they have… knowing they originated the Prince in ALW’s Cinderella and played Bob Marley in Get Up! Stand Up! I really think there’s nothing this person can’t do! He played Jamie sensationally well, with comedic timing that was sheer perfection while being able to show the vulnerable side of the character at the same time. His voice is serene! The riffs and runs coming from their mouth were as smooth as butter and delightful to listen to. Also they can walk in a pair of heels better than most people I’ve seen!

Rebecca Mckinnis is no stranger to the role of Margaret New after taking over the role in the West End. She’s a blunt, to the point but loving character, just like the real person the character is based on and Rebecca delivers this perfectly. Showing the struggles of a working-class mum trying to look after her Drag Queen wannabe son making ends meet to provide what he wants for birthday presents and his Drag dream. It was a real emotional performance that made me shed a tear, especially through her 2 solo songs “If I Met Myself Again” and “He’s My Boy”.

Jamie’s best friend, Pritti Pasha (A Muslim girl with a Hindu name, I mean… thanks mum! QOTD!) was played by Talia Palamathanan who is also no stranger to ETAJ after playing Becca in the 1st UK tour and the run in LA. A sense of innocence and naive-ness ran through the character with unrelenting loyalty to Jamie even to the point of dropping the F bomb in front of Miss Hedge.

Speaking of Miss Hedge, Hayley Tamaddon was the sassy, stuck in her ways careers teacher who gives in to parent’s pressure and stops Jamie from coming to the prom. I can see many of my teachers in Hayley’s performance and I think that made me dislike her just that little bit more. I loved the blank facial reactions Hayley gave to some of the stupid lines the kids of year 11 say during the classroom scenes. You can definitely see that Miss Hedge is fully done with the job she has.

Coming to rescue of Jamie and helping him develop his Drag Queen is Hugo/Loco Chanelle a retired Drag star who now runs the Drag shop Victor’s Secret (get it?!). John Partridge of Eastenders fame gave a confident, sassy and heart-warming performance throughout, definitely being the Fairy-Godmother to the young teenager. Maybe showboating a little and taking focus when others are in the spotlight, but I suppose this is what Hugo/Loco would do!

The rest of the amazing cast is made up of - Shobna Gulati, Jordan Ricketts, KY Kelly (Anthony Glyde), Akshay St Clair, Garry Lee, David Mcnair, Annabelle Laing, Jessica Daugirda, Rhiannon Bacchus, Liv Ashman, Thomas Walton, Geoff Berrisford, Joshian Angelo Omana and Luca Moscardini.

The music and orchestration is by Dan Gillespie-Sells (The Feeling) with lyrics and books by Tom MacRae. The music is distinctly musical theatre with pop feelings all the way through which I think helps the younger audience members connect with it more. You definitely do come out humming the tunes! My standout songs are always “Wall in My Head” Jamie's revealing song early in the show and “Out of the Darkness” the finale encore which gets everyone on their feet!

I’m not a big commenter on set design as I don’t know too much about it but I usually say if I enjoyed it, thought it was basic or liked it and that’s as far as it goes. However, ETAJ’s set is so clever and multi-functional. It looks basic at the start of the show with desks on stage and a concrete looking wall at the back. Only when we visit Jamie’s house does the set open up and reveal a whole living room set with working plug sockets and kettle! To me, it represents the drab place that Jamie thinks sheffield is in the grey looking walls, the standard desks and the basic looking kitchen setup and the costumes, dresses and heels worn are what makes Jamie’s life colourful (I sound like an English teacher… I know!).

Overall ETAJ is a show I could re-watch over and over again. Not only for the hilarious dialogue and raw emotion but for the great songs and especially this cast.

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cast: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Music: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Set: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️