Everybody's Talking About Jamie

EVERYBODY’s talking about Jamie has also been a film and was inspired by the BBC3 documentary ‘Jamie: Drag Queen at 16’.  It tells of a teenage boy from Sheffield, who aspires to be a drag queen; a dream that seems a million miles away from his working class roots.  The action moves from his school to home life and while uplifting, it doesn’t ignore the hard facts of bigotry, broken relationships and poverty. For example, his mother selling her necklace in order to provide Jamie with his prom dress. 

The set on two levels was practical and made good use of the space. Scenes were changed swiftly with the cast assisting. The props were practical, relevant and well used by the cast. The interior of ‘Vincent’s Secrets’ was a blaze of colour and deserves a special mention.

The costumes were many and impressive ranging from the school uniforms, the drag queens’ outrageous clothes, prom dresses and of course Jamie’s high heels!  

The lighting was effective throughout, well controlled and varied in accordance with the nature of the emotion in the scenes.  The music ranged from upbeat ensembles to solos including a very powerful and beautifully sung solo by Katie Conquest as Margaret. This was very emotionally delivered and gave me goosebumps  

This show was poignant and hilarious with Sam Harrison in a role that he was made for.  He was fabulous.   He was full of energy and charisma and had great chemistry with his Imy Tickle as Pritti, his best friend who had a clear and sweet voice.  Although the main story has Jamie as the focus, there are many strands to the story with other characters having their own stories: Pritti’s dreams of being a doctor, the aspirations of other class members, the bullying and Margaret’s financial troubles.  The performances were full of exuberance and exceptional.    The direction, musical, technical and creative team worked hard to ensure the success of this vibrant and thought-provoking show.     

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