Everybody's Talking About Jamie

It is sometimes difficult to find the words to begin a show report when what you have seen is quite simply exceptional and that's exactly what Darlington operatic Society's latest show, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, was.

It almost feels wrong including this as an Amateur production as this was a professional standard show performed by highly motivated, incredibly talented and dedicated unpaid actors.

Darlington OS have become renowned for their amazing routines, excellent sets and costumes, emotional messages, and great vocals yet this is possibly the first production by the Company where I can say that every single element of the show was faultless. 

Jo Hand as Director and Choreographer had a vision for the show and a lot of that included the use of new and really exciting modern technology and it worked wonders giving the show life and colour whilst allowing a production with numerous scene changes to move along at a great pace. The Video Wall was lovely to study with the rear walls changing set with ease whilst the raised screen allowed the whole stage to become a cover of Vogue one minute, a catwalk the next and a nightclub the next. Such detail would not have been possible without the foresight to use this equipment alongside the stunning visuals provided by Scott Akoz and Andrew McAdam.

At the helm of the music side was Steven Hood who not only led his large orchestra to perfection but also got the on and off-stage cast sounding amazing. Again, DOS were trying out some new technology with the introduction of some lovely sounding pre-record Vocals into some of the scenes. Not only did this provide a stunning sound by some great vocalists but also allowed the stage to remain empty creating a beautiful balance on the stage. 

Now for those who don’t know the story, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is about a young lad, Jamie New who is determined to follow his dream of becoming a Drag Queen and despite numerous social and individual obstacles, and with the support of some wonderful characters is able to realise his dreams.

In Harrison Bateman DOS had found their Jamie, not only someone who is incredibly talented on the stage but somebody who could understand the character. Harrison was spellbinding in this role, his passion and emotional content kept us emotionally attached whilst his sharp wit, genius flicks and side glances kept us entertained. The ability to own the stage not only in the big numbers but solo, under spotlight, and on a stage the size of Hippodrome is outstanding, especially for an actor aged just sixteen. The big showcase numbers may be the ones you keep singing after the show but for me the passion, vocals and feeling he put into “Ugly In This Ugly World” had me captivated. On meeting Harrison after the show, I can only add that not only was his character beautifully portrayed, but I have never met a more sincere, honest, and humble young man in Theatre to date. 

Now DOS are incredibly blessed with talent across all ages and sexes, so it was no surprise that the other four main characters were double cast, and it was a privilege to be able to see both casts take on these amazing roles. It was wonderful to see every one of them put their own experiences, their own feelings, and their own personalities into making the characters their own.

Samantha Morrison and Emma-Louise Dickinson shared the role of Maragret New, Jamie’s poor suffering mother. Proud of her son and doing everything possible she can to protect him was expertly portrayed by these two actors. Both showed amazing emotion in the role, Emma-Louise giving us emotion with a spark and taking us on an amazing journey in the show. Her story telling and vocals in both big solos were amazing, especially in “If I Met Myself Again” where I felt and understood every word she sang. Samanth perhaps had a more serious side to the character, delivering real passion, anger, and frustration in a knockout performance of “He’s My Boy.” Both ladies displayed motherhood, caring and love throughout and their hurt in the scenes with Jamie’s Dad, Wayne played by Cam Scriven were heartbreaking to watch. The despair from the ladies battled constantly with the revolting and disgusting nature excellently carried across from Cam. He really was horrible in this role, his attitude and behaviour to both his ex-wife’s and especially his son had the audiences heckles up. When he told Jamie that he disgusted him you could hear a pin drop. 

In full support of Margaret and Jamie we had the loveable Ray, the bubbly and loveable family friend played superbly by both Zoe Kent and Charlotte Sisson. Both brought great comedy to the role, often needed to break up tense situations and with a sharp tongue and almost slutty outlook on life warmed to us all straight away. You could really feel the almost motherlike approach from Zoe whilst Charlotte took on the daft Auntie behaviour. Both worked excellently and you really sided with their character when having a pop at the Teacher and people’s bigoted behaviour. Their vocals and characterisation through song really shone in the number “Limited Edition” and they both played a pivotal role throughout. 

Fully onboard and in excellent support of Jamie’s hopes and ambitions was Hugo, our retired Drag Queen Loco Chanelle. A truly lovable character played completely differently but wonderfully by both Julian Cound and Leighton Taylor-Jones. Leighton had this level of excitement about him, like a character unwilling to let go of the past and staying in the moment. His performance was full of wit and humour throughout, and this contrasted amazingly when letting his vulnerability shine through. Julian meanwhile took on the much more paternal role of the character, wonderfully dropping into his alter-ego Loco Chanelle at ease giving us a beautiful balance. His one-liners were sharp and perfectly timed yet his warmth and compassion towards Jamie just brought another side to the character. Both actors really got to show off some great story telling in the Legend of Loco Chanelle which matched with an amazing on-stage routine from the ensemble and blended with their terrific voices was a really captivating piece of theatre.

At the End of Act Two we not only saw Hugo transformed into Loco but we also met our sensational Drag Queens, Laika Virgin (Scott Edwards), Tray Sophisticay (Nick Robinson) and Sandra Bollock (James Bearpark). All three were absolutely genius in these roles, all with their own cheeky personalities and charm, wonderfully in sync through some clever choreography yet all connecting with both each other and Jamie like big brothers (or sisters!) Scott Edwards in particular really stood out, truly acting like a Lady from the gutter with some smutty one-liners and switching from X-rated phone calls to glamour queen in a flash. The permanent chain smoking, crotch adjusting and cleavage adjustment by all three was a joy to watch bringing great depth to the roles. I must say that their costumes, and all of the Drag Queens costumes were amazing in the quality and detail, from Jamie’s frock to the wigs and detailing everything was perfect and brought the scenes to life. 

Naturally not everyone was on Jamie’s side, such was the battle and journey he would go on, and nobody created as much of an obstacle as Miss Hedges played by the wickedly stern and sharp Katie Spencer. Playing the frustrated Career Guidance Counsellor throughout her own journey would take her into constant battles with Jamie. Her constant put-downs and humiliations were handled expertly and felt a reflection of society not just her own beliefs whilst the school office battle with the News felt awkward and tense at all times. Katie wowed us in many a number showing off great movement and a sensational voice in “Work Of Art.” Such was the quality of the performance by Katie and the complexity of her character that I left each show unsure whether I disliked or sympathised with her. 

Harrison was not the only outstanding Junior performer in the show, in fact every single one of the around a dozen Juniors were breathtaking and almost any of them could have stepped up to play the part of Pritti Pasha, Jamie’s confident and best friend. The role was shared by two actors again bringing their own character to the role. Both Eva Ferguson and Madison Parkinson gave the most sincere and beautiful performances. Not only did we witness two displays of vocal perfection in both “Spotlight” and “It Means Beautiful” but both girls displayed power, tone, control, and passion in every word and note they sang. I sat in complete disbelief in the quality I was witnessing yet it was great to see the two characters portrayed differently too. Eva brought a lovely balance of silliness and giggling to the role, showing a lovely leap from vulnerability to strength when challenged whilst Madison took on more of the big sister mantra. Her connection with Jamie was honest, her acting sensational especially when establishing that her being different and “a freak” was no different to people’s perceptions of Jamie. 

The big rant by both girls towards the school bully Dean was delivered with conviction and strength, every word packed with a punch and it was great to see him finally put back in his place after a great display of menace and victimisation by Jonathan Wilson-Downes throughout the whole show. Dean was genius in this role, the strut and swagger brilliantly mixed with a sulk and sneer. 

It was great to see how his interactions and friendship group with the rest of the school ‘Lads’ faded as the show went on. The schoolboys were excellent in their own rights with the characters all individual. Joshua Kay, Max Collumbell, Jack Machin and James Kalandra really brought every scene to life with their cheek and school-boy smutty humour. Everyone had a great voice in the numbers and wow can these lads move!

Matching the boys for energy and talent were our wonderful group of schoolgirls. Whilst a number of the Girls swapped alternate nights, we had four who performed every night in Bertha Moyo, Zoe Cullen, Nikitta Trainer and Grace Crawford and they were so captivating to watch. The energy and bounce as they leapt across the stage combined effortlessly with the girlie screams, endless selfies, and bitchy gossiping. Again, the dancing and vocal ability was absolutely top drawer. The opening number had all these talented performers jumping across tables, carrying out incredibly technical routines in perfect synchronisation. An absolute joy to watch the future stars of the stage. 

When it comes to dance routines, I must mention the breathtaking routines carried out by the Imagination Chorus who came in and out of musical numbers to create depth, beauty, and emotion to many of the numbers. The grace and style at which these dancers moved around was so stunning to watch as they handled Jo’s brilliant choreography with the control and delicacy it deserved. I loved the way their white costumes were all matching in colour and style yet all individual in the exact detail - a great reflection on the theme and meaning behind the storyline. A special mention to Dance Captain Darrien Wright who also gave a stunning display as the memory of Loco Chanelle, such style and grace in a single number holding poses to perfection.

The whole production team and in particular Jo Hand need so much credit for what they managed to pull off in this production. The direction was superb with the story always packing depth and emotion in the performance and whilst the huge blockbuster numbers like “And You Don’t Even Know It” and “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” will be remembered for being almost a show within a song. What I take away from this is the message behind the story and the passion in the performances. I felt empowered leaving the Theatre, like I could be myself. That no matter what people think of you or what obstacles are in the way the most important thing is to be true to yourself. Thank you, Darlington Operatic Society, for not only providing us with an exceptional piece of Theatre but for also putting that much care into a storyline. 

This will certainly be a hard one to top, yet I know somehow your next production will again rise to a new challenge and I look forward to joining you in the Autumn for Come From Away

 

 

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