Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Taking a story based on a real-life situation and turning it into both a stage musical and a film has managed to raise the profile of the all-important message that people are allowed to be different. Runway theatre are always prepared to take on a challenge and this show was no exception. From the outset it was clear that the vision of the show had been well thought out by Blair Ledgerwood-Cruikshank and Greg Robertson. Along with a very clever set design by Challum Brown that moved seamlessly from scene to scene, we were transported to the story of Jamie’s life. David Dunlop as always ensured the vocal singing was of a high standard, and under his musical direction the balance between the stage and the band was excellent. In the role of Jamie, Callum Grier, captivated the audience from the very beginning. The passion he had for the role was quite exceptional and every aspect of his character and mannerisms were brought to the forefront of every line he delivered, every note sung, and every step danced. Catherine McKenzie in the role of Margaret New, Jamie’s mum, portrayed a most believable role, and her performance of He’s My Boy just blew the audience away.  Fabulous emotion was portrayed throughout her performance. Jamie’s dad brought a different emotion of anger and hate, and Barry Carruthers portrayed this extremely well. 

Ray, played by Katy Devine brought humour and comedy, lightening a lot of the emotion at just the right time. A great performance. Angela Cameron was excellent in the role of the teacher, Miss Hedge, with solid vocals and acting, and while we saw the stern side of her, we also saw the softer more understanding and gentle side in the second act as she accepted Jamie for who he was. Other stand out performances came from Sam Todd in the role of Pritti Pasha, the studious, caring friend of Jamie. With lovely acting and singing she brought a lot of light and shade into her performance. Bad boy Dean, played by Dayle Archibald had a great amount of stage presence and really played his role well as the school bully.  

Hugo (Loco Chanelle) the retired drag queen was sincere and at the same time vulnerable as he told his story. His humour and wit were not lost in this storyline. The three drag queens played by Bob McDevitt, Craig Ledgerwood-Cruikshank and Robin Cameron-Longden, played their roles extremely well each showing their own individual characters with great panache and style. 

With a strong supporting class of 2025 graduates, singing, dance and acting was of a very high standard. There were some outstanding moments of singing, choreography and storytelling. Worthy of note was the opening of act two with Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and Out of The Darkness (A Place Where We Belong). The amount of work that went into this production was clearly noticeable and Runway once again have achieved a wonderful theatrical experience.

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