Everybody's Talking About Jamie Review
★★★★
Review by Callum Stott.
"Jamie is the ultimate celebration of individuality and loving everything about yourself."
The best musicals not only entertain you but take you on a real journey. In Jamie, you see a boy who only really wants acceptance to be himself. Through the support of his mother, and the friends he meets along the way, he learns to celebrate what makes himself unique in this feel-good celebration of a show.
Based on the real-life story of Jamie Campbell, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie follows a teenage boy’s dream of arriving at his school prom in drag. Not everyone approves of this including his teacher Miss Hedge, but through his mum’s strong support, Jamie fights back against those who put him down.
Jamie, played here by Layton Williams, is an incredibly likeable character. He has a real sparkle when he walks on stage and Layton really embodies the character, bringing real energy and fun to the part. Amy Ellen Richardson played Jamie’s mum, Margaret. Her portrayal of the role is exceptional and the character’s big number, He’s My Boy, was performed with beautiful vocals and left the audience in awe of her brilliant overall performance.
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​Sadly, Shane Ritchie wasn’t feeling too great, so we were treated to Rhys Taylor’s take on Hugo/ Loco Chanelle. Rhys brought great fire to the role and was very convincing as the part. It’s brilliant the number of understudies that are really smashing it recently, and Rhys is a brilliant example of this.
Jamie is the ultimate celebration of individuality and learning to be everything you want to be. If you are looking for the ultimate feel-good night out, this is the show for you.