Review: EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, Apollo Theatre

Photo credit: Matt Crockett

We're back in the West End and our first show is Everybody's Talking About Jamie: an excellent musical that has welcomed audiences back with open arms at London’s Apollo Theatre. Social distancing measures are, of course, in place, with the auditorium opened up well in advance of the show. Everyone is still required to wear masks, including some of the cast, but more on that later…

Based on BBC 3 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, the story follows Jamie New, a self proclaimed teenage sensation who dreams of becoming a drag queen. In pursuit of this, he decides to go to prom in a dress. With the support of his best friend Pritti, his mum Margaret and drag queen Loco Chanelle, will he be able to pull it off?

The current cast are amazing. Noah Thomas has settled into the role of Jamie perfectly, making it his own, with Shane Ritchie another stand out. He too fits well into the role of Hugo/Loco and brings a great deal of depth to his performance. Hiba Elchikhe (Pritti) sings ‘Beautiful’ incredibly, along with Melissa Jacques (Margaret) whose rendition of ‘He's My Boy’ stops the show for a good minute’s applause. These performers aside, each and every cast member gives it their all. It is clear how much it means to every one of them being back on stage in front of an audience, with no one in the theatre taking those few hours for granted.

If you've seen the show already, you can expect a few changes here and there; a few references to Covid and the use of masks and hand sanitiser in some scenes. It's the small things, like the "Hands Face Space" sign in the toilet cubicle that prove how much attention to detail has gone into keeping everyone safe. This is greatly appreciated and it gives the audience a little light relief at a time when we need it most.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is a modern musical appealing to a younger audience, and truly reflects the world we live in. Every student has been in Jamie's careers class, they all watch the conversations that unfold, the banter between students is realistic, and the portrayal of family is, for many people, a reality. It's also wonderful to see such representation, especially within the classmates. Pritti is Muslim and references wearing a hijab, and Jamie is proud of his sexuality. We need more of this as musical theatre moves forward and out of the pandemic; more art that reflects our wildly diverse lives.

We need musicals like this right now; that are massive, entertaining and just two and a half hours of pure fun! A true reminder that "Nothing's going to stop us from comin' out of the darkness, into the spotlight".

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Callum Wallace

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is currently running at London’s Apollo Theatre. To book tickets, please click here.