Review: EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, Theatre Royal Brighton

The brainchild of Jonathan Butterell is back, and this time, it’s setting its sights on all of our big cities as it tours the UK. Setting up home here in Brighton for a two week residency (surely pure luxury by transient touring standards) it’s a delight to welcome a show about embracing your own authentic self to a city that prides itself on celebrating queerness.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie is centred around Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy living in Sheffield with his mum Margaret, navigating his sense of self in a predominantly cisgendered environment. The catalyst for action is when he decides to reveal his dream of becoming a drag queen. He’s supported at every turn by best friend Pritti (Talia Palamathanan) and inspired by new characters that he meets along the way.

This is a gold standard production in every sense of the phrase. It holds up extremely well against the West End production, to which inevitable comparisons will be drawn. Ivano Turco is fourth in a line of iconic Jamies past, and his elegance of movement is what sets him apart from those who stood before him. Turco’s beauty and grace is imbued in every step taken and every note sung, and it takes no time at all to fall in love with him.

As retired drag queen/local drag emporium owner Hugo, John Partridge is utterly charming, equally at home in both personas…although his Loco Chanelle is particularly fabulous, with his comedic timing almost as strong as his resonant vibrato.

The only criticism to be levelled at this particular opening night performance is that the sound levels in Act 1 seemed unbalanced which meant the orchestra overpowered Turco’s vocals at times. This was most noticeable in the punchy opening number. But although diction may have been lost, the audience’s attention remained unwavering and it’s something that will likely be ironed out over time.

Jamie isn’t short of antagonists in his life, and they come in many forms. Classmate Dean (Jordan Rickett) is the poster boy for toxic masculinity, but his attacks ultimately only serve to fuel Jamie’s sense of self, not dampen it. Jamie’s estranged father has long since rejected his son, but that in turn has created a powerful connection between him and his mother Margaret, played to perfection by Rebecca McKinnis.

McKinnis deserves an entire paragraph devoted to her indescribable talent. Every single inch of pride and pain that Margaret feels as her son navigates the tumultuous journey of finding his inner self, seems to fill McKinnis’ entire being in a perfectly understated and authentic way. That is, until we get to her solo number in Act 2 where the emotion bursts out of her with a fierce, powerful vocal performance that is unmatched. That moment garnered the biggest applause of the night, and rightly so.

The score by Dan Gillespie Sells (of The Feeling fame) has a contemporary feel, primarily upbeat and poppy in style but underpinned with razor sharp lyrics by Tom MacRae, which are layered with emotion and intent. You could pick any track out of a hat and believe that it’s a fan favourite; "The Wall in My Head" is my winner.

Simply put, Everybody's Talking About Jamie is an unmissable experience. At worst, you'll witness some world-class performances and at best...it will inspire you to go forth and re-discover your own most authentic self. 

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie plays at the Theatre Royal Brighton until 11 November 

Photo credits: Matt Crockett

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