Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

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CJ-Rochester
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Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Post by CJ-Rochester »

Last weekend I saw a delightful new musical, "Everybody’s Talking About Jamie". Imagine what Michael might be like a couple of years after Billy left town. Like BETM, the story is set in a northern England working class town of Sheffield. In other words, the characters and situations feel familiar.

"Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” is a fun musical about a fabulous and unapologetic teen who aspires to learn drag and brighten up his dreary working class town. Supported by his loving mum and surrounded by friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice and bullies, and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight. It’s a refreshing story and a joy to watch. John McCrea as Jamie nails it perfectly as a 16 year old lad who wants to learn the art of drag. I enjoyed it but it still has an unpolished, experimental feel to me. Some of the regional dialect and strong accents went over my head, even for being a long time BETM fan.

Some of the reviews in the press, such as this one, compare the show to BETM.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... Jamie.html
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Post by Todd »

"Kinky Boots" came to mind for me, as opposed to "Billy Elliot," but maybe they made that connection due to its northern England working class setting. Seems I remember someone on the Forum a number of years back saying how it would be fun to see a spin-off from BETM about Michael's life after Billy goes to the Royal Ballet School, called "Michael: The Musical." This show could be it !
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Post by kport »

Huge audiences, gongs galore and Broadway awaits Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/12/hug ... out-jamie/

I can imagine this one being 'tried out for Broadway' at the Ogunquit Playhouse.
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

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kport wrote:
Huge audiences, gongs galore and Broadway awaits Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/12/hug ... out-jamie/

I can imagine this one being 'tried out for Broadway' at the Ogunquit Playhouse.

That's a very accurate review. Personally I think the show is a bit too 'out there' for Broadway, but then I would never have thought Kinky Boots would still be playing 3 1/2 years later.
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Post by kport »

Everybody Might Soon Be Talking About ‘Jamie’ on Broadway
The true story of a working-class teenager who loves dressing up in drag has been turned into a British theatrical hit. Now ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ may come to New York.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/everybody ... n-broadway
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

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The show is the winner of 3 WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/197 ... ge-awards/

Here's a fun new trailer for the show, just released this week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBUWiSoq7Uo
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Post by kport »

Winter’s over, and theater in London is younger than springtime.

Audiences are falling wig-over-heels for a teenage drag queen...

https://nypost.com/2018/03/27/the-hotte ... is-spring/

A former London Tony is also mentioned in this article:
“Les Misérables,” which has been running nonstop for three decades, has found its inner child with actor Killian Donnelly — taking top billing as its 33-year-old Jean Valjean.
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

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Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the hit musical based on 2011 BBC documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, is to become a film.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/m ... come-movie

Meanwhile:
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will be streaming a live performance on Thursday 5 July which will be available to view across the UK, Ireland and selected European territories. A majority of the screenings will take place on the same day, with a small number of screenings taking place on 15 and 16 July. The recording from the Apollo Theatre will then be available at screenings worldwide in the autumn.
https://officiallondontheatre.com/news/ ... 111408929/
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Post by Real Geordie »

I saw this at the Apollo at the back end of June. There were lots of youngsters on school outings - which can be good or bad depending on how much they buy into what they are watching, and their boredom level. In this case they clearly liked what they saw - no disruptive activities observed, no paper planes launched. The response of the audience was hugely enthusiastic throughout, in what is a high energy production. It seems that the cinema live screening went down well - the first live broadcast of a musical from a West End stage since Billy Elliot in 2015 - with further showings now to take place

http://thefancarpet.com/movie_news/live ... on-5-july/

This is a clip of West End Live 2018 (6 mins) with Luke Bayer standing in for John McCrea in the title role.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kagtSkgE1d0

I think that we will hear a lot more about this production in coming months - destined for greater things !
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Re: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Post by CJ-Rochester »

Layton Williams will take over as Jamie in 2019. Congrats, Layton!

https://twitter.com/LaytonWilliams/stat ... 0841677824
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