Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre

In a performance that oozes humour, earworms and plenty of glamour from every pore, the new cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie continue to dazzle the audience with a night of perfect entertainment. The show is put together expertly, so if all else fails, it at least guarantees an entertaining spectacle. This is a fabulous extravaganza with a great deal of style.

For all the production’s power, however, the plot is not its strong point. Jamie (Layton Williams), an aspiring drag queen seeking strength to live his dream, goes through various hardships as neither his father (Marlon G Day) nor school bully Dean (Luke Baker) tolerate his queer identity. With the help of ex-drag queen star Loco Chanelle (Shane Richie), his mother Margaret (Rebecca McKinnis), her friend Ray (Sejal Keshwala) and his best friend Pritti (Sabrina Sandhu), he learns to accept his unique personality, embraces his passion and ultimately becomes the star at the school prom.

Sound like a teenage drama? In many ways, it is exactly like one. It doesn’t help that a lot of the characters feel more like stereotypes than real people. But in the end, it doesn’t matter, because the cast’s delivery is so excellent that it will leave every onlooker stunned by the brilliant music by Dan Gillespie Sells and the choreography by Kate Prince. This show never gets boring, and if one doesn’t watch out one finds oneself humming along to some of the catchiest tunes. In many ways, the musical represents an upbeat celebration of queer culture and drag queens, including a feel-good message – with just a handful of melancholic moments.

The performers feel pristinely selected. They are so obviously burning with a fiery passion that it becomes difficult not to be infected with their fabulousness. Every character is perfectly cast, every song is executed without a flaw. McKinnis dominates the stage with an impressive vocal range which she demonstrates over and over again, and Williams has a mind-blowing amount of energy, allowing him to steal the show each time he appears on the stage.

Michael Higgs
Photos: Johan Persson

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is at the Apollo Theatre from 25^th January until 28^th September 2019. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.