Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Mayflower Southampton Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Helen O
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, they really are. Including me! I couldn’t wait to visit the Mayflower, Southampton on opening night to watch the theatre show of the moment. It is an award-winning show; it won the WhatsonStage Awards Best New Musical Award in 2018 and had a record-breaking 3 year West End residency, before embarking on it’s current UK and Ireland tour; a tour which is ends July 2024. Having now watched it, I can see why it’s so hugely popular.
We were seated in row G of the dress circle, to the right hand side of the stage as you look at it. Although we weren’t that close to the stage, we had a fabulous view of all of the action. Even though the Mayflower Theatre is relatively old, there is plenty of leg room and the seats are quite comfortable.
So, who is this Jamie that everybody’s talking about?! It’s Jamie New, a 16 year old Sheffield schoolboy who doesn’t quite fit in; he’s dreaming of becoming a drag queen. He’s dreaming of being a Sensation! Based on the real-life story of Jamie Campbell, the show is a coming of age drama all about how Jamie, surrounded by the loving support from his amazing mum, Margaret (Rebecca Mckinnis), her hilarious best friend Ray (Shobna Gulati) and his best friend Priti (Talia Palamathanan), overcomes prejudice, bullying and adversity, including rejection from his dad, to allow him to be the person he was always destined to be.
The show is fantastically funny, simply fabulous and heart breaking yet heart-warming in equal measure. The standout performance for me, was of course Ivano Turco, as Jamie himself. He was so likeable as the main character and what an energy and what a voice! I felt he was made for the role.
Boasting an all-star supporting cast, including Giovanna Fletcher as the hard-headed Miss Hedge, Jamie’s Careers teacher who keeps telling him and his classmates to ‘keep it real’ and Eastenders actor John Partridge as the simply fabulous Hugo aka Loco Chanelle, the drag queen who mentors Jamie to fulfil his dream of attending the school prom dressed in drag. All of the main characters and supporting case gave the show their all, bringing together a wonderful performance, full of laughter, emotion and resulting in a fuzzy, feel good glow.
The stand out moment for the whole show has to be when Margaret (Rebecca McKinnis) delivers ‘He’s my Boy’…WHAT. A. MOMENT! I’m still getting goosebumps just thinking about it, as I did when I heard her sing it. What an incredible voice. Judging by the rapturous applause from the audience at the end of the song, I don’t think I was alone in my thinking.
Written by Tom MacRae, one of the best things about the show is that it’s set to an original musical score of pop songs, music by Dan Gillespie Sells (from The Feeling) and lyrics by Tom MacRae which will keep going around in your head, long after you leave the auditorium.
It was also the first show I’d seen, where the orchestra were visible, as the clever staging meant that they sat at the top of the set for the duration of the performance and every now and again, you got a sneaky glimpse of the musicians, who seemed to be enjoying it as much as the audience.
With a running time of almost 3 hours, including a 20 minute or so interval, the energy on stage carried through the entire performance, from the moment it started to the exceptional finale, keeping the audience engaged throughout. I didn’t want it to end, it was that brilliant.
The atmosphere in the audience was electrifying, we left the theatre feeling uplifted by what we had just witnessed. Simply brilliant!
I would watch the show again in a heartbeat and will be recommending it to family and friends as a great night out and a feel good watch.
The tickets range between £24.50 and £49.50, so there’s a ticket price for everyone’s budget to see this fabulous show! I think it’s great value for money.
The show is running from Tuesday 9th January until Sunday 14th January, with matinee shows on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th January. It is recommended for age 12 years and over, which I think is completely appropriate, given some of the language and the themes discussed in the performance.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: Tickets range from £24.50 to £49.50 depending on date and seating location.
Buy tickets here: https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/everybodys-talking-about-jamie-2024/
Full address of the Theatre: The Mayflower Theatre, Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE
Photo Supplied by Matt Crockett on behalf of the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton.