Theatre Review: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Peacock Theatre - A celebration of everything that makes life worth living.
Cast of ETAJ, including Ivano Turco and John Partridge. Image Credit: Matt Crockett
⭑⭑⭑⭑
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie became something of an overnight modern classic when it first hit stages in 2017, and 7 years on it hasn’t lost any of the magic that made it such a hit the first time around. This feel-good, queer, decidedly British musical tells the story of Jamie New. 16 years old, just about to finish school in Sheffield, figuring out who he is, who he wants to be, and figuring it out through drag. It is cheeky, it’s packed full of fun, and it’s bursting at it’s sequined seams with heart.
Stepping into the famous red heels for this touring production, currently at London’s Peacock Theatre for 7 weeks, is Ivano Turco. To be real, Jamie New could very easily be a character you find a bit grating - he’s a 16-year-old who sees those around him as the backing singers in the production that is his life. But with Ivano, he becomes an incredibly sympathetic character, one you truly root for. What could be portrayed as arrogance instead feels like vulnerability. You can feel his fear, his confusion, his nervous energy, his self-doubt, his excitement, and eventually his acceptance of himself. And I mean that literally, Ivano fills that stage with so much energy, and commands it with such control that you can palpably feel all of these things with him. His vocals are pitch-perfect too, smooth as honey and twice as sweet. He’s all smiles and bright energy, a bundle of joy but for me it’s in the tenderest moments where he absolutely dazzles. He is a Jamie New not to be missed, and I think we are going to see exciting things from Ivano Turco in the years ahead.
When - excuse the pun - everybody talks about Jamie, they tell you it’s about drag. They tell you it’s great to have stories about the lgbt community on stage. They tell you the dancing is crazy because how is he doing that in heels?! (Which, by the way, more to come about the choreo later.) But what you don’t often hear is that this show is about relationships. The ones we wish we had but don’t, the ones we often take for granted, the ones that come into our life just when we need them and take us by surprise. This show is about human connection, and this cast captures it beautifully. Shobna Gulati is scene-stealing in her role as Ray - best friend to Jamie’s Mum Margaret (Rebecca McKinnis), and surrogate auntie to him - her comedic timing is something you cannot teach. The dynamic between her and McKinnis is a delight. If you told me they were actually best friends off stage I’d believe you, because their sisterhood in the show is so natural, so warm, so easy. It’s not just with Gulati that Rebecca McKinnis shines. She has a beautiful chemistry with Ivano, they capture a tenderness that so many people who grew up with single mothers will recognise. It’s a totally unique bond and sometimes it can feel forced or stilted on stage or screen, but not with these two. One of my favourite dynamics though is between Turco’s Jamie and Hugo, aka Loco Chanelle, played by John Partridge. There are probably 20 years between them, and neither of them expected it when they crossed paths, but they end up learning so much from each other. So often when we see dynamics in media that are between an older character and a younger one, it is with negative connotations. It’s often seedy or salacious, or used to explore power dynamics that are abused and manipulated. But the truth is, there’s something really wonderful about having friends who are older than you, who take you under their wing and teach you and learn from you in equal measure - especially within marginalised communities. I loved the way Turco and Partridge captured this connection.
If I had to sum up this production in one word, it would be natural. It’s a stellar ensemble, and it’s quite something how well a group of grown adults can convince you they’re 16-year-old year 11s. It did take me back a decade to when I was in my last year of school. Giovanna Fletcher really captures the vibe of that one teacher who goes a bit mad on power because they’re not really that happy to be teaching and so they resent the optimism of youth because they hate that they lost theirs. Like you know exactly the type of teacher I mean and you’ll watch her as Miss Hedge and remember whomever your Miss Hedge was. The dynamic between the teens, from the big front-of-stage interactions, down to background moments, and looks in the classroom, they all feel like you could walk into any school and see the exact scenes playing out. Maybe minus the tightly choreographed dance routines.
On the topic of tightly choreographed dance routines, flowers have to be given to Kate Prince for the choreography in this production. She has managed to combine traditional dance styles of queer culture - vogue and ballroom - with contemporary lyricism, and infused that with elements of hip-hop and street dance. Good choreography is enjoyable to watch, but great choreography you should be able to watch without the story and still understand the energy and essence of the piece. And she has wholeheartedly captured the essence of ETAJ in these dance numbers. Hats off to her, and to the cast for executing her vision so masterfully.
My one gripe, and it’s not specific to this production but rather the show overall, is the music. Musically, it just feels slightly off. It feels like a collection of songs as opposed to a flowing piece where they all work together. Almost like when an artist does a compilation greatest hits album vs doing an album where all the songs are working together to tell a story. And in some songs, the lyrics feel like they stick, like they are fighting against the melody instead of working cohesively. Now don’t get me wrong, this is not to say you won’t hear stunning vocals. You absolutely will, they are all performed beautifully. The true stand out of the night was Rebecca McKinnis with If I Met Myself Again and He’s My Boy, the latter of which saw a standing ovation from many in the audience. It’s more that those two numbers don’t feel as though they are from the same show as Over The Top for example.
None of this detracts at all from how much fun this production is. Simple yet dynamic staging, clever use of multimedia for scene setting, beautiful character and connection work from the cast, stunning vocals and outstanding choreography all add up to one hell of a night at the theatre. It’s a celebration of all that makes life worth living. Joy, colour, connection, togetherness and individuality, community, family - born into or found - and most importantly, love.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is currently running at the Peacock Theatre, London until March 23rd, after which it heads back out on tour until 20th July 2024. Get your tickets for London, or any of the upcoming tour locations here.