Jamie New, aged 16, is a gay schoolboy in Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. With the support of his devoted mother and friends, Jamie uses drag to defy bullies, lack of self-belief, restricting school rules, and unaccepting family members – issues often faced by LGBT+ people.
After a smash-hit run in the West End, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie makes a very welcome return to the Sheffield stage. Laughter echoes around the Lyceum from the opening lines. Hilarious without trying too hard, with natural dialogue and authentic interactions, the whole cast of Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom Macrae’s multi-award winning musical shine. The salt-of-the-earth characters are a nod to the people of Sheffield, along with well-received jokes that only local folk would understand.
Layton Williams is spellbinding and incredibly believable as Jamie – his catty comebacks and one-liners a high-heeled, high-kicking highlight of the show. Meanwhile Amy Ellen Richardson is brilliant as his mum Margaret, conveying the complexities of being a single mum and shielding her son from bigotry, with captivating solos If I Met Myself Again and He’s My Boy. TV stars Shobna Gulati as outspoken, no-nonsense family friend Ray and Shane Ritchie as Jamie’s fairy dragmother Hugo/Loco Chanel both give scene-stealing performances, getting some of the Lyceum’s loudest laughs.