It's time for my review of Everybody's Talking About Jamie.Before seeing it live, I had heard a lot of buzz about this brand new original British musical. It would appear that everyone really is talking about Jamie! When compiling my list of shows to see over Christmas, Everybody's Talking About Jamie was a must-see. Luckily, I got the chance to go and see it several days after Christmas. I loved the originality behind the idea for the story and it is wonderful for the UK to have a successful original musical, something which can be quite a rarity.
The score for Everybody's Talking About Jamie, written by Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom McRae, is phenomenal. All of the songs that feature in this show are extremely memorable and catchy; they have all remained in my head after several days and I haven't been able to stop singing them. The duo behind this score are clearly extremely talented and I hope they team up to write more shows in the future. My personal favourite's from the score were 'And You Don't Even Know It', 'Over The Top' and 'My Man, Your Boy'. There is something very special about this score and I am really looking forward to the original cast recording being released.
Everybody's Talking about Jamie follows 'Jamie New, a sixteen year old boy from Sheffield with a secret. He doesn't quite fit in at school, his Dad's left home, he's about to sit his GCSEs and the future is terrifying. With his brilliant mum behind him, will Jamie be brave enough to stand up for who he really wants to be?' It is an exceptionally moving tale and I found it to be a real eye-opener. There are many good lessons to be learnt from this story and it embraces those who are unique.
John McCrea is perfectly cast in the role of Jamie New. McCrea is extremely natural when onstage and is very believable in the part. He has a wide range of talents, which is demonstrated by his sensational acting, singing and dancing. John McCrea is a triple threat! Josie Walker, as Margaret New, brings the house down with some absolutely beautiful ballads, showing an exceedingly powerful voice. Josie Walker was mesmerising from beginning to end and I felt really invested in her character's story. Mina Anwar was ideal for the character of Ray, the loving family friend. I really appreciated the comic relief that she brought to the show. Lucie Shorthouse, who portrays Pritti Pasha, had an extraordinary voice. I was stunned when she began singing; I really wasn't expecting her to have such an amazing voice. Additionally, I also thought that she was a very talented actress.
I liked the vast majority of the choreography, however I wasn't so keen on the physical theatre aspects that were added to certain elements of it. I don't believe that physical theatre was needed for this show and it looked somewhat out of place. My main example of this is during the song 'If I Met Myself Again', where the physical theatre is a little bit distracting. I admired the set design, which was created by Anna Fleischle, as it's thoroughly detailed. I was also quite a fan of the lighting design, as it was highly effective during several moments throughout the show.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie is something very different to the norm. It covers several important issues and is a musical that London should be proud of!
The featured star of Everybody's Talking About Jamie is, drum roll please... JOHN MCCREA!
There are many stand-out performances in this show, but it is ultimately John McCrea that steals the show. He was captivating from beginning to end and gave a masterclass of a performance! He was full of energy and is a joy to watch.
Now for my final verdict on Everybody's Talking About Jamie. I give Everybody's Talking About Jamie...
Everybody's Talking About Jamie is more than deserving of its 4 star rating. I had a great time and I highly recommend it!
Think it should have got a higher rating? Agree with my rating? Think it should have got a lower rating? If so comment below.
Thanks for reading!
-The Reviewer
No comments:
Post a Comment