REVIEW: Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the New Wimbledon Theatre

When Jamie first came to the West End in 2017 there seemed to be an element of scepticism and unknown. A TV documentary turned musical seemed a bold move. Fast forward over four years later and the show has grown from strength to strength. With multiple tours, a lengthy West End residence and now even a major motion picture, it seems everybody is talking about Jamie. 

For tonight’s performance, Jamie New was to be played by alternate Jamie, Adam Taylor. It has to be said initially where Taylor seemed to not be giving his all he grew into his role and delivered a standout performance as Jamie, though his predecessors made much more of the role through their mannerisms and subsequently made the role their own, Taylor most definitely stepped up and filled those heels putting his stamp on Jamie.

COMING HOME: Hiba Elchikhe, currently in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre

Pocket Size Theatre and Liza Heinrichs (Captured by Liz) have teamed up again and created our new series 'Coming Home'. In this new piece, we look at the reopening of Theatres in London and around the country and celebrate our industry coming back. We got together some performers who will be some of the first to return to theatres and created this piece to bring some positivity to the theatre industry which has been through one of the toughest years in our lifetime. Whilst it is important to acknowledge the hardships we've all gone through, it's important we pull together as a community and celebrate our beloved industry finally coming back! 

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has been running in the West End since November 2017, a new British musical it has taken audiences by storm and has had a hugely successful run over the past few years. The show has recently announced that it will be temporally closing from the 26th of September at the Apollo Theatre, where Mischiefs Theatres’ Magic Goes Wrong will take its place. However, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will be making a return in 2022! 

Hiba Elchikhe is currently playing Pritti Pasha in the West End production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and has recently announced that she will be playing Alice in Dick Whittington this Christmas at the New Wimbledon Theatre. She will also be appearing in ‘Well-Behaved Women’ at Cadogan Hall on the 3rd September. Her other credits include the title role in Brooklyn the Musical at the Greenwich Theatre, Fiver at the Southwark Playhouse, Antony & Cleopatra at the National Theatre, Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin in Australia, Ghost the Musical in Asia and The Sound of Music for ITV. 

The Real Housewives of Musical Theatre

If you're anything like me, you would have fallen in the Real Housewives trap. Over this pandemic there hasn't been a lot to do, so of course watching Real Housewives was on the top of my list. But this got me thinking, who would be the Real Housewives of Musical Theatre? Well, let's find out... 

Madame Morrible 

No doubt she'll stir the pot without any of the others knowing, until all is revealed and her evil ways are exposed. 

The Best Shows we've seen in 2020!

2020.... well, that happened. 

Its been a rubbish year for our industry, but we mustn't dwell on the negatives! So, we thought we'd collect together our top shows that our wonderful reviews have seen this year! Even though these are our top reviewed shows, we just want to say a huge well done to all those who have been involved in creating content this year, as an industry we have pulled through and proven our place in society. Even if the government still don't value us, we must value one another and we wish everyone the utmost success in the new year! 

Without further ado, let's take a look at some of our top shows from 2020! 

A Christmas Carol at the Dominion Theatre

"The whole production is directed with great skill and ingenuity by Shaun Kerrison and backed by some excellent video and graphics by George Reeve projected on the large screen above the band and has the feel of a high production value West End show with great musicality and fresh and lively touches. This is no concert; this is a joyous celebration of musical theatre with a powerful and meaningful message that resonated as much today (perhaps more so) than when Charles Dickens wrote it in 1843. Bravo London Musical Theatre Orchestra. We hope you will return to the stage even stronger in 2021." 

REVIEW: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the original British musical, is still standing strong in the West End. Opening back in 2017 after a hugely successful run in Sheffield, the show launches a UK tour this year alongside a new film adaptation, so it's clear to say this musical is going nowhere! 

Following the story of 16-year-old Jamies New in his quest to become a Drag Queen, he decides to go to prom in a dress however this isn’t received the way he thought it might be. 

The show remains to be one of my personal favourites on the West End; it has heart and passion in it with loads of comedy and lightness to it. It remains tight and fresh as the day it started. 

The show welcomes its new cast in, including the new Jamie, Noah Thomas, who hasn’t even finished drama school yet! He plays the role with a real truthfulness in it, similar to the qualities we saw in original Jamie John Mcrea. He has a naivety and an innocence with confidence that just pulls you in straight away and we really go on the journey with him. It is a finely crafted performance that for any performer, let alone someone still in their third year, is a huge achievement. 

Hardest Male roles in Musical Theatre

Being a musical theatre performer is not easy in the slightest; from the auditions to get the job in the first place, to the constant rehearsals and finally recreating an incredible performance for a paying audience night after night. This is even before you look at some of the challenges some roles might have within them; either emotionally, physically or vocally. Here at Pocket we have teamed up with our friends at LondonBoxOffice.co.uk and put together a list of characters we think are among some of the hardest. And don't just take our word for it; we've had help from some of our performer friends who have played the roles to give you an insight into what it was like from their perspective. 

There are so many more that could be on this list so if we've missed any, tweet us what you think should be on it! @PocketSizeBlog

Theatre Tickets: Every West End shows top and lowest price ticket!

Theatre has been critiqued a lot over the past few years at how expensive the tickets are so we thought we'd take a look at the official box offices and compare their highest price ticket to the lowest. What can you get for your money in the West End? Lets find out!

To make it fair, we looked at the same date (August 17th 2019, 7.30pm) for every show and have compared the most expensive seat available to the cheapest available for this day. 

Hamilton tops and bottoms both our lists, its the most expensive theatre ticket in London at £250 and has the most expensive cheapest ticket which comes in at £100. If you are on the UK minimum wage (£8.21, for someone 25 and over) you would have to work about 30 hours to afford a premium seat. A family of 4 would cost £1,000, equal to about 122 hours of work on minimum wage. 

The Lion King closely follows as one of the most expensive at £228.50 followed by Wicked and The Book of Mormon at just over £202 each. 

If we look at the cheapest seats available through official box offices School of Rock, Captain Corelli's Mandolin and Only Fools and Horses are all priced at £15 closely followed The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ and Six at £19.50. 

For £20 (Almost 2 and a half hours work on the national minimum wage) you can see Everybody's Talking About Jamie, The Lion King, Fiddler on the Roof, Matilda and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

This article was written in July 2019. Ticket prices may have changed or altered since our research. 

REVIEW: Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre

Jamie, a 16 year old high school student, has aspirations to become a drag queen and when his School prom comes around he wants to attend it in a dress. This doesn't go down well with some of the students and after his struggles with his family and bullying at school he over comes this and realises what his teacher really means by “keeping it real”, even if she doesn't know it herself. 

Everybody’s talking about Jamie has one of the most important messages being told in theatre right now and for it to be in such a mainstream commercial bracket is incredible, it is so vital for people to witness this story because it could change the way people view and think about young people, their teenage years, sexuality and career aspirations. This show isn’t just an inspiring story about a gay kid becoming who he truly is, it is so much more.

Jamie has recently welcomed many new faces to the company in its first major cast change. 

REVIEW: Everybody's Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre

Tuesday 6th November 2018 marked Everybody’s talking about Jamie’s first Birthday in the West End. After having a sell-out run at the Sheffield Crucible in 2017, its transferred to the Apollo theatre later that year. Since then the show has been broadcast all around the world in cinemas and has recently announced that it has a movie version in the works. 

The show is based on the BBC Three documentary ‘Jamie: Drag Queen at 16’ that aired in 2011. Having not long seen the documentary, the show differs quite a lot from the original story. This, however, is not a bad thing. Theatrical license has allowed them to bring the show into 2018 and add the diversity it needs to bring it into this modern world. 

The show follows 16 year old Jamie New who has a dream of becoming a drag queen. We follow his struggles at school and his longing to go to school prom in a dress and his journey on becoming the performer he has always dreamt of being.

Full casting has been announced for EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE at the Apollo Theatre

Full casting has been announced for the West End transfer of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, directed by Jonathan Butterell and written by Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae, which will play a limited season at the Apollo Theatre from Monday 6 November following a critically acclaimed run at Sheffield Crucible. 

As previously announced John McCrea will return to play the title role of Jamie alongside Josie Walker who reprises her role as his Mum, Margaret. They are joined by the following original cast members from the run in Sheffield Daniel Davids (Levi), Mina Anwar (Rayia ‘Ray’ Begum), Luke Baker (Dean Paxton), Courtney Bowman (Fatimah), Tamsin Carroll (Miss Hedge), James Gillan (Tray Sophisticay), Harriet Payne (Bex), Shiv Rabheru (Cy), Lucie Shorthouse (Pritti Pasha) and Kirstie Skivington (Vicki) along with Alex Anstey (Laika Virgin), Luke Bayer, Marvyn Charles, Ken Christiansen (Jamie’s Dad), Jordan Cunningham (Sayid), Ryan Hughes (Mickey), Daniel Jacob (Sandra Bollock), Cherelle Jay, Rebecca McKinnis, Phil Nichol (Hugo), Chloe Pole and Lauran Rae (Becca).