Astravaganza Entertainment return with a bang with their new production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie this time at the Customs House, South Shields.
Invited | Review by Robyn Watson
This is my first time at this venue and I was mightily impressed. Beautiful views, clear vision to the stage, lovely acoustics and a great bar area. I really loved their promotional cocktails – Tray Sophisticay, Loco Chanelle and Mimi Me named after the wonderful characters of the show. What a lovely touch!
Jamie, the story of a teen drag queen who is figuring out his future is a real show stopper of a story. Based on Jamie Campbell, who actually is from the North East, and his BBC Documentary this show has really taken off. I just adore the music in this show with its catchy pop feel written by The Feeling’s Dan Gillespie Sells. We are transported from the darkness of Jamie’s life straight into the Spotlight.
Astravaganza Entertainment always put on a great show and last night was no exception. We witnessed high energy performances and some truly spectacular vocals. Led by Producer Liam Glendinning and Director David Ducasse they really are a truly wonderful team. The staging was simple but effective with most of the scenery being displayed on their slick electronic screens which they tend to use for most of their shows. I loved the attention to detail used in the graphics on the screen from the Sheffield Town Council emblem to the ever changing whiteboard in Miss Hedge’s classroom. Such a clever piece of technology used incredibly well. Their use of sound and lighting was wonderful too, perfectly illuminating the characters and the blackout was properly dark, making great use of those scene changes. I would have personally liked a shorter interlude of music between scene changes however, as I found them to leave the show feeling slightly stagnant as characters were just waiting for their turn. Bravo to the stage hands for their quick turnarounds though.
Starting in Miss Head’s classroom And You Don’t Even Know It starts off our show. The young cast gave great energy and worked well collectively. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Siobhan Mary Jane as Maya and Lee Elliott as Lee. They gave great vocal performances as well as being crystal clear vocally. I also really enjoyed the class being able to keep their own unique styles throughout as this is very stereotypical of a real classroom. The choreography was good and delivered well by the cast. Bekka Whaley had a clear vision and did a great job of thinking of unique, dynamic moves especially whilst using the props of their chairs which filled the classroom. Miss Head played by Jade Henderson delivered lovely vocals and energy but I would have loved to have seen her play this role a little meaner!
The wonderfully talented and charismatic Corey Clarke played the titular role in last night’s performance. My goodness does this boy know how to act. He seems to take every part he gets and makes it his own. You could see how much time and work had been put into crafting his character traits for Jamie. Corey is a wonderful comedy actor and knows how to work the stage but what was so beautiful to see was his softer, emotional side which he managed to perfectly encapsulate in his rendition of The Wall in my Head. This song was beautifully directed too with the flashback scene and our adorable young Jamie, Percy Kayill stealing the scene with his adorable acting in his Sierra Gold Maxi Dress – so sweet and moving. Another highlight of the show for me had to be Corey’s rendition of Ugly is an Ugly Word – raw, aggressive and passionate he attacked the song with full throttle and I had goosebumps. He delivered an all round outstanding performance and I was incredibly impressed in his ability to walk in those heels!
Jamie’s best friend Pritti was played by Emily Jones who had a wonderful stage presence. Her attention to detail of her character was lovely including her word perfect Sheffield accent. Probably the strongest accent on stage actually! She gave great energy during the dance numbers and her singing voice was perfectly sweet. I loved the cast’s rendition of Spotlight because the party has just started and you don’t want to miss it! What a stunning song! But my favourite song of the whole show is It Means Beautiful. Emily sang this perfectly with such an endearing feel to it. The staging and lighting at this moment was beautiful too and in perfect keeping of the song. I have seen this number over done at times but I actually really loved the simplicity of it all just letting us focus on the genius words and her beautiful vocals.
My star of the show however, had to be Morgan Newman playing Hugo/ Loco Chanelle. Tall in stature and in total command of the entire stage I couldn’t help but be mesmerised every time he spoke. I just got such amazing energy from Morgan again, with a perfect accent that never wavered and personality in abundance which he managed to convey effortlessly. His rendition of the Legend of Loco Chanelle was a sight to behold. A really slick, well directed number too. His singing voice was powerful yet silky smooth and he filled every inch of the theatre with audible power. A special mention to Daniel Burlison who played Young Loco Chanelle looking totally incredible in drag as well as providing slick, dynamic movement on stage. I loved the use of the confetti cannon during this song for the red blood splatters- perfectly timed and incredibly effective. The show was filled with careful attention to detail even down to the way the radio played or the box of Maltwosers!
To end Act One, we were lucky enough to see Morgan as Loco Chanelle and he looked absolutely stunning in the wonderful costume. All of the three drag queens – Sandra Bollock, Tray Sophisticay and Laika Virgin all were beautifully costumed with perfect make up and wigs too. The costumes throughout the entire show were wonderfully sourced and were in perfect keeping with the story. Their rendition of Over the Top was wonderful and it was lovely to hear David Ducasse singing once more as I haven’t seen him on stage for such a long time. The rumbling of feet did surprise us in the audience however, but I always really love it when shows involve the audience.
Act Two started with a bang with Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the song. Great energy, excitement and movement filled the stage but some of the vocals were a little difficult to hear at times during these busy numbers. Becca, played by Zara Wisniewska and Bex played by Alanna Berry both suited their roles so well and led the class revolution during this song. The angry, troubled Dean Paxton was played well and very brutally by Kyle John Craggs. His words cut like razorblades through the audience and you could have heard a pin drop during his scenes. Great stage presence from him.
The legendary role of the foul mouthed but fiercely loyal best friend to Jamie’s Mum Ray was played by the wonderful Deborah Taylor- Smith who is equally as bonkers and lovely off stage as she is on. Her singing voice never fails to wow with gorgeous grit and power and her singing during Limited Edition (Prom Night Special) was no different. She is a true natural on stage and worked seamlessly with Nathalie Baxter who played Margaret New. Nathalie was great in this role and gave a stellar performance particularly of He’s My Boy hitting those glorious Soprano notes beautifully. A really powerful and genuine performance delivered by Nathalie. There wasn’t many dry eyes left in the building.
Overall, a great show packed with talent and attention to detail. A huge well done to both Corey and Morgan for their exceptional performances last night. This is why I love local productions, home grown talent giving it their all. Remember, local theatres need our help especially some of these smaller venues which are absolute gems!
‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’. The production runs up until Saturday at The Customs House, South Shields with evening performances at 7.30pm and a 3.30pm Saturday matinee.
Don’t miss your chance to catch the funny, outrageous and touching story of Jamie New, a 16yr old from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen!
Grab your tickets via the link below.
https://customshouse.co.uk/theatre/astravaganza-entertainment-everybodys-talking-about-jamie/