Everybody's Talking About Jamie is a musical with music by Dan

Gillespie Sells and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae. The musical is
inspired by the 2011 television documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at
16, directed by Jenny Popplewell.[1] The musical follows a 16-year-
old teenager as he overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and
steps out of the darkness to become a drag queen.
Everybody's Talking About Jamie

Music
Dan Gillespie Sells
Lyrics
Tom MacRae
Book
Tom MacRae
Basis
Jamie: Drag Queen at 16
by Jenny Popplewell
Premiere
February 8, 2017: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
Productions
2017 Sheffield
2017 West End
2020 UK/International tour
Contents

Plot Edit
Act One Edit
Miss Hedge, a careers teacher, asks her noisy year eleven class
what they want to be when they get older. One student of the class,
Jamie New, gets teased about his homosexuality, and reveals to the
audience all he wants to be is a drag queen ("And You Don't Even
Know It"). When prompted, Jamie tells the class he wants to be a
performer, but Miss Hedge tells him to get real.
At Jamie's house, his mum Margaret and family friend Ray are
preparing for his sixteenth birthday. When Jamie arrives home,
Margaret gives him a card from his dad, with a picture of a race car.
Margaret then gives Jamie his gift from her - a pair of red high heels
from Meadowhall. Jamie reveals hesitation about going outside his
garden in the shoes ("Wall in My Head").
The next day at school, Jamie shows his best friend Pritti his new
heels, and then he is interrupted by Dean, the school bully. He
taunts Pritti for being Muslim, and Jamie for being gay. Jamie taunts
Dean for his small penis in return. Embarrassed, Dean leaves. Pritti
encourages Jamie to go to prom in a dress ("Spotlight"). Jamie then
parades around the classroom in his heels ("Spotlight (Reprise)
(Star of the Show)").
At his local shop for drag queen attire, Victor's Secret, Jamie
befriends the owner Hugo, and learns all about Hugo's past as a
drag queen ("The Legend of Loco Chanelle (and the Blood Red
Dress)"). Hugo books Jamie's first drag show at the local nightclub,
and helps Jamie choose his dress ("The Legend of Loco Chanelle
(and the Blood Red Dress) (Reprise)").
Meanwhile, Margaret meets with Jamie's dad, where she reveals
she has been lying to Jamie about the activity of his dad, including
the fact she has to write a birthday card from him each birthday.
Jamie's dad tells Margaret he wants nothing to do with Jamie,
claiming he is not a "real boy". Margaret ponders what her life would
be like if she never met Jamie's dad ("If I Met Myself Again").
At school, Jamie pulls Pritti into a disabled toilet so she can help
with his make-up. They are discovered by Miss Hedge, but Pritti
tells her that she is doing Jamie's make-up for an art project. Miss
Hedge tells Jamie that he should be proud of being an art project,
and walks him around school in the make-up. Jamie, initially
embarrassed by the attention, decides to be proud of himself, telling
the school that he is doing a drag show at the local nightclub, Legs
Eleven, that night ("Work of Art").
Outside Legs Eleven, Jamie bumps into Dean, who calls him a
minger. Inside the club, Margaret and Ray have been introduced to
a group of drag queens: Laika Virgin, Tray Sophisticay, and Sandra
Bollock. Hugo emerges, now dressed as Loco Chanelle, his drag
alter-ego. Jamie runs in to tell them all he cannot go on because of
what Dean said. Jamie finds the dress he admired at Victor's Secret
in his dressing room, with a tag on saying "Love Dad" as well as a
flower delivery from Jamie's dad. Loco Chanelle, with the help of
the other drag queens, encourage Jamie to find his drag self, whom
Jamie calls Mimi Me, and get him ready and push him onstage
("Over the Top")
Act Two Edit
The next day, the school is buzzing with news of Jamie's drag debut
("Everybody's Talking About Jamie"). Jamie comes into school in
bright blue eyeshadow and long eyelashes. Miss Hedge once again
tells Jamie to "get real", and Dean taunts Jamie, but Jamie kisses
him in retaliation. Jamie leaves Dean confused.
At home, Jamie shows Margaret and Ray his new prom dress, now
shortened and fitted with working flashing lights. Margaret worries if
this is all too much ("Limited Edition Prom Night Special"). The
phone rings, and Jamie and Margaret are called to the school.
Jamie, Margaret and Ray go to the school to meet with Miss Hedge,
who tells Jamie that there have been rumours that he will be
attending prom in drag, and she will not allow it. Jamie is
disappointed, and Dean seems to know all about it.
In Pritti's bedroom, Jamie rants to Pritti about how he is not allowed
to go to prom in drag. Pritti tells Jamie to go in a dress - not in drag.
Jamie says that without Mimi Me, he is ugly. Pritti reassures Jamie
that he is far from ugly ("It Means Beautiful"). Jamie reveals that
when he was eight, his dad found him in a dress and was angry. He
is then confused as to why he paid for the dress and bought flowers
if he is not supportive of him as a drag queen. Pritti suggests Jamie
should go to his house and speak to him. Before he leaves, Jamie
kisses Pritti on the cheek ("It Means Beautiful (Reprise)").
At the house of Jamie's dad, Jamie's dad reveals that he did not
know about Mimi Me and calls Jamie disgusting. He tells Jamie he
did not pay for the dress or flowers. Jamie figures out that it was his
mother doing all of this in his dad's place ("Ugly in This Ugly
World").
At home, Jamie argues with Margaret over why she has been lying
over all these years. Jamie screams in Margaret's face and storms
out. Margaret, left alone, sings about how she will always love
Jamie no matter what ("He's My Boy").
Jamie wanders the streets drunk on cider. He is approached by
three local boys, and is beaten up as they shout homophobic
remarks about him. ("And You Don't Even Know It (Bus Station
Reprise)"). Jamie is defended by Hugo, who urges Jamie to go
home and apologise to his mum.
Jamie takes Hugo's advice and Margaret and Jamie apologise to
each other ("My Man, Your Boy").
At the prom, all of the kids are super excited ("Prom Song"). Pritti
enters, wearing makeup and a prom dress. All the girls love it, but
Dean decides to bully her. She finally stands up to Dean, and then
reveals Jamie, in a white prom dress. Miss Hedge comes out of the
school and refuses Jamie's admission to the prom. All the kids
stand outside and chant Jamie's name until Miss Hedge gives in
and lets him in. Jamie waits until everyone's gone in, and then calls
Dean out from off-stage. Jamie encourages Dean to be nice just for
one night, to which Dean agrees, and they walk into prom hand-in-
hand ("Finale").
As an encore, the cast perform "Out of the Darkness (A Place
Where We Belong)".
Roles and principal casts Edit
Charact Sheffield West End UK tour Australian
er (2017)[2] (2017)[3] (2020)[4] tour (2020)[5]
Jamie Layton James
John McCrea
New Williams Majoos
Margare Amy Ellen Helen
Josie Walker
t New Richardson Dallimore
Pritti Shubshri
Lucie Shorthouse Sharan Phull
Pasha Kandiah
Leigh/
Mina Anwar Shobna Gulati
Ray†
Charles
Hugo Phil Nichol Shane Richie Simon Burke
Dale
Miss Elise
Tamsin Carroll Lara Denning
Hedge McCann
Dean George
Luke Baker
Paxton Sampson
Gabrielle Talia
Becca Lauran Rae
Brooks Palamathanan
Jessica
Bex Harriet Payne
Meegan
Fatimah Courtney Bowman Jodie Knight
Vicki Kirstie Skivington Kazmin Borrer
Barney
Mickey Ryan Hughes Ellis Brownhill
Hudson
Kush Jordan
Sayid Adam Taylor
Khanna Cunningham
Richard
Cy Shiv Rabheru Appiah-
Sarpong
Simeon
Levi Daniel Davids
Beckett
Daniel Jacob/
Sandra Raj Cameron
Vinegar
Bollock Ghatak Johnson
Strokes
Tray
Sophisti James Gillan Rhys Taylor
cay
John Paul
Laika Alex Anstey/
McCue/Mary
Virgin Spencer Vileda Moppe
Mac
Stafford
Jamie's Ken Cameron
Dad Christiansen Johnson
†The character Leigh in the Sheffield production was renamed Ray
for the West End transfer.
Notable West End replacements Edit
• Jamie: Layton Williams[6]
• Ray: Shobna Gulati[7]
• Hugo: Lee Ross,[8] Shane Richie,[9] Bianca Del Rio,[10] Bill
Ward,[11] Rufus Hound[12]
• Miss Hedge: Michelle Visage,[13] Hayley Tamaddon,[14] Faye
Tozer,[15][16] Rita Simons,[17] Preeya Kalidas,[18] Katy Brand[19]
Musical numbers Edit
Act One Act Two
• "And You Don't Even • "Everybody's Talking
Know It" – Jamie, Miss About Jamie" – Year 11
Hedge & Year 11 • "Limited Edition Prom
• "And You Don't Even Night Special" – Jamie,
Know It" (Reprise) - Ray & Margaret
Jamie • "It Means Beautiful" –
• "The Wall in My Head" – Pritti
Jamie • "It Means
• "Spotlight" – Pritti & Year Beautiful" (Reprise) –
11 Girls Pritti
• "Spotlight (Reprise) (Star • "Ugly in This Ugly World"
of the Show)" – Jamie & – Jamie
Pritti • "He's My Boy" – Margaret
• "The Legend of Loco • "And You Don't Even
Chanelle (and the Blood Know It" (Bus Station
Red Dress)" – Hugo & Reprise) – Jamie
the Legs Eleven Girls • "My Man, Your Boy" –
• "The Legend of Loco Jamie & Margaret
Chanelle (and the Blood • "The Prom Song" – Year
Red Dress)" (Reprise) – 11
Hugo • "Finale" – Company
• "If I Met Myself Again" – • "Out of the Darkness (A
Margaret Place Wher
• "Work of Art" – Miss
Hedge, Jamie, Dean &
Year 11
• "Over the Top" – Hugo &
the Legs Eleven Girls