Review | Everybody's Talking About Jamie at The Kings Theatre, Southsea: 'An uplifting, life-affirming piece of work'

With no expectations, I was excited to explore new material – and I’m so glad that I did.

It tells the story of Jamie New, a schoolboy aspiring to be a drag queen. The musical is based on a BBC Three Documentary called Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 and has since been adapted into a Bafta-nominated film. I’ll be watching both this weekend.

This vibrant, slick, professional touring production is fantastic. As the titular character, Ivano Turco is a revelation. I was rooting for him by the end of the opening number, And You Don’t Even Know It. With silky smooth vocals and first-class acting, it’s hard to take your eyes off him when he’s on stage. I only wish I could walk in a pair of heels like that!

For me, the song of the night came from Rebecca McKinnis as Jamie’s Mum, Margaret. Her rendition of He’s My Boy was spine-tingling. Emotionally charged and beautifully performed, you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium, and she rightfully received a resounding applause from the crowd.

Ticket holders were expecting Sam Bailey in the role of Mrs Hedge, however, sadly due to personal reasons she was unable to perform on this occasion. In stepped her understudy, Georgina Hagen, and what a wonderful job she did.

Kevin Clifton really surprised me as Hugo/Loco Chanelle. It was a very assured performance from the former Strictly Come Dancing professional, who really seems to have found his feet in the theatre world.

Elsewhere, Sejal Keshwala really made me laugh as Margaret’s friend, Ray. Her comic timing is excellent.

The choreography was expertly executed throughout, and I thought the set design was very clever. The songs, while performed fantastically, don’t rate amongst my favourite musical theatre tracks. However, for a night out of feel-good fun, you cannot go wrong with this uplifting, life-affirming piece of work.

The finale was a hit with the overjoyed crowd. A huge cheer resounded when Turco announced they’d be collecting money for Portsmouth Pride as the punters left the building – a nice touch.

The screen reminded us to Keep Talking About Jamie. Don’t worry, I will be; to tell people to get to The Kings this week!

Until Saturday.