Everybody’s Talking About Jaime to tour Australia

The Australian premiere of the critically-acclaimed West End hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, starring Simon Burke AO, Helen Dallimore and introducing James Majoos, will be presented at the Sydney Opera House for a strictly limited season from 18 July – 30 August 2020, as the first season of the national tour. 

Based on a true story and adapted from the documentary film Jamie – Drag Queen at Sixteen, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie centres on the coming-of-age of 16-year-old school boy Jamie New from Sheffield, in Northern England, who finds his true self with the support of his loving mum. It’s a life-affirming musical that tells a universal tale of friendship, chasing your dreams, beating the bullies, overcoming prejudice and stepping out of the darkness, into the spotlight. 

Rising star James Majoos, fresh from Yve Blake’s Fan Girls (Belvoir/Queensland Theatre Company), will steal hearts as Jamie New. Veteran stage, film and television performer Simon Burke AO – known for his roles in Devil’s Playground (NBC/Universal), Playschool (ABC TV), Mary Stuart (Sydney Theatre Company), La Cage Aux Folles (West End), Mary Poppins (Australian tour), The Sound of Music (West End, Toronto), and The Phantom of the Opera (West End) – will play Jamie’s mentor Hugo/Loco Chanelle. Stage and television star Helen Dallimore, who wowed audiences in Wicked (West End), Into the Woods (London) and Here Come The Habibs! (Nine Network) and who won the 2013 Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical, for her role in Legally Blonde The Musical (Australian tour), will play Jamie’s loyal mum, Margaret New. 

Featuring an all Australian cast of 22 performers, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will also star Elise McCann (Matilda The Musical Australian tour) as Miss Hedge, Shubshri Kandiah (Aladdin Australian tour) as Pritti, Helpmann Award-winner Christina O’Neill (Calamity Jane Arts Centre Melbourne) as Margaret’s best friend Ray and newcomer Harry Targett as Dean. 

Originally produced by Sheffield Theatres, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has a feel-good pop score written by Dan Gillespie Sells – the lead singer of British rock group The Feeling – that has more than 12 million song plays on Spotify. The music will be performed live by a seven-piece band under the musical supervision of Theo Jamieson. The on-point book and lyrics are penned by BAFTA and Olivier Award nominated screenwriter, author and playwright Tom MacRae (Doctor Who BBC, The Librarians TNT), from an idea by Jonathan Butterell. This Olivier-nominated musical features original choreography by hip-hop sensation Kate Prince. 

Megan Hilty, Michael Feinstein, John Cameron Mitchell and Megan Mullally, award-winning musicals Assassins, In the Heights, HAIR and sell out pop-musical SIX . Up next is world renowned comedy magician duo Penn & Teller and the darkly satirical American Psycho The Musical. 

For further information visit: https://everybodystalkingaboutjamie.com.au/