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REVIEW: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at Mayflower Theatre

Owen Noon

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Tonight, Southampton was only talking about one thing…                Jamie!

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ is on Mayflower Theatres stage once again and what a way to start off the new year. The hit musical by ‘Dan Gillespie Sells’ (Music) and ‘Tom Macrae’ (Book & Lyrics) is back and better than ever. This musical has become a modern-day instant classic of theatre and is well deserved of its place with such prestigious company. Having won the awards ‘Jamie’ has won (‘Jamie’ is what I’m going to refer to the musical as from now on), and having a major motion picture adaptation of the musical – it could have been very easy for the show to forget its way and its powerful meaning. I’m very happy to say that this is just not the case. 

One thing I love is a biopic story told via a musical. If that’s something you love too and you haven’t seen ‘Jamie’ yet, I think I may have the next musical for you. Based on the Firecracker documentary film, ‘Jamie: Drag Queen at 16’’, this true story follows Jamie New, a teenage boy from Sheffield coming to the end of his school life and thinking about what he wants to do after school. Or more importantly what he wants to be. Jamie doesn’t quite fit in, but with the support from his mum and friends he overcomes prejudice and steps out of the darkness and into the spotlight. His story is funny, powerful and touching. It’s just as important now as it was when it actually happened. Director, Matt Ryan, has done incredibly well to portray that level of importance throughout the show. Through song, dance, movement, and placement. Every little detail has been noticed and watching it unfold was seamless. Having such an important topic and giving it a feel good vibe can’t have been easy but the whole company has made it work. 

Everything about his performance was outstanding.

The casting for this tour is phenomenal. Each and every member of the cast brought the energy and guided us through the story perfectly. We were tapping our feet at the highs, and you could hear a pin drop in the lows. Command over a packed theatre like that? Now that’s talent! The whole cast was brilliant but I can’t not talk about a few standout performances. The role of ‘Jamie New’ was played by Ivano Turco and I have no other word than WOW! His stage presence was incredible. The dancing, incredible. His comedic timing and delivery, yep you guessed it, incredible. Everything about his performance was outstanding, and to bring a voice like his into this role was perfection. The vocal choices that he made were spot on, he truly made the role his own and it was so refreshing. As ‘Jamie New’ himself would say, “Ivano you were FABulous!”. Returning to play Jamie’s Mum, ‘Margaret New’, was the highly talented Rebecca McKinnis. This is actually the second time I’ve seen McKinnis after seeing her as ‘Heidi Hansen’ in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, as she was just as amazing then as she was tonight. Her relationship on stage with Ivano and the hilariously funny Shobna Gulati (playing the role of ‘Rey’) was so natural it felt like we were just watching their life unfold. Not to mention when she had the whole auditorium in tears during the songs ‘He’s My Boy’ and ‘My Man, Your Boy’. Phenomenal. Southampton are also lucky enough to have Giovanna Fletcher playing ‘Miss Hedge’ and John Partridge playing ‘Hugo/Loco Chanelle’ who again were both brilliant. John did a beautiful job at bringing in a further sense of sensitivity and understanding throughout the musical, whether he was dressed in his glamorous ‘Loco Chanelle’ get up or not. Veteran ‘Jamie’ actress, Talia Palamathanan reprised her role as ‘Pretty Pasha’, and all I can say is that it’s understandable why she has played the role multiple times in multiple different countries. It’s been so hard not to name each cast member individually in this review, but unfortunately it would make it unbearably longer than it’s going to be already. 

The set was also what you’d expect from a record breaking West End musical. Clever, efficient, but still grand. West end theatres tend to be a lot tighter so sets need to make the most of the stage they have. This is something you can tell has been kept in mind with this set design, but it certainly doesn’t get lost on the Mayflowers stage. The wall at the back is multi-functional becoming a kitchen, a shop, and a multitude of different places whilst allowing for the shows multiple split scenes. I also really enjoyed the use of the school desks turning into a catwalk, mixed with the lighting which was really effective. The lighting was fairly simple throughout, relying heavily on spotlights to pinpoint certain characters in a scene. The use of projection and video added lots to different scenes however. In particular at the end of act 1, the tall curtains and projection of Jamie was very creative. The pre-recorded videos of Ivano and Giovanna that were projected onto the back walls also helped tell the story of the songs whilst filling some empty space. 

It really is a fabulous story, fabulously told that makes you feel good.

As I’ve already mentioned, the singing within the show was brilliant; but as I always say, if there is one thing that can really elevate a musical it’s live music. The live band headed by Danny Belton, was note perfect. They really helped set the pace of the show, and when they were involved you could feel the energy move with them. I also like how they have stuck to their West End routes with the band being sat on stage above the action, rather than moving them to a pit which they could’ve easily done with the space provided. Something that I haven’t really mentioned but really enjoyed was the choreography and dance. Choreographer, Kate Prince, has done a great job at including a range of different dance styles and highlighting these in certain areas as well. If there is one thing that I thought ‘Jamie’ could improve on, it would be the long dialogue sections between characters when nothing else was happening. These are needed, but towards the end of act 1 I could start seeing people check their watches for when the interval was coming and I was also the same. I think it was the silences when silence wasn’t needed for dramatic effect. But that is just me being incredibly picky. 

I’m so impressed by this story and how the cast have told it so effectively. The story holds so many important morals and challenges that can be interpreted differently by each individual. Not only that, but it had me laughing out loud, speechless (which is challenging), and even close to tears. It really is a fabulous story, fabulously told that makes you feel good. I feel like this is a musical so many people will be able to resonate with in different ways. I keep saying about how important I feel the show is and one line that Jamie says almost sums it up without spoiling it for those who haven’t seen it. It’s along the lines of, “Real superheroes/men don’t wear capes, they wear dresses”. This will all become clear when you see this musical, which you absolutely should if you get the chance (especially with this tour cast!). ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ is at Mayflower Theatre until January 14th before continuing on its UK tour and I wish the whole company all the success they deserve. 

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Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2025 launches in Winchester

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“Wearing a poppy during Remembrance shows that you care,” says the Royal British Legion, as this year’s Poppy Appeal is launched in the lead-up to Remembrance Day. 

Poppies are on sale across the country | Photo Credit: Kieran Tibbert

The annual fundraising campaign by the Royal British Legion supports members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, personnel and their families. 

Chris Hayward is managing the Poppy Appeal in North Hampshire & Winchester and said: “It’s a national symbol, and it shows the armed forces community that you appreciate everything that they do.” 

She added: “For those who want to get involved, you can wear your poppy, donate to the Royal British Legion, Poppy Appeal, and also participate in the collections and volunteer as a collector.” 

The Poppy Appeal remains the Legion’s biggest annual fundraiser.  

Last year, more than 32 million poppies were distributed across the UK, and about £51.4 million was raised in donations. 

Winchester will be recognising remembrance itself, with a service at the Cathedral on Sunday, 9th November, in addition to a service at Winchester Guildhall at 11 am on Armistice Day. 

The service will begin at 9:20 am and will include a procession from The Broadway to Winchester Cathedral, as well as wreath laying too. 

Donations from the campaign go towards services including mental health support, housing assistance and employment advice for veterans transitioning to civilian life. 

For more information on how to donate, volunteer or order poppies online, visit: britishlegion.org.uk/poppyappeal.  

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Winchester News Online

How the NHS can recommend gardening to improve metal health

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A panel of gardening experts answered the burning questions of Winchester gardeners at a Question Time style Q&A held at St Swithun’s School.

Questions ranged from what soil to use this time of year to why some types of plants aren’t flourishing in Winchester but, as the gardening event fell on World Mental Health Day, this posed another question: whether the two are connected?

Gardening is an example of a “nature-related activity”, which can be recommended by the NHS to improve mental wellbeing under a term called social prescribing.

The panel’s Charles Carr, head of Wholesale Nurseries at Hilliers, shared how he thinks gardening is beneficial to your mental health.

Charles described it as “relaxation” and “contacting with nature”.

He believes it is a very good way of “de-stressing and putting yourself into the moment”.

Attendees of the event also shared why they enjoy their hobby.

Neil Budd, a parent from the school and regular BBC Gardener’s Question Time listener, got into gardening as a young boy but now enjoys the “peace and quiet” that it provides from his children.

He wasn’t surprised to learn that nature-related activities like gardening can be recommended by the NHS, as he says it helps you relax as well as being a break away from work.

Former social worker, Roberta Brockman is an ex St Swithuns pupil who returned to the school for the Gardeners Q&A.

She emphasised how the hobby encourages people to join gardening clubs and enter shows, which can create new friendships for people later in life.

According to NHS England, more than 8,500 people were referred to a green social prescribing activity between April 2021 and March 2023 and findings showed improvements in mental health.

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Turning the page: Can young people fall Back in love with reading?

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When is the last time you picked up a book for the sake of your own enjoyment?

Once a beloved childhood pastime, reading books is now becoming more rare among young people.

An annual report by the National Literacy Trust found that reading rates among younger generations are plummeting every year.

The study found that the amount of young people aged eight to 18 who read for their own enjoyment has dropped to just 1 in 3.

This has resulted in a 36% decrease from when the study began taking place 20 years ago.

Professionals are growing concerned about young peoples comprehension skills, empathy levels, and their creativity, all attributes which are strongly connected to reading.

In an age of scrolling, streaming, and gaming, the appeal of a paperback no longer seems to compete with screens.

But in Winchester, community efforts are helping to spark that interest again.

Local children’s bookseller Jo works with schools to run author events and workshops to get stories back into young hands.

“Authors go in to schools and talk to the kids directly about their books and get them really engaged and I see that have such a great effect.”

As reading habits evolve, experts advise the goal isn’t to fight technology, it’s to find new ways to make stories matter again.

For reading to thrive like before, families, schools, and publishers will need to work together to make stories feel relevant and remind young people that reading is educational in more ways than one.

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