Everybody's Talking Abut Jamie

 

Review by: Paul Towers, 20 September 2021

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie by Dan Gillespie Sell, Jonathan Butterell and Tom Macrae

A Sheffield Theatres Production

At Curve: 20 – 25^th September 2021 and touring

 “the perfect uplifting, joyous musical we need to prove that theatre is back”

 I saw the original London production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie back in 2018 and loved it. Last year I was really looking forward to seeing the touring production with Layton Williams and Shane Richie but Covid threw a spanner in the works. So I was thrilled to see it being one of the first touring shows to reopen Curve and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact it exceeded my expectations.

Layton Williams has been to Curve in all sorts of productions over the years but his Jamie New has made him the star he was always destined to be. Alongside him is Shane Richie giving a surprisingly good turn as ageing drag queen Hugo and his alter ego Loco Chanelle. Jamie’s best friend, Pritti Pasha, is played by Sharan Phull and is a welcome returning artiste. A vocal friend of Curve, Shobna Gulati, surprises everyone as the foul mouthed, say-it-as-it-is, surrogate Aunty to Jamie, Ray. While Amy Ellen Richardson as Margaret New, Jamie’s supportive mother Margaret, almost brings the house down with her rendition of  He’s My Boy. George Sampson, winner of Britain’s Got Talent in 2008, has fun playing Jamie’s nemesis, Dean Paxton, who finally sees the error of his ways.

The main cast are ably supported by an ensemble of teen-looking singer/dancers and a trio of drag queens

The story, based on the BBC3 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, is of a Sheffield schoolboy who all his life wants to be a drag queen. The first step towards this is to go to his school prom in a frock. Understandably there are bigoted people, including his own father,  who can’t accept  that he is different. But, with the support of most of his school friends, and his mother and Ray, his dream comes true. I loved that there were many jokey references to Covid.

The set is almost identical to the West End one and the production values are just as high. A hugely talented and energetic cast make this the perfect uplifting, joyous musical we need to prove that theatre is back.

While it was very obvious that Curve had put in all sorts of protocols to ensure audience members are as safe as possible it was very disappointing to see that a large number of the audience refused to wear masks despite the many reminders on screens and via audio announcements.

 Curve https://www.curveonline.co.uk/
http://ptheatre.blogspot.co.uk/

https://tinyurl.com/JamieTour

Cat on a hot tin roof

Review by: Paul Towers, 08 September 2021

Play by Tennessee Williams

Curve, English Touring Theatre & Liverpool Everyman  & Playhouse co-production

At Curve: 3 – 18 September 2021 and then touring

 “a toxic look at American Deep South sensibilities”

 Once again Curve is the launch pad for a new national touring production. This time it is the classic Tennessee Williams’ Cat On A Hot Tin Roof directed by RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Anthony Almeida.

Following on from the success of Curve’s A Streetcar Named Desire, this is a similarly toxic look at American Deep South sensibilities in the 50’s.

Three couples within the same family are warring with each other. Brick (Oliver Johnstone) and Maggie (Sienna Kelly) are stuck in a childless, loveless marriage as Brick turns to drink to hide from truths. Maggie is in turn desperate and manipulative trying to get a reaction from her husband who is recovering from a broken ankle.

Eldest son of the family, Gooper (Sam Alexander), is browbeaten by his wife Mae (Shanaya Rafaat) who has born him 5 children with one on the way. In Gooper’s eyes this should make him top dog in the family but Brick is, despite his wayward ways, the chosen one.

Head of the family, Big Daddy (Peter Forbes), has been in hospital being tested for cancer. His wife, Big Mama (Teresa Banham), inveigles the entire family to lie to him and pretend he only has a spastic colon.

Thus the scene is set for all manner of  chicanery as the various couples manoeuvre to become the heirs to the family fortune. The various couples fight each other very like the protagonists in Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, one minute tearing chunks out of each and the next wooing their partners. It makes for a whirlwind of emotions.

The cast is completed with Suzette Llewellyn as Dr Baugh and Minal Patel as Rev Tooker

Director Anthony Almeida makes great use of the various characters talking and shouting over each other to illustrate how none of the parties ever actually listen to each other.

Despite being written in 1955 Cat On A Hot Tin Roof  addresses questions about sexuality with Brick and others examining his relationship with his late best friend Skipper.

The set has been pared right back to a simple circular mosquito net enclosing a table. That’s it. But designer Rosanna Vize uses the curtains to suggest a whole house. The lighting helped enormously.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof runs at Curve until 18^th September and then tours to Liverpool, Canterbury, Ipswich and Southampton

 Curve https://www.curveonline.co.uk/