Everybody’s Talking about Jamie Bristol Hippodrome Dates Announced
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Bristol Hippodrome:
It’s the news that theatre fans in the South West have waited so patiently for. The Bristol Hippodrome finally announced that Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will be coming to the city as part of its 2020 UK and a bit of Europe tour.
As a personal disclaimer, this has become my all time favourite musical that I’ve seen five times in London with John McCrea, Luke Bayer and Layton Williams performing as Jamie and possibly four additional times in cinemas -including the original live broadcast.
The live broadcast beamed into cinemas across the UK, Ireland, US, Europe, Canada and Australia, catapulting the show into the imaginations of a world wide audience and winning Event Cinema Campaign of the Year at the Screen Awards 2018.
With the continuing extension of its West End run, a UK tour and movie in post production, it continues to prove its importance as a unique and much-loved piece of British theatre.
The UK touring production will be at The Bristol Hippodrome from 25-31 May 2020, with a cast including Layton Williams as Jamie New and Shane Richie as Hugo/Loco Chanelle.
Layton is currently starring as Jamie in London and Shane will be reprising his role from earlier in 2019.
Layton is already a familiar face having been one of the Billy Elliots in the West End, becoming the original Young Michael Jackson in Thriller and going on to star alongside Jack Whitehall in Bad Education for the BBC.
He’s been in Bristol before in the touring production of Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man and as Seaweed in Hairspray. He’s also hosted one of his popular Dance With Layton workshops in the city, inspiring a love of dance and theatre amongst Bristol’s budding performers.
“I’ve loved my time in the West End but am beyond excited to be playing Jamie on tour,” Layton Williams said.
“This will be my 6th tour and I can’t wait to come back to some of my favourite venues with this beautiful show. I hope you’ll welcome me back with open arms as we share this beautiful story and spread love across the UK. See you’s soon.”
Producer Nica Burns and co-owner of The Apollo in London, the West End home of Jamie brought the show from the Sheffield Crucible where it originally opened in 2017. The UK tour will be heading home to Sheffield as its first stop, to open on the fourth anniversary of its very first performance.
Shane Richie enjoyed his London stint in the show so much that he was keen to get back in the heels as Loco. He said: “I had such a fantastic time playing Hugo/Loco Chanelle in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie in the West End, so when I was offered the chance to be involved in the touring production I jumped at the opportunity to get back into those heels! I believe this show has such an important message for younger and older generations I’m excited to be taking it to a larger audience around the UK.”
The show is based on a BBC3 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, which followed then teenager Jamie Campbell who wanted to attend his school prom in a dress. Director Jonathan Butterell was so taken with the programme that he was inspired to create a musical, a dramatised period of Jamie’s life although some events and characters were fictionalised.
In the musical the story moves from County Durham to a council estate in Sheffield, where it’s 16 year old Jamie New’s birthday. While already out in school as gay, his dream is to become a drag queen and wear a dress to prom. Whilst battling the rigidity of the school on the issue, Jamie is also forced to go on his own personal journey, battling a difficult parental relationship but supported with the strength and direction of his mum, family, friends and a gaggle of fabulous drag queens.
The songs in the show are from Dan Gillespie Sells (The Feeling) with a book and lyrics by screenwriter Tom MacRae.
Tickets go on sale at 10am in the following order:
ATG TheatreCard: Monday 21 October
Presale: Wednesday 23rd October
General: Friday 25 October
Sign up for 48 hours’ priority ticket access here: www.atgtickets.com/jamie-bristol-signup
For theatre card membership, visit: www.atgtickets.com/membership/
And to book, visit: atgtickets.com/Bristol
For the London production: www.everybodystalkingaboutjamie.co.uk
The London production is currently booking until August 2020, with a movie based on the musical to be released in UK cinemas in October 2020.
What we thought of the London production featuring John McCrea as Jamie
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