Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – The Montgomery Theatre

Splinters Theatre Group took The Montgomery Theatre by storm with their raucous production of iconic local tale Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which has taken the West End and theatre world by storm since its debut at The Crucible in 2017.

The earnest, extravagant story tells the tale of 16-year-old Sheffield lad Jamie New, who resists pressures to conform and, despite being out as gay, seeks a new challenge in fulfilling their passion of being seen and heard as a drag queen. The tale has since been turned into a big budget Amazon film, and this production lives up to the hype of such an illustrious modern great.

This large talented cast are incredibly well led by their creative leadership team. James and Kate Parkin’s direction is excellent. Transitions are slick, scenes are measured, hitting their beats whilst emotional peaks and troughs are well understood and translated. The set is remarkably efficient and visually impressive, with high adaptability and very fruitful design which lends itself to the world terrifically. Jane Ledwood’s musical direction is very well scored, and the band an essential feature, less embellishment more component, despite the attractive qualities of their music.

Aggie Gryszel’s choreography is among some of the best choreography I’ve seen on stage for a production of this scale, despite this being an amateur group. Supported by dance captains Izzy Andrews and Bea Clarke, the visual tapestries that accompany the musical numbers of the show are dazzling, alive, vibrant and dynamic. There is a truly brilliant understanding of proxemics, and each set piece stands as a visual reward that is consistently woven into the fabric of the text and what is being conveyed in the moment. There is no dance for the sake of dance, when it needs to be outrageous and loud it’s outrageous and loud. When it needs to be subtle, it’s subtle. It is utilised to its best when it becomes a functional language, and it’s fluent here.

Although there was much to compliment, there were also some subtle yet noticeable rooms for improvement among the collective direction of the production. Allowing for some first night teething issues, some scenes ran quite rigid and performances slipped into a robotic, call-and-response style which killed the action slightly. There were occasions where performers were allured into ‘playing the humour’ rather than playing the scene, which gave some pantomime-esque deliveries that although funny at times, often jarred slightly. On occasion stiff dialogue meant characters felt on-rails and not in-the-moment at times, and impreciseness seeped into transitions and some songs.

Ben Rossiter takes on the highly demanding, very challenging role of Jamie New/Mimi Me. Rossiter is a triple threat and flaunts their acting capabilities with impressive singing and dancing chops. They embody Jamie with convicting verve. Whilst their conviction is strong, I did feel there is more room for Rossiter to occupy as Jamie, based on the encouraging signs we saw in their performance. A Jamie that feels bigger, more outrageous, more to be feared and more vulnerable at times, would nicely compliment what is already a strong performance. There was a sense of restraint that once unchained I think will make Rossiter a truly formidable Jamie/Mimi Me.

Rania Hoez’ portrayal of Pritti Pasha occupies similar territory, although their character allows for some of this hesitancy. Hoez certainly take their moments when they arise and offers a welcome and needed delicacy to the piece. She is countered by the extravagant Fatimah, played by Miquelle Sanchez, who demonstrates a huge theatrical enthusiasm. She is loud and boisterous, confident and a great reader of scenes and their role, appropriately applying themself when called upon.

There are a series of strong performances like this scattered throughout the work, regardless of how big or small. The adult performers set a good standard for the younger cast, with special mention to Leah Rhodes-Burch and Louise Walker who almost steal the show with their incredibly endearing on-stage relationship and electric performances (Rhodes-Burch absolutely brought the house down with their performance of ‘He’s My Boy’. One of my theatrical highlights of the year so far). The younger cast also excel in their roles, suitably adopting the cultural dynamics they are tasked to convey. Maeve Hughes, Summer McGhie, Mia Parkin and Polly Wright are a fantastically teenage feminine force within the school, always supporting Rossiter’s Jamie with sass and bite. Josh Fishburn, Charlie Hopper, Finn Allison and Vinny Gill brought brought, playful, bold laddish banter that was topped off by the scathingly vicious Dean, who Ollie Walker played with great cynicism.

This group’s talent is plenty, and their efforts reward their audiences. Running until the 13th September at The Montgomery Theatre round the corner from The Lyceum and The Crucible, this is a show you don’t want to miss if you can’t wait for a national tour to roll around. A really tremendous advert for amateur theatre-making. A very professional accomplishment, and a fabulous, inclusive show.

Reviewer: Louis Thompson

Reviewed: 9th September 2025

North West End UK Rating: