Under the direction of Louise Denison and Jim Lunt, Harrogate St Andrew’s Players production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is nothing but a triumph for amateur dramatics. Such was the talent and professionalism of the entire cast, band and crew, Harrogate theatre could easily have been mistaken for a West End stage.

Led by veteran HSAP actor, Jack Moran in the title role of Jamie, the show tells the story of a 16-year old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. Whilst pursuing his dream, he comes up against bullies and doubters and has to fight his own self-doubt. The show oozes with humour, glitz and many uplifting moments whilst dealing with some very delicate themes with sensitivity. Moran is just perfect as Jamie- his high energy performance radiates from the stage every step of the way. A true young talent.

Moran is ably supported by a brilliant cast, some experienced and some relatively new to the stage, but all clearly accomplished actors, singers and dancers. Leoni Fadzilah plays Jamie’s great friend Pritti with warmth, understanding and compassion and her solos in the second half were beautiful. Carly Howath (Ray) brings the house down constantly with her witty one-liners and energetic personality; the character that everyone probably wants to be, but daren’t!

Another outstanding performance came from Susan Wilcock (Jamie’s mum); she portrays the anxieties of a mother which leaves you with goosebumps. Her singing voice is controlled and her ability to convey emotion is admirable. You could hear a pin drop as she sung the highly emotional numbers If I met myself again and He’s My Boy.

Jamie’s flamboyant role model and friend Hugo is played by Clive Kirkham. Accompanied by his drag queen side-kicks, Kirkham is a real presence on the stage, bringing humour and outrageousness to the production, yet also wise words and advice to his young prodigy.
The costumes are fabulous, the choreography exciting and energetic and the sets simple yet inspiring. The backstage crew certainly need a shout-out for their professionalism. The sound, lighting and scene changes went without a hitch which is no mean feat for an amateur production. The band were cleverly positioned in the background on the stage and held the whole show together.

This is a real feel-good musical and Harrogate St Andrew’s Players got it just right. The audience were on their feet at the end, singing and dancing with the cast- a testament to how great it was!

St Andrew’s Players production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is on at Harrogate Theatre until 25th October performances at 2.15pm and 7.30pm