Before the curtain came down on the West End, The Girl and I went to the theatre to
see Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. It was one we meant to see for a
while, particularly because Rich, a friend of ours, is its Musical Director.
We first became
interested in going when we saw Rich accompany Rebecca McKinnis on BBC’s Children
In Need. The Carpenters chords are rounded by wondrous vocals of
hum and belt. It’s Someone Like You for parents. The simplicity and majesty of it is spellbinding. The lyrics too perfectly encapsulate
what it means to be a parent. Just this week, for instance, I was watching Sky One's new comedy, Breeders, where the Martin Freeman character says of
his children, ‘I would die for those kids. But often, I also want to kill them.’
This intensity of feeling – good and bad – is conveyed in the song with the
mother referencing, ‘my pleasure, my pain,' a ‘perfect mistake.’ The twisty language, these oxymorons, show Tom MacRae is quite the lyricist. I would have wanted to go
anyway because Rich was in it, but that performance really sold it.
So how did
everybody come to talk about Jamie? Well, its origins lie way back in 2011 in
a BBC3 documentary, Jamie: Drag Queen at 16. Teenager Jamie Campbell
wrote to the BBC with an idea for a documentary: him. The synopsis was simple
to explain, but difficult to execute: he wanted to go to his prom in a dress.
Remember this is nearly ten years ago: RuPaul is not yet a household
name; gender is a two-party state; people are slowly getting round to the idea of
men liking men, but can’t fathom why a man would want to dress like a girl. Things are fine if you stay in your lane, but any attempt to cross will cause a tailback of disapproval. As a
comprehensive teacher, I can say now there would be zero issue if a boy wanted to go to prom
in a dress. Staff would encourage it, many students too; dissenting voices would not be tolerated. This is now; it was not then.
In the documentary
Jamie wrestles with his identity, struggling to assert his femininity outside
the home. In a symbolic moment, he struts the wall of the front garden. Despite his heels being skyscrapers, he is cowed: he can't bring himself to go over it. He is walled in.
Walled by narrow definitions. By snide comments. By hatred. Fortunately, there is a demolition team on hand to
help. His mum is unwavering in her loyalty. So too her friend. Dress it up
how you like, Jamie is their boy. But for every brick they knock down, there’s
his dad; his school; his peers to put one, two, three back up. Like the end of Tetris, when things go a bit mad, it’s a battle to see who will out: brick or player.
 |
| The doc it was based on. |
The musical arrived six years later in Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. With music by The Feeling’s Dan Gillespie Sells and a book by Tom MacRae it took the city by storm. And if The North shouts loud enough, eventually London will hear. Nica Burns, a powerful theatre producer, was impressed; she wanted to bring the show to The West End. It has now been there for the past few years; it has just gone on tour (sadly, this will be postponed) and should head to Australia. With a film starring Richard E. Grant and Sharon Horgan due to arrive at the end of the year, it will only get bigger. More and more people will talk about Jamie.
It’s easy to see
why the musical is such a success: the mother’s numbers invoke Carole King and
Dusty Springfield, whilst Jamie’s have the showstopper pizzazz of Robbie and
Beyonce. It’s old and new. Ballad and dance. Tradition and irreverence. A
musical has to be more than the music though. The plot and script is the
washing line that the dress hangs on. And boy can MacRae write. With a background
in television, he does a remarkable job at turning his talents to composing pop
lyrics. Take ‘Over The Top’ for example. With Jamie going through an
existential crisis, a drag queen offers him a rallying cry:
Over the top my friend
Unto the breach my friend
Rend the unending nightYou've got your armour onYou've had your warpaint doneAnd you'll be a man my son So get out there and fight.
Now that is smart writing. There’s reference to Shakespeare’s
Henry V (‘unto the breach my friend’) and Kipling’s If (‘And you’ll
be a man my son’), which coalesce to form an extended war metaphor. And war is
what we’re dealing with here. This is a cold war, neither about guns and
bombs, but confidence and bluster. If Jamie can look down his enemy and give
them ‘fuck you’ eyes then the land is his. Nor are we dealing with hyperbole
here. People have been beaten for what they wear. Killed for their free
choices. MacRae shows the struggle that it takes to be yourself.
Not only are the lyrics sharp, the script is on point
too. As a teacher, I’m qualified to judge the classroom scenes. The way the students talk and banter is true to life. Think
Bad Education, only written by someone whose been to comprehensive
school. The wit, vulgarity and stupidity is all there. When a student doesn’t
know who Emmeline Pankhurst is, the reply: ‘she's the Beyonce
of her day.’ Another lovely line is when the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is replaced
by Kylie and Jason: an invocation to the Gods of camp. It’s a real achievement
how the writing manages to be subtle and brazen.
It’s a shame Jamie’s drag race will be stalled for a
bit. But the lad has his mojo now. He has leapt the wall and entered the public’s
hearts. His eye lashes will only shine brighter when they're worn again.
Jamie: Drag Queen At 16 is
on Amazon Prime.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will
be at London’s West End when it reopens.
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