EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE Announces Full Casting for Los Angeles Premiere

Casting has been announced for the North American premiere of the West End hit musical "Everybody is Talking About Jamie" coming to Los Angeles at the Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre January 16 through February 20, 2022.

It was previously announced that Layton Williams and Roy Haylock (also known as Bianca Del Rio, winner of "RuPaul's Drag Race") will be reprising their roles from the West End production as Jamie and Hugo/Loco Chanelle, respectively. They are joined by Melissa Jacques as Margaret, Shobna Gulati as Ray (also stars as Ray in the New Regency film), Gillian Ford as Miss Hedge, Hiba Elchikhe as Pritti Pasha, Marlon G. Day as Jamie's Dad, James Gillan as Tray Sophisticay, David O'Reilly as Laika Virgin, Leon Craig as Sandra Bollock, Richard Appiah-Sarpong as Cy, Zion Battles as Levi, Ryan Hughes as Mickey, Jodie Knight as Fatimah, Harriet Payne as Bex, Adam Taylor as Sayid and Rachel Seirian as Swing all of whom were involved in the West End production. The Los Angeles cast also features George Sampson as Dean, Kazmin Borrer as Vicki, Talia Palamathanan as Becca, Simeon Beckett as Swing/Dance Captain and Emma Robotham-Hunt as Swing/Assistant Dance Captain who were in the UK touring production.

Fresh and contemporary with an extraordinary mother and son relationship at its center, "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" celebrates acceptance, belonging, the power of unconditional love of a mother for her child and how good life is when everybody is the best they can be.

Jamie New (played by Williams) is sixteen and lives in public housing in Sheffield, England. Jamie doesn't quite fit in, he's terrified about the future and he's going to be a sensation. Supported by his loving mum (played Jacques); inspired by local legend Hugo and his alter ego Loco Chanelle (played by Haylock); and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight. "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" features catchy songs by Dan Gillespie Sells, lead singer-songwriter of UK rock band The Feeling with book and lyrics by writer Tom MacRae.

Director Jonathan Butterell saw the Firecracker documentary film "Jamie: Drag Queen at 16" the true story of Jamie Campbell and his mother, Margaret. This inspired him to create this musical which is a dramatized portrayal of a period in Jamie's life but is not a faithful account. Certain events and characters have been fictionalized.

"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" features design by Anna Fleischle, choreography by Kate Prince, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound design by Paul Groothuis, casting by Will Burton and video design by Luke Hall. The musical supervisor is Theo Jamieson.

The Sheffield Theatres production of "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" is produced in the West End by Nica Burns, Ian Osborne, Paula Marie Black, Teresa and Craig Beech. "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" opened at the Sheffield Crucible in 2017 before moving to the Apollo Theatre in London's West End. In addition to receiving five-star reviews, "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" has won eight major theatre awards including the UK Theatre and WhatsOnStage Awards for Best New Musical and the Attitude Culture Award 2017 and was nominated for five Olivier Awards. Most recently the show won Best Original Cast Recording at the 2019 WhatsOnStage Awards.

"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" was screened live from the Apollo Theatre into over 500 cinemas across the UK, Ireland and select European territories on July 5, 2018, it was screened in cinemas across the US, Canada and Australia in November of 2018 and there was an encore cinema screening across the UK on January 29, 2019. "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" won the Event Cinema Campaign of the Year at the Screen Awards 2018. The official West End cast recording was released digitally worldwide and on CD in the UK on April 27, 2018.

"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" has been made into a major film by New Regency, Film4 and Sheffield based production company Warp Films starring Max Harwood, Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, Shobna Gulati, Ralph Ineson, Adeel Akhtar, Samuel Bottomley, with Sharon Horgan and Richard E. Grant. The stage production's director, Jonathan Butterell, makes his feature-film debut as director. "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" was released globally on Amazon Prime on September 17, 2021.

While performances of "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" do not begin until 2022, Center Theatre Group currently plans to require all audience members to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of attendance. CTG will be announcing further details, including methods of confirming vaccination records or negative test results closer to the Ahmanson's re-opening date in November 2021. These health and safety measures are subject to change, at Center Theatre Group's sole discretion and based on evolving health and safety guidance and conditions. CTG will continue working closely with The Music Center and L.A. County officials to ensure they are following all applicable health and safety protocols. Additional information about The Music Center's safety plans, including its recent upgrades to all HVAC systems, is available at MusicCenter.org.

How to Get Tickets

Tickets for "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" are available beginning November 17 through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at (213) 972-4400 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012).