Everybody’s Talking About Jamie continues to go from strength to strength with the recent announcement the hit musical will be screened in cinemas this summer. We speak to ‘Pritti’ from the show, played by the WhatsOnStage Award winning …
Lucie Shorthouse
Firstly, many congratulations on winning the WhatsOnStage award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. How did that feel?
Incredible! It was such a shock but it was so great to know people had taken Pritti pasha to their hearts!.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie seems to be the show that everybody else is talking about. However, for those who aren’t in the know, can you give a brief synopsis of the show?
The show is about a sixteen year old boy who wants to explore the world of drag and the trials and tribulations that follow – who supports him, who has reservations. The message is really about celebrating your own truth and being courageous in your convictions. It’s based on a true story.
Why do you think it has struck such a chord with the public and the critics?
Despite the show being somewhat niche – about an aspiring drag queen – its core is very universal. It is about existing outside of fear and pursuing your dream. It’s also about unconditional love and support – between that of Jamie and his mum and close friends – and how integral a strong network can be.
In the show you play Jamie’s best friend Pritti. Was there anything about her and the obstacles she faces that resonated with you?
Pritti really reminds me of myself in school. I was very academic and actually quite reserved. I struggled to trust myself and not worry about every little thing. She’s very wise beyond her years and really stands by her convictions and even now she encourages me to accept myself and not apologise for who I am.
You’ve been with the show ever since its first workshops back in 2015. You and the rest of the original cast and creatives must feel quite the tight-knit family now?
I have such love for the cast especially those I’ve been with since the workshop. I have a crazy amount of admiration and respect for John McCrea he’s so supremely talented and about the work; I’ve been very lucky to keep learning from him since the workshops.
Through the show’s journey to the West End, have there been any major changes or developments to your character and the story?
No major changes but as an actress you make more discoveries and revelations. In the West End transfer it’s been great to grow with the character and see more people embrace her.
Was there anything in particular that you did when preparing for this role?
I definitely researched particularly about the Islamic faith and the specificity of the community in Sheffield where we were placing our show. I have Islamic family members so it was great to pick their brains and handle the portrayal as sensitively and nuanced as possible.
Being a new musical and an original cast member too, how much input did you personally get to put into the show’s creation? Was it a collaborative environment?
It was a very imaginative creative space to work in and our director really encouraged us to put our artistic stamp on the characters. It’s been great watching everyone develop and evolve with their character. It’s been very collaborative and it still is; we’re always negotiating what works on stage and what maybe doesn’t.
How does it feel to see the show blossom into such a West End hit, with talks of possibly transferring to Broadway?
No insider Broadway gossip as of yet but I would love to see the show reach more audiences.
This is the first, big West End musical people will have seen you in. Did you have much of a background in musical theatre before?
I didn’t train in musical theatre, only acting so the singing and dancing is still a struggle for me – I used to dance as a kid but certainly not to a professional standard! I’ve never had a singing lesson either so it’s been a real learning curve.
What made you get into acting in the first place – is it something you have always wanted to do?
I just always loved telling stories and the thrill of the stage!
If you weren’t an actor what do you think you would do instead?
If I wasn’t acting I’d probably be a teacher I find it very rewarding or something involving animals!
What’s the best thing about being an actor and life in London?
The best thing about being an actor is knowing you’re telling a story that’s challenging people or enlightening them in some way. The best thing about life in London is how diverse it is! A real melting pot and there’s a possibility to be anything you want to be!
Once upon a time there was a 16-year-old boy who had a secret he wanted to tell … So, he approached a documentary film maker as you do, and asked if they would help him tell it. The resulting documentary was seen by a theatre director and it inspired him to create a musical. A producing regional theatre backed him. He then bumped into a famous musical theatre star who introduced him to a well-known pop composer who was working with a lyricist and book writer. The theatre put on the production. A major producer saw it and offered them a West End theatre.
So, thanks to Jamie Campbell, Firecracker Films, Michael Ball, Sheffield Theatres and Nica Burns, a new British musical by a new British theatre writing and directing team, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie opens at the Apollo Theatre on Wednesday 22 November 2017.
Sheffield Crucible Production Cast. Photo by Johan Persson
Jamie New is sixteen and lives on a council estate in Sheffield. Jamie doesn’t quite fit in. Jamie is terrified about the future. Jamie is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight.
This fearless, funny, fabulous brand new musical sensation hits London with catchy new songs by lead singer-songwriter of The Feeling Dan Gillespie Sells and writer Tom MacRae. Sixteen: the edge of possibility. Time to make your dreams come true.
John McCrea in Sheffield Crucible Production. Photo by Johan Persson
John McCrea will reprise his role of Jamie, alongside the majority of the Sheffield Crucible cast including: Josie Walker, Mina Anwar, Tamsin Carroll and Daniel Anthony, Luke Baker, Courtney Bowman, James Gillian, Harriet Payne, Shiv Rabheru, Lucie Shorthouse, Kirstie Skivington.
Director Jonathan Butterell, Composer Dan Gillespie Sells and writer and lyricist Tom MacRae said:
“After Everybody’s Talking About Jamie was commissioned we spent three hours in a wig room in Sheffield in which we wrote the complete plot and framework for the show before catching the train back to London. The three of us just clicked and we were instantly a team. It has been a new adventure for all of us, this is our first musical and going from zero to West End has felt like a fairy tale. There is a bit of all three of us that has ended up in Jamie. We knew we needed a very specially talented performer to play him and when John McCrea walked into the room he was perfect. We hope that audiences will see a bit of Jamie in themselves too.”
Producer and theatre owner Nica Burns said:
“Everybody seemed to be talking about the show so I went to see the final matinee in Sheffield with no expectations. I came out of the auditorium singing the tunes having laughed, cried, laughed again and dancing with happiness. I found the director, and immediately offered to produce the show in London at one of my theatres. It had to come to the West End. This is an uplifting musical for our times and for everyone.”
BOX OFFICE INFORMATION
EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE
Apollo Theatre | 31 Shaftesbury Avenue | London W1D 7ES
Sheffield Crucible Production Cast. Photo by Johan Persson
John McCrea in Sheffield Crucible Production. Photo by Johan Persson
