Everybody’s Talking About Jamie: Mother's pride as West End show heads to Wolverhampton

Receiving rave reviews over the last three years, “Jamie” as the show is affectionately known, is a modern-day fairy tale of a boy who dreams of becoming a drag queen and wants to go to his school prom in a dress, despite the obvious consequences.

A storyline of this nature could only originate from truth and the inspiration behind the musical is 25-year-old Jamie Campbell from County Durham, the real-life Cinderella who simply wanted to go to the ball as the person he had hidden inside.

While still at senior school, Jamie and his mum Margaret were the subject of the BBC documentary “Drag Queen at Sixteen” which at the time raised an eyebrow or two and although the programme was certainly Jamie’s journey, one underlying fact dominated it: Margaret’s unconditional love and support for her son.

Talking openly about the lead up to Jamie’s prom night, Margaret said: “I didn’t think I was doing anything extraordinary, because Jamie was upset that all the girls were going to dress up in sequins and dresses and he had to go in a boring old suit. I didn’t think of the implications of it; it was just what made Jamie happy.”

Because of his sexuality, sadly bullying was a big part of Jamie’s teens.

Margaret said: “I worried about him being bullied about going to Prom in a dress afterwards.”

She continued: “The outside world is rough sometimes and youngsters need to have a home where they are safe and loved. School is hard but it isn’t the end of the world. It seems so at the time, but there is a bigger world out there for them.”

Jamie said: “I never hold anything against anyone who bullied me. There is obviously a reason why they were lashing out. My mum always says she was not doing anything special, but it is sad how many other people don’t have parents who are supportive. Throughout this whole journey, I have met so many people who don’t have that and it sad because you would assume it was the norm.”

When the family were approached about making a musical of Jamie’s story, they admitted to being a little naïve about how big the show would become.

“We thought it would be a community centre type of thing, then when we saw it at Sheffield at the Crucible Theatre and the response was so incredible, we started to think it might go to the West End, but not as quickly as it did,” said Margaret.

“We have seen the show about 50 times,” said Jamie. “I always watch the audiences’ reactions. You will see people laughing hysterically and then crying their eyes out.”

“It’s a rollercoaster and people get different things from the show,” said Margaret.

Watching yourself being played on stage must be a unique experience, but who is Jamie’s favourite actor who has played the role?

“I love them all, because each Jamie has their own flair. The character of Jamie is quite universal to a lot of gay people. Layton Williams who is playing Jamie on this tour has been through the same sort of thing as me, so he can relate.

“There are a lot of key moments in the show which really happened, but to make it transfer to the stage, there is also some creative licence. The character of Jamie New was inspired by me and came from me but has a lot of John McCrea the original Jamie in him, as well as some of Tom and Dan the writers, John the director and so he is a mash up of all these people.”

“Watching the show for the first time was an emotional rollercoaster,” said Margaret. “It was like watching our lives on rewind. When Jamie the character was being bullied on stage, I had that sick feeling; when our characters argued on stage and when I was waiting to see if Jamie had got into the prom, it was so real and by the end we were exhausted. We just hugged and cried.”

Jamie has no intention of going into the show himself. “I cannot sing,” he laughed! “Everyone would get up and leave! It’s one thing living it and another performing it for 10 shows a week. It is such a hard role because Jamie is on the stage throughout the whole show. He needs to dance, act, sing and show vulnerability, all in a pair of heels. They work so hard, and I have the utmost respect for them all.”

And did Jamie achieve his dream of being a drag queen? Well yes, he did, but he admits that his alter ego Fifi Le True is packed away for the time being.

“Fifi is currently locked away in several suitcases for now,” Jamie laughed.

“She will definitely be coming back though because she is a big part of my sole. I see Fifi as my sister and she is so much of a diva, she doesn’t even have her own heart; she uses my heart.”

Jamie is definitely more confident when dressed as Fifi, but he did say: “I got a bit lost in the Fifi character and I was only good when I was her, but I am much more confident as Jamie now."

He can however bring Fifi out whenever he likes and she is fun now, rather than the armour she used to be, but Jamie laughed “she is a bit of a monster too!”

Drag is a competitive world it seems.

“Unless you are on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, it doesn’t pay that well. Normal queens only earn maybe £100-£150 per show and it is expensive to pay for a whole new wardrobe, wigs and make-up,” said Jamie.

Despite Fifi being on hold, Jamie does have a raft of other projects on the go, including launching his own fashion brand and a possible move into the world of TV.

So, all in all Jamie Campbell is a “Superstar in a Wonderbra”.

Catch Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from October 5-9 and at selected venues across the Midlands, including the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre from September 14-19.

Visit www.grandtheatre.co,uk, call 01902 429212 or visit atgtickets.com/venues/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/ for tickets.