Broadway Records release the original West End recording of the musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. 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...

John McCrea, Josie Walker, Tamsin Carroll, Mina Anwar, Lucie Shorthouse and Phil Nichol lead a twenty-four strong company and an eight-piece band in Sheffield Theatres Production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, which was produced in the West End by Nica Burns, Ian Osborne, Paula Marie Black, Teresa and Craig Beech.

The musical opened at the Sheffield Crucible in 2017 and is now playing at the Apollo Theatre in the West End, currently booking until 6 April 2019. It was nominated for 5 Olivier Awards, received the UK Theatre and What’s On Stage Awards for Best New Musical and won the Attitude Culture Award 2017.

Dan Gillespie Sells won Best Composer at The Stage Debut Awards, John McCrea won the What’s On Stage award for Best Actor in a Musical, the UK Theatre Award for Best Performance in A Musical and was named joint Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics Circle Awards and Lucie Shorthouse won the What’s On Stage Award for Best Supporting Actresses in a Musical.

The music is catchy and engaging and the lyrics shift from sweet to funny from song to song. Of the album's 16 tracks (51 min, 29 sec) the one standout highlight has to be the powerful 'Ugly in this World' (John McCrea). Also worthy of note is 'He's My Boy' (Josie Walker); 'The Wall in my Head' (John McCrea); and 'My Man, Your Boy' (Josie Walker and John McCrea).

There are very moments in the album that are wasted, making this is an essential purchase for musical theatre fans.

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Darren Rea