Everybody’s Talking About Jamie announces leads for tour

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has announced lead casting as it prepares to return for a tenth anniversary tour.

The tour will mark a decade since the musical first premiered at the Sheffield Crucible and will include a newly written song by composer Dan Gillespie Sells and writer Tom MacRae.

The new tour will be opening at Leeds Grand Theatre on 15 January 2027, with all confirmed dates and venues listed in our guide here.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie tells the story of 16-year-old Jamie New, who lives on a council estate in Sheffield and dreams of becoming a drag queen.

The musical is inspired by the documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, which followed Jamie Campbell and his mother Margaret, though the stage version fictionalises certain events and characters.

Set to make his professional stage debut in the tour will be Ashcon Rahmani as Jamie New, while playing the role of Margaret New will be Rebecca Trehearn.

Rahmani said today: “I am beyond thrilled to be making my professional debut playing Jamie in the tenth anniversary tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. I grew up with this show, it was the representation I needed as a young queer boy from the north of England to know this could all be possible for me one day, so to step into those stilettoes and become the representation I once had is truly a dream come true. Jamie is iconic and I feel incredibly grateful and excited to start this journey and be sharing the stage with the wonderful Rebecca Trehearn playing my onstage mum.”

Butterell added: “We could not be more thrilled and delighted to celebrate the announcement of our tenth anniversary tour with Ashcon and Rebecca as Jamie and Margaret.

“Our story tells of the courage of a glorious 16-year-old stepping out into the world. How fitting that this is Ashcon’s debut and he will be held in the arms of the extraordinary Rebecca Trehearn. We are so excited to send them off together on their journey around the country spreading the joy of our show.”

Originally produced by Sheffield Theatres, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie opened in 2017 before transferring to the Apollo Theatre in the West End later that year, where it ran until September 2021. It picked up the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Musical in 2018. The show has since toured the UK and Ireland multiple times and has been staged internationally.

A film adaptation, directed by Jonathan Butterell and starring Max Harwood and Sarah Lancashire, was released on Amazon Prime.

The stage musical has music by Gillespie Sells, book and lyrics by MacRae, and was developed from an idea by Butterell, who also directed the production.

The tour will be directed by Matt Ryan, with design by Anna Fleischle, choreography by Kate Prince, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound design by Paul Groothuis, musical supervision by Theo Jamieson and casting by Will Burton.