Remaining casting for the American premiere of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has been announced—and they all have ties to the show across the pond. As previously revealed, Layton Williams and Roy Haylock (aka Bianca Del Rio) will reprise their roles as Jamie/Mimi Me and Hugo/Loco Chanelle when the show begins performances January 16, 2022, at Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre.
They will be joined by Shobna Gulati as Ray, Melissa Jacques as Margaret, 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 a swing. All were involved in the West End production (Gulati also plays Ray in the recent film adaptation).
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 all a part of the U.K. tour.
The production features sets and costumes 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.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie features music by Dan Gillespie Sells and a book and lyrics by Tom MacRae from an idea by Butterell. Based on a 2011 documentary, it tells the true story of Jamie Campbell, who overcomes prejudice and homophobia to become a drag queen and schoolyard legend.
The North American staging follows the reopening of the London production in May; a U.K. tour, starring Williams, in September; and a film adaptation released on Amazon Prime Video the same month.