Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the smash-hit and critically acclaimed musical, announces Darren Day as Hugo/Loco Chanelle from 21 November – 30 December 2023.
Darren shot to fame in 1993 playing Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the London Palladium and has been a regular on the West End stage since with credits including Godspell, Copacabana, Summer Holiday, Grease, The Rocky Horror Show, Carousel, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, We Will Rock You, Les Miserables, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Hello Dolly. He also appeared on the first series of I’m a Celebrity … Get Me out of Here and was a finalist on Celebrity Big Brother. Darren will be appearing in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at Blackpool Winter Gardens, Venue Cymru in Llandudno, and for the three week Christmas season at Oxford New Theatre.
Darren Day said “I can’t wait to step into Loco Chanelle’s heels and join the brilliantly talented cast of the UK Tour of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. It’s a wonderfully uplifting show filled with great music and humour and has a beautiful message at its heart. I’m thrilled to be part of it.”
Harriet Payne (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Original Cast, The Wild Tonics) joins the tour as Miss Hedge in Llandudno and Oxford having originated the role of Bex in the show in Sheffield and at the Apollo Theatre, and covered the role of Miss Hedge in the West End and Los Angeles.
They join Ivano Turco (Get Up, Stand Up!, Cinderella) as Jamie New, Rebecca McKinnis (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie West End, Dear Evan Hansen, We Will Rock You, Les Misérables) as Margaret New, Shobna Gulati (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie West End and Film, Coronation Street, Brassic) as Ray and Talia Palamathanan (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Tour and film) as Pritti.
The show also stars John Partridge as Hugo / Loco Chanelle from 7 September – 19 November 2023 and 8 January – 23 March 2024. Kevin Clifton plays Hugo / Loco Chanelle from 25 March – 15 July 2024. Hayley Tamaddon plays Miss Hedge from 7 September – 26 November 2023. Giovanna Fletcher plays Miss Hedge from 8 January – 23 March 2024 and Sam Bailey plays Miss Hedge from 25 March – 15 July 2024.
Completing the cast for the 2023-24 UK Tour are KY Kelly (Anthony Gyde) (Laika Virgin), Garry Lee (Sandra Bollock), David McNair (Tray Sophisticay), Akshay St Clair (Dad), Jordan Ricketts (Dean), Liv Ashman (Vicki), Rhiannon Bacchus (Fatimah), Geoff Berrisford (Sayid), Jessica Daugirda (Bex), Finton Flynn (Young Loco Chanelle / Jamie New cover), Annabelle Laing (Becca), Luca Moscardini (Levi), Joshian Omana (Cy), Thomas Walton (Mickey), Takayiah Bailey (Swing) and Georgina Hagen (Understudy Margaret / Ray / Miss Hedge).
Following a record-breaking three-year West End residency, sold out UK & Ireland Tour and Amazon studios award-winning film the show opens at The Lowry on 7 September 2023 before visiting Sunderland, Nottingham, Bromley, Birmingham, Cardiff, Brighton, Leeds, Blackpool, Llandudno, Oxford, Southampton, Newcastle, Wolverhampton, Woking, London, Bristol, Plymouth, Sheffield, Liverpool, Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Northampton and Leicester with further tour dates to be announced.
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 ‘Funny, outrageous, touching’ (Daily Telegraph) musical sensation is to be experienced by all the family and not to be missed!
Set to an original score of catchy pop tunes that will ‘blow the roof off the theatre’ (Mail on Sunday) by lead singer-songwriter of The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells and writer Tom MacRae (Doctor Who). Choreographed by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince (Into The Woods, Some Like It Hip Hop, SYLVIA, Message In A Bottle). This ‘sparkling coming-of-age musical’ (The Times) will have everybody talking about Jamie for years to come. Sixteen: the edge of possibility. Time to make your dreams come true.
