What do you mean you have never heard of him? I think you might know Roy as his alter-ego - the one and only Bianca Del Rio, season 6 winner of RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE!
Bianca isn't the only new face however, Faye Tozer - riding on her STRICTLY success - has joined the company as Miss Hedge, the teacher who threatens to ruin the party for Jamie - and more importantly - there is indeed a new Jamie. Layton Williams is our new whirling, posing teen queen with a dream and his extended family is now Rebecca McKinnis as his loving mam Margaret, Sejal Keshwala is the family friend Ray, and Sabrina Sandhu is now playing Pritti Pasha, Jamie's best friend at school and fellow-oddball.
Luckily all the cast are more than up to the challenge of helping the show win the hearts and minds of it's audience - and it seems to be working! The audience were all very loud and up-for-it so it looks like JAMIE will be around for a while yet, attempting to get into his final year school prom in a dress.
If I am totally honest I would say that I felt Layton Williams didn't quite challenge John McCrea as Jamie, he certainly has a winning personality and can dance up a storm but he is vocally light so a lot of his lyrics were inaudible at times, but he still makes a good impression. Rebecca McKinnis is very good as Margaret, her powerful voice socking over her two solos and they are both supported wonderfully by Keshwala and Sandhu who both show great comic timing.
A big surprise for me was Faye Tozer as the spoilsport careers teacher Miss Hedge who had real presence on stage; as I said, I went to see Roy/Bianca and he didn't disappoint! It's actually more Roy than Bianca as most of his scenes are as Hugo, the retired drag queen Loco Chanelle, who gives Jamie his first chance of drag realness, but when he came on in full Bianca drag the house went crazy - including me! The script has not been changed to incorporate Bianca's own persona but his firecracker personality and charisma mean that his casting is inspired. The only sadness is that 'Hugo' has the weakest number in the score.
The ensemble still work hard and fast - special mention to Luke Baxter as the class bully Dean, and Zahra Jones & Harriet Payne as the two head-weaving, finger-snapping classmates - and the band are great under the directorship of Richard Weeden.
if you have not seen JAMIE, I reckon you should definitely go to see why everybody's talking about him... and if you have, well why not go again? Bianca is appearing until 29th June so rush to see a real star otherwise the show is booking until January 2020.
