Jamie Campbell: Outside Of London, We Need More Stories.
Written byTimes Magazine
Key Sentence:
- The musical "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" had just opened a week when a production company asked if they could film it.
Inspired by a documentary, the original show tells the true story of Jamie Campbell - a boy obsessed with a boy who desperately wants to wear a dress to his school dance.
The musical debuted on a small scale at the Sheffield Crucible Theater in 2017 before moving to London's West End. But filmmakers indeed realized their potential - a working-class kid who overcame adversity and embraced his true self is the fairy tale that thrives in cinema.
"I knew that after ten shows in Sheffield, we would make a film," recalls Jonathan Butterel, who directed both the show and the film. "The production company came to the 10th show, called me the next day, and said, 'We love this story, will you talk to us to give us the rights to make a film out of it?' "
For Jamie in real life, the great interest in his travels is surprising. "I didn't expect something like this to come out of a prom in a dress," she said. "I still don't think it's special. But for the power that has been given to so many people, I'm very grateful for it."
While various actors have played leading roles on stage, the film plays newcomer Max Harwood Jamie, a character who is openly gay at school and determined to break convention.
While Jamie's mother is loving and supportive, she faces an even more significant obstacle in the form of her shy father and disapproving teachers. Pretty standard ingredients for such a fairy tale, but between the fun songs and bright dance combinations, the story is not adequately presented in theaters.
"With all the emphasis on trance identity these days, cisgender drag artists (who are so important to queer culture) have taken a backseat in film," said Peter Debruge of Variety. "
The film adaptation features Richard E. Grant as Hugo Battersby, a shopkeeper. He helps Jamie find his identity, Sarah Lancashire as Jamie Margaret's mother, and Lauren Patel as her best friend, Priti.
As he develops the personality he loves, Fifi La True, his reality becomes more and more outrageous - he talks to his teachers and sometimes gets frustrated with those closest to him.
"Yeah, but stuff that happens in the movies, like when Jamie says to his mom, 'No wonder Dad left you.' I would never say that," Campbell said, noting that films and stage shows use some dramatic license. "So it's always really hard to see."
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