Urdang Academy graduate Ashcon Rahmani and Olivier Award winner Rebecca Trehearn will play Jamie and Margaret New in the eagerly awaited 10th anniversary tour of the critically acclaimed and crowd-pleasing British musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Featuring a new song by Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae, the tour will open at the Leeds Grand Theatre on 15 January 2027, 10 years after the musical’s debut at the Sheffield Crucible.
Announcing the two stars, producer Nica Burns said: “We are absolutely delighted to be celebrating the tenth anniversary of this joyous contemporary musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie which has been such a success all over the world. Ashcon Rahmani making his stage debut as Jamie is a three-strike talent – he can act, sing and dance – and is a real find. Rebecca Trehearn as his mother Margaret is a much-loved staple of the West End. We are so lucky to have these talented players in the central roles of mother and son.”
The musical’s director Jonathan Butterell added: “We could not be more thrilled and delighted to celebrate the announcement of our 10th 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.”
Rahmani commented: “I am beyond thrilled to be making my professional debut playing Jamie in the 10th 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 stilettos 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.”
Trehearn said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the UK tour cast of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie to play Margaret, and to be reuniting with a creative team I adore. The relationship between Margaret and Jamie is truly special and I’m so looking forward to performing alongside Ashcon and the rest of the company. The musical’s celebration of courage, acceptance and being unapologetically yourself feels as relevant now as it did 10 years ago and I can’t wait to be part of this beautiful and uplifting show.”
Announcing the anniversary tour earlier this year, Butterell and creators Dan Gillespie Sells (music) and Tom MacRae (book and lyrics) said: “It will be 10 years in February next year since Jamie New first stepped out into the world. Ten years since the people of Sheffield laughed and cried and celebrated his story at the Crucible. Ten years since Nica Burns and Nimax Theatres brought Jamie to London and sent him off dancing on his own two sparkling feet.
“Jamie’s courage in unveiling himself in all his glorious, fabulous joy has been applauded by millions of people in dozens of countries, and next year, to celebrate the show’s 10th birthday, he will be returning home to stages all around the UK. We were inspired by the true story of Jamie and Margaret Campbell, and we are thrilled that their story is still inspiring the world with its sass-filled magic.
“We could not be more grateful for the Jamie family we share across the globe, and are so excited to bring a new Jamie, Margaret, Pritti, Hugo, Ray, Miss Hedge and Dean, plus all the wonderful drag queens and year 11s, back together and out into UK theatres next year. In the place where we belong.”
Following Leeds, the tour will visit Chester, Shrewsbury, Sunderland, Sheffield, Manchester, Wimbledon, Liverpool, Truro, Eastbourne, Glasgow, Southampton, Cheltenham, Birmingham, Aylesbury, Cardiff, Nottingham, Oxford, Woking, Bradford and Newcastle.
A coming-of-age story with a twist, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is written by Sells, singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of rock band The Feeling, and stage and screenwriter Tom MacRae. An instant hit with audiences and critics, the musical premiered in Sheffield in 2017 before transferring to London’s West End in November 2017. The show’s first UK tour launched in February 2020.
The multi-award-winning musical’s creative team also includes designer Anna Fleischle, choreographer Kate Prince, musical supervisor Theo Jamieson, musical director Ben Holder, lighting designer Lucy Carter, sound designer Paul Groothuis, casting director Will Burton and video designer Luke Halls.
Angela Thomas
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