A coming-of-age musical based upon a real-life story is set to be held at the Gaiety Theatre in March.

‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ is being put together by the Manx Operatic Society and features 24 cast members ranging from the age of 15 to 55.

Ben Gale is playing the lead role of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who is teased about his homosexuality and ‘steps out of the darkness’ to find his inner drag queen.

Speaking about the show, a spokesperson from the Manx Operatic Society said: ‘We learn about Jamie’s mother Margaret’s life as a single mum, and we laugh with his mother’s best friend Ray and her potty mouth.

‘We also meet Hugo/Loco Chanelle who becomes Jamie’s mentor, and we enjoy the banter with the amazing drag queens.

‘Each student in Jamie’s class has their own amazing character, and their careers teacher Miss Hedge has her work cut out.

‘The show will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. There will be love, empathy, laughter and so much more.’

The 24 cast members also include Lola Sutton as Pritti Pasha, Lisa Dancox as Margaret New, Tracey McCann as Ray, Jason Buckley as Jamie’s Dad, Bethan Owen as Miss Hedge and Vida La Fierce as Sandra Bollock.

There will be nine performances of the show in total, between the dates of Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 22.

Discussing why they decided to put on the show, which was recently adapted into an Amazon Prime movie featuring Sarah Lancashire, the spokesperson added: ‘Every now and then, a brilliant show is released for a limited time only, and this was one of those occasions.

‘It was released in March 2024 for a one year slot, and we were lucky enough to get the rights to it as it came off tour. Some of the committee had seen the show before and most knew about it, so it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

‘We are glad we took the chance on this show. Its content is so very important, and so very relevant in today’s world. The Manx Operatic Society prides itself on being fully inclusive, and everyone is always welcome.’

The musical will feature hit songs such as ‘And You Don’t Even Know It’, ‘The Legend of Loco Chanelle’, ‘Work of Art’ and ‘It Means Beautiful’, which will be sung by Jamie’s best friend Pritti Pasha (portrayed by Lola Sutton).

Asked if he was comfortable with musical theatre, lead actor Ben said: ‘I feel very confident!

‘Being on stage is where I am most comfortable, but the auditioning process was terrifying! Everyone auditioning is very supportive, but it doesn’t make it any less scary. Thankfully I’ve worked with some of these cast members before.

‘This is my first time in a lead singing role but I have gone to a fabulous singing teacher called Adrienne Murray. She has helped me with singing techniques I didn’t even know existed!’