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Tammy Faye (musical)

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Tammy Faye
Original London production poster
MusicElton John
LyricsJake Shears
BookJames Graham
BasisThe life of Tammy Faye Messner
Premiere13 October 2022 (2022-10-13): Almeida Theatre, London
Productions2022 London
2024 Broadway

Tammy Faye is a biographic stage musical with music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears and a book by James Graham, based on the life of Tammy Faye Messner.[1]

Production history

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London (2022)

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Tammy Faye had its world premiere production at the Almeida Theatre in London, previewing from 13 October 2022 (with an official press night on 26 October) running until 2 December. The production was due to close on the 3 December, however due to illness in the cast the final performances were cancelled.[2] The production was directed by the Almeida's artistic director Rupert Goold with choreography by Lynne Page, design by Bunny Christie, costume design by Katrina Lindsay and lighting design by Neil Austin and produced by Joseph Smith

The cast included Katie Brayben as Tammy Faye Bakker and Andrew Rannells as Jim Bakker.[3]

Broadway (2024)

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In November 2023, it was announced that the show would transfer to Broadway during the 2024–25 season.[4] The show began previews on 19 October 2024, with an opening night on 14 November at the newly renovated Palace Theatre.[5] Katie Brayben reprised her role.[6] On the red carpet at the 2024 Tony Awards, Andrew Rannells revealed that he would no longer be going to Broadway with the show, due to failed contract negotiations.[7] On 26 June, it was announced Christian Borle would be taking over the role of Jim Bakker.[8] One month later, Michael Cerveris joined the cast as Jerry Falwell.[9] On 19 November, it was announced that the show would close early, on 8 December, after receiving negative reviews and poor ticket sales, losing $25 million throughout its run.[10] [11] The show will have played 24 preview performances and 29 regular performances once it closes.[10]

Cast and characters

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Character London Broadway
2022 2024
Tammy Faye Messner Katie Brayben
Jim Bakker Andrew Rannells Christian Borle
Jerry Falwell Zubin Varla Michael Cerveris
Oral Roberts / Reggie / Steve Pieters / Charles Shepherd Ashley Campbell Charl Brown
Billy Graham / Larry Flint / Pontius Pilate / Judge Peter Caulfield Mark Evans
Paul Crouch / Ally the Alligator / Colonel Sanders Richard Dempsey Nick Bailey
Ted Turner / Pat Robertson / The Pope Nicholas Rowe Andy Taylor
Jimmy Swaggart / Archbishop of Canterbury / Ronald Reagan Steve John Shepherd Ian Lassiter
Jan Crouch / Susie Moppet / Lori Beth Amy Booth-Steel Allison Guinn
John Fletcher Martin Sarreal Raymond J. Lee
Nurse / Receptionist / Announcer / Jessica Hahn Gemma Sutton Alana Pollard

Musical numbers

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Critical reception

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The Almeida Theatre production received positive reviews from audiences and critics including four star reviews from The Guardian,[12] Time Out,[13] The Independent,[14] Financial Times,[15] WhatsOnStage,[16] and The Sunday Times.[17]

In its review of the Broadway production, The New York Times called the show "disjointed, strangely bland." [18] Variety's Frank Rizzo said the Broadway production lacked "any sense of confidence, consistency or purpose. It’s as messy as Tammy’s mascara." [19]

Awards

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Original London Production

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Year Award Category Nominee Result
2023 Evening Standard Awards Best Musical Nominated
2023 Laurence Olivier Awards[20][21] Best New Musical Nominated
Best Actress in a Musical Katie Brayben Won
Best Actor in a Musical Andrew Rannells Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Zubin Varla Won

References

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  1. ^ Wolf, Matt (27 October 2022). "Review: Praise the Lord for 'Tammy Faye'". New York Times.
  2. ^ "Musical Tammy Faye tells gay icon's life story with score by Elton John". the Guardian. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Full cast for Tammy Faye musical at the Almeida announced | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  4. ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe. "New Musical TAMMY FAYE is Coming to Broadway During 2024-25 Season". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Tammy Faye – Broadway Musical – Original". IBDB. The Broadway League. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
    "Tammy Faye (Broadway, Palace Theatre, 2024)". Playbill. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  6. ^ "'Tammy Faye' Heads to Broadway! Elton John and Jake Shears' Divine Musical to Debut This Fall". People.com. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  7. ^ Sharpe, Josh. "Andrew Rannells Will No Longer Lead TAMMY FAYE Musical". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  8. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (26 June 2024). "Christian Borle Joins Broadway Transfer of Tammy Faye". playbill.com.
  9. ^ "Michael Cerveris Joins the Cast of Tammy Faye on Broadway". broadwaydirect.com. 31 July 2024.
  10. ^ a b Evans, Greg (19 November 2024). "Broadway's 'Tammy Faye' Sets Closing Date". Deadline. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Elton John's $25m Broadway musical announces closure just five days after opening". The Independent. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Tammy Faye: A New Musical review – Elton John's hymn to biblical kitsch". the Guardian. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  13. ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (27 October 2022). "Elton John's new London musical 'Tammy Faye' is a joyously camp tribute to the oddball US televangelist". Time Out London. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  14. ^ "New show Tammy Faye is camp, cutesy and hard to resist – review". The Independent. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre review — Elton John's delirious glitz-bomb of a musical". Financial Times. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Tammy Faye review – divine work from Elton John, Jake Shears and James Graham in new musical | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  17. ^ Letts, Quentin. "Tammy Faye: Elton John helps put the fun into fundamentalism". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Review: Tammy Faye Was Over-the-Top. This Musical Makes Her Small". The New York Times. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  19. ^ "'Tammy Faye' Review: With Forgettable Elton John Score, Televangelist Broadway Musical Doesn't Find the Light". Variety. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  20. ^ Stage, Guardian (28 February 2023). "Olivier awards 2023: complete list of nominations". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  21. ^ "Olivier awards 2023: full list of winners". The Guardian. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
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