Tammy Faye (musical)
| Tammy Faye | |
|---|---|
 Original London production poster | |
| Music | Elton John |
| Lyrics | Jake Shears |
| Book | James Graham |
| Basis | The life of Tammy Faye Messner |
| Premiere | 13 October 2022: Almeida Theatre, London |
| Productions | 2022 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
[edit]London (2022)
[edit]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 and Andrew Rannells as Jim Bakker.[3]
Broadway (2024)
[edit]In November 2023, it was announced that the show will transfer to Broadway during the 2024–25 season.[4] The show began previews on October 19, 2024, with an opening night planned for November 14 at the Palace Theatre. Katie Brayben is expected to reprise her role with full casting to be announced at a later date.[5] 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.[6] On June 26, it was announced Christian Borle would be taking over the role of Jim Bakker.[7] One month later Michael Cerveris joined the cast as Falwell.[8]
Cast and characters
[edit]| 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 / 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
[edit]
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Critical reception
[edit]The musical received positive reviews from audiences and critics including four star reviews from The Guardian,[9] Time Out,[10] The Independent,[11] Financial Times,[12] WhatsOnStage,[13] and The Sunday Times.[14]
Awards
[edit]Original London Production
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Evening Standard Awards | Best Musical | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Laurence Olivier Awards[15][16] | 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
[edit]- ^ Wolf, Matt (27 October 2022). "Review: Praise the Lord for 'Tammy Faye'". New York Times.
- ^ "Musical Tammy Faye tells gay icon's life story with score by Elton John". the Guardian. 2022-08-23. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ "Full cast for Tammy Faye musical at the Almeida announced | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Chloe. "New Musical TAMMY FAYE is Coming to Broadway During 2024-25 Season". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
- ^ "'Tammy Faye' Heads to Broadway! Elton John and Jake Shears' Divine Musical to Debut This Fall". People.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
- ^ Sharpe, Josh. "Andrew Rannells Will No Longer Lead TAMMY FAYE Musical". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
- ^ Christian Borle Joins Broadway Transfer of Tammy Faye
- ^ MICHAEL CERVERIS JOINS THE CAST OF TAMMY FAYE ON BROADWAY
- ^ "Tammy Faye: A New Musical review – Elton John's hymn to biblical kitsch". the Guardian. 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
- ^ 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 2022-11-13.
- ^ "New show Tammy Faye is camp, cutesy and hard to resist – review". The Independent. 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
- ^ "Tammy Faye, Almeida Theatre review — Elton John's delirious glitz-bomb of a musical". Financial Times. 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
- ^ "Tammy Faye review – divine work from Elton John, Jake Shears and James Graham in new musical | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
- ^ Letts, Quentin. "Tammy Faye: Elton John helps put the fun into fundamentalism". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
- ^ Stage, Guardian (2023-02-28). "Olivier awards 2023: complete list of nominations". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ^ "Olivier awards 2023: full list of winners". The Guardian. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
