Elton John, Jake Shears, and James Graham's Tammy Faye musical began performances at Broadway's newly refurbished Palace Theatre October 19 ahead of a November 14 opening night. Hear from the cast and creatives in the video above.
Katie Brayben is reprising her performance in the musical's title role from the 2022 London run, also directed by Goold, at the Almeida Theatre. Not only did Brayben win an Olivier Award for her performance, but she also has the stamp of approval from Jay Bakker, Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker's son.
"The first time I saw her on stage she was dressed as my mom, I was really surprised that they didn't have completely outlandish makeup....it was phenomenal," Bakker says. "Then seeing her again today, she just catches the spirit. That whimsical, nervous, chattiness that my mom would get. And the fact that my mom was always just trying to bring good news to people, always trying to make people happy, or laugh, even in the worst situations."
Also leading the company are two-time Tony winner Christian Borle as Faye's husband, Jim Bakker, and Tony winner Michael Cerveris as Reverend Jerry Falwell.
"There's something about a musical that...fits [Tammy Faye] very well," Borle says. "Not just because the songs by Elton John and Jake Shears are so freaking good—there's an inherent kind of musicality to Tammy's personality."
"I think that makes perfect sense for her story," adds Brayben. "For her to sing her way through these moments in her life that she's faced with, that she has to kind of surmount."
READ: Two-Time Olivier Winner Katie Brayben on Finally Making Her Broadway Debut in Tammy Faye
Brayben, Borle, and Cerveris are joined by Nick Bailey as Paul Crouch, Charl Brown as Steve Pieters, Mark Evans as Billy Graham/Larry Flynt/Charles Shepard, Allison Guinn as Jan Crouch, Ian Lassiter as Jimmy Swaggart/Ronald Reagan/Archbishop of Canterbury, Raymond J. Lee as John Fletcher, Max Gordon Moore as Thomas S. Monson/Marvin Gorman, Alana Pollard as Jessica Hahn, and Andy Taylor as Pat Robertson/Ted Turner/Pope John Paul II. Autumn Hurlbert (Legally Blonde) is the alternate for the title role.
The ensemble comprises Amanda Clement, Jonathan Duvelson, Lily Kaufmann, Elliott Mattox, Brittany Nicholas, Alana Pollard, Aveena Sawyer, Allysa Shorte, Daniel Torres, and Dana Wilton. Swings Michael Di Liberto, Denis Lambert, Keven Quillon, and TJ Tapp round out the company. Casting is by Carrie Gardner and Jillian Cimini of C12 Casting.
Tammy Faye features music by Tony winner and five-time Grammy winner John, lyrics by the Scissor Sisters' Shears, and a book by Graham (Dear England). The 2022 world premiere bow earned four Olivier Award nominations, including Best Musical.
Based on the life of American evangelist Tammy Faye Messner, Tammy Faye tells the story of Messner's rise to national recognition atop a Christian television empire. She and her then-husband and fellow televangelist Jim Bakker founded The PTL Club (Praise the Lord) in 1974, a platform they used to preach to millions. Messner, who died in 2007, was noted for her compassion for the LGBTQIA+ community during the AIDS epidemic, despite conflict between the community and the church.
Goold has reunited much of his London creative team for the Broadway premiere, including choreographer Lynne Page (Ink), orchestrators Mark Dickman and Tom Deering (Deering is also music supervisor, arranger, and has penned additional music), scenic designer Bunny Christie, costume designer Katrina Lindsay, lighting designer Neil Austin, and video designer Finn Ross. Joining the team for the Broadway run are sound designer Nick Lidster for Autograph and music director Chris Fenwick. Wig, hair, and make-up design are by Luc Verschueren for Campbell Young Associates. Timothy R. Semon serves as production stage manager.
Rocket Stage, Greene Light Stage, and James L. Nederlander are producing the Broadway run, with David Furnish and Joseph Smith serving as executive producers.
Visit TammyFayeBway.com.
Company of Tammy Faye
Katie Brayben and Christian Borle in Tammy Faye
Katie Brayben and Christian Borle in Tammy Faye
Katie Brayben in Tammy Faye
Katie Brayben in Tammy Faye
Company of Tammy Faye
Michael Cerveris and company of Tammy Faye
Katie Brayben in Tammy Faye
