S Poddar
The ambitious Elton John Broadway musical Tammy Faye has decided to close its doors on December 8, just five days after opening night. The show, based on the life of controversial televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, opened at the Palace Theatre on November 14. Despite the star power behind it and high expectations, the musical struggled to attract audiences, with the week ending November 17 recording a gross of $374,371 and an audience attendance of only 5,732, filling just 63 percent of the theatre’s seats.
The production had a price tag of $25 million. This will be over after just 24 previews and 29 productions. The show has been pulled due to a combination of lackluster audience interest and harsh reviews. The New York Post wasn’t so kind, using the word “disaster of biblical proportions” to describe the production. Variety’s review noted the show’s ending, writing, “Tammy finally comes to terms with her all-too-mortal sins and sees the light of a presumably forgiving God. Audiences may not be so charitably inclined.”
Its musical numbers by Elton John, lyrics from Jake Shears from the Scissor Sisters, and a book from James Graham, who wrote Dear England. Katie Brayben is in the lead role as Tammy Faye Bakker is played alongside her husband Jim Bakker by Christian Borle and Jerry Falwell by Michael Cerveris.
This is not the first attempt to bring Tammy Faye Bakker’s story to stage or screen. The production follows a biographical film from 2022, wherein Jessica Chastain played the iconic televangelist in a role that earned her critical acclaim. Tammy Faye premiered in London in 2022, with Brayben reprising her role as Tammy Faye, alongside Andrew Rannells and Zubin Varla in the roles of her husband and Falwell, respectively.
The musical has already gained massive attention, even though it is running for only a brief period in Broadway, despite major investment that is bound to incur significant loss. The failure to gain an audience and the worrisome critical reception reveal the difficulty of mounting a major theatrical production, even when accompanied by a creative team with an established reputation and numerous stars.
Elton John, an attendee at the opening night, envisioned that the musical would be a tremendous hit on Broadway. He had hoped it would perform similarly to his previous smash hit, The Lion King. Unfortunately, while Elton and the talented team involved with Tammy Faye could not fill Broadway’s stage with yet another Broadway hit.
