Broadway's Tammy Faye Abruptly Sets Final Performance

Broadway's Tammy Faye has abruptly announced a final performance for December 8. Having opened November 14 at the newly refurbished Palace Theatre, the musical will have played just 24 previews and 29 regular performances as of the final performance.

Tammy Faye features music by Tony winner and five-time Grammy winner Elton John, lyrics by the Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears, and a book by James Graham (Dear England). The work comes to Broadway following a 2022 world premiere bow in London's West End that earned four Olivier Award nominations, including Best Musical. Rupert Goold directs.

Katie Brayben is reprising her Olivier-winning performance in the musical's title role following a 2022 West End run, also directed by Goold, at Almeida Theatre. 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.

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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.

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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.

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.