“Tammy Faye” has become even tougher than Tammy Faye.
elton john’s awesome new broadway musical 1970s and ’80s television star Tammy Faye Baker posted notice of the Palace Theatre’s closing on Tuesday, just five days after it opened.
“Tammy Faye”‘s capital was reportedly $25 million, and she would lose every penny.
When the show closes on December 8, it will have had 24 previews and a scant 29 regular performances.
Sir Elton knows his way to avoid a flop. But even his 2006 vampire debacle “Lestat”, which The Post’s Clive Barnes said Declared “bloody horrible” Went on for a while – 33 previews and 33 showings.
Although Broadway is an increasingly tough business, it has become rare for an underperforming show to collapse so quickly. The last musical to have such a short run on the Great White Way was 2022’s “Kpop”, which lasted only 17 performances after opening night.
With music by John, lyrics by Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters and a book by James Graham (“Inc”), “Tammy Faye” stars Katie Braben as the title TV talker, Christian Borle as her husband Jim Baker and Michael Cerveris as Jerry. Falwell.
In one star review Last Thursday, I called the music “amateurish with a lot of dead air and little focus.”
The review said, “Go in cold, and you’ll have no idea how famous Jim and Tammy were or why you’re sitting there watching a concert about them.”
“Tammy Faye” opens in 2022 at London’s smaller Almeida Theatre, which seats just 350, about 1,300 fewer chairs than the Palace.
However, reviews in the UK were better than those in the States. I gave the UK production 1.5 stars at the time and said it was “an unsatisfactory surface-level examination of an icon.”
“Tammy Faye” was nominated for Best Musical and Best Actor in a Musical (Andrew Rannells) at the Olivier Awards – London’s Tonys.
and Katie Braben won Best Actress in a Musical, while Zubin Varla, who does not appear in the New York production, won Best Supporting Actor for playing Falwell.
John, who is responsible for hits like “The Lion King” and “Billy Elliot,” isn’t done with musical theater just yet.
His “Devil Wears Prada” musical starring Vanessa Williams is set to open in London Chicago Run received a disappointing reception Two years ago.
In a one-star review, The Post called “Prada” “a nonsense about idiots” and “an utter mess”.
