If you remember Tammy Faye Bakker at all from the height of her TV fame in the 1980s, you likely remember scandals, mascara, tarantula leg lashes, big, big hair, and prescription drugs. -She interviewed AIDS patient Steven Peters, all at a time when evangelical Christians were known for none of the above.
Even if you don’t remember any of these details, you may still have a vague sense of the excessive amusement associated with them, an amusement that defines itself when Jimmy Swaggarts and Jerry Falwells of her world lean inexorably toward her. Self-important variety.
By all rights. Tammy Faye – She divorced Packer after her infidelity, and her husband is likely to be gay and a partner in God’s business Jim Packer – he should put on a delicious musical, perhaps something along the lines of Titanic Or some silly, boring moments Diana: Musical.
Tammy FayeThat musical is not. Opening tonight at the Broadway Palace Theater, with book by James Graham, lyrics by Jake Shears and music by Elton John. Tammy FayeIt’s little more fun than church on a hot July day. Everyone involved seems absolutely determined to turn the crazy city into a respectable, saintly, and somewhat boring neighboring church lady.
Tastefully directed by Rupert Goold. Tammy Faye Starring Katie Preben, a perfectly nice British actress who assimilates Tammy Faye’s Minnesota accent with more confidence than a preacher’s skill. This Tammy Faye He comes across more as the somewhat unconventional neighbor you remember fondly from your childhood, rather than the boundary-breaking eccentric who single-handedly upended the tired world of Christian evangelism during the Reagan era.
On a set (designed by Bunny Christie) dominated by an array of TV screens that serve as studio monitors, the movie’s set is dominated by a set of TV screens that serve as studio monitors. Laugh Joke Wall’s pop-ups (see, there’s the Pope!) and when combined into a single screen, display huge close-ups of the face. Tammy Faye chronicles the rise, fall, and spiritual ascent of its main character. Born Tamara Faye LaValley, Tammy cast her personal and business lot in the 1970s with a young, ambitious and utterly vulgar preacher (who used puppets in his sermons).
Katie Preben and Christian Borle
Matthew Murphy
When the couple catches the eye of a young cable executive named Ted Turner, the Packers soon find themselves on the ground floor of an industry, a revolution, and America’s cyclical religious awakening. Unlike their stern, fire-and-brimstone peers Falwell and Swaggart, the Packers are more like the fun news anchors of the morning cooking and craft show. And they’ve succeeded, especially Tammy Faye, who steals the spotlight from her quieter husband once she connects with the TV audience with her vulnerability and self-deprecating humor. Not to mention the look we’ve been told but never shown here, all except for the shout-out that she’s about to wear it in the Harper Valley PTA
The couple’s success has drawn the ire of their more sober evangelical counterparts, who are quickly plotting to bring the couple down by any means necessary. Financial irregularities? Call the IRS. Fraud? Call the FBI. Jim’s deranged personality? Call Jessica Hahn (Alanna Pollard), the beloved PTL Club church volunteer who will soon take her place alongside Donna Rice as the host of the kind of vicious scandal-baiting that Monica Lewinsky perfected a few years later.
So there’s the opening prayer. You don’t have to be on the way back when you know where Tammy Faye Title: Fall, divorce, jail time for Jim, and a kind of bewildered “How did I get here?” The final chapter for Tammy Faye, whom the musical does its best to portray as a slob whose only crime is her taste in nice clothes, good cosmetics, and lots and lots of pills. If you’ve never wondered where all that money comes from – for example, those pesky things she claims to love so much – well, so be it. Doesn’t Jim deal with all that boring financial stuff anyway?
With a plot as thin as a Bible page. Tammy FayeOur only hope for redemption was some weird singing and dancing, and yet the show was lacking here as well. John Shears’ songs are generally a nice blend of pop and gospel, without the goofy fun of the former or the sexy sentimentality of the latter. Like Lynne Page’s uninvolved choreography, the songs generally can’t decide whether they want to imitate or parody the musical numbers of the ’80s variety shows, and that’s not particularly good.
Michael Cerveris and the cast of “Tammy Faye”
Michael Murphy
The cast mostly does its best to liven things up, though, like Brayben in the title role, most of them seem to have been reined in (by Goold?) for sheer weirdness, and more regrettably. Christian Borle, one of the funniest actors on stage, is a two-note Jim Bakker (an idiot here, a crybaby there), while Michael Cerveris is suitably evil Jerry Falwell. But the truth is, who’s in the mood for evil, politically ambitious Jerry Falwell these days?
And maybe that’s the problem after all. Tammy Faye. The bad guys, with their cynical view of religion and right-wing politics, are all so bad (in all honesty) while our good girl isn’t bad enough. When she finally meets her maker, could we have hoped that the theater fog would lift to reveal a well-stocked Sephora? Give those Tammy Faye eyes what they deserve.
Title: Tammy Faye
Place: Broadway Palace Theater
Director: Robert Gould
Book: James Graham
Music: Elton John
Words: Jake Shears
ejaculates: Katie Preben, Christian Burle, Michael Cerveris, Autumn Hurlbert, Nick Bailey, Charles Brown, Mark Evans, Allison Jean, Ian Lassiter, Raymond J. Lee, Max Gordon Moore, Alana Pollard, Andy Taylor, and Amanda Clement, Michael DiLiberto, Jonathan Duvelson, Lily Kaufman, Denise Lambert, Elliott Mattox, Brittany Nicholas, Kevin Quillon, Avina Sawyer, Alyssa Short, TJ Tapp, Danielle Torres, and Dana Wilton
Runtime: Two hours and 35 minutes (including intermission)