After the surprise Tony Awards red carpet bombshell that Andrew Rannells would not appear in the upcoming Broadway transfer of Tammy Faye as originally announced, it has been revealed who will be starring as Faye's incendiary husband, Jim Bakker: two-time Tony winner Christian Borle.
According to Rannells, the original announcement that he would reprise his Olivier-nominated performance in the musical's Broadway transfer was released prematurely and before he'd actually signed a contract. "Unfortunately, we got into a situation where we couldn't quite find terms that made everyone happy, which is really disappointing, which is why normally they don't announce an actor before the contract," the Book of Mormon and Gutenberg! star told CBS on the red carpet June 16.
Borle will be co-starring with two-time Olivier winner Katie Brayben in the title role, reprising her performance from the musical's 2022 London world premiere. Further casting is to be announced.
The production is set to begin performances at the newly refurbished Palace Theatre October 19, with opening night set for November 14.
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). Olivier winner Rupert Goold (Patriots, Dear England) will again direct after staging the London bow. The world premiere 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 is reuniting much of his London creative team for the Broadway premiere, including choreographer Lynne Page (Ink), orchestrators Tom Deering and Mark Dickman (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 is sound designer Nick Lidster for Autograph. Wig, hair, and make-up design will by by Luc Verschueren for Campbell Young Associates. Casting is by C12 Casting's Carrie Gardner and Jillian Cimini.
Rocket Stage, Greene Light Stage, and James L. Nederlander are producing the Broadway run.
Tickets are already on sale at TammyFayeBway.com.
