Elton John, Jake Shears, and James Graham's Tammy Faye does not start performances on Broadway until October 19 (at the newly refurbished Palace Theatre), but a performance video offers a sneak peek. See the musical's Olivier-winning star Katie Brayben sing the score's "Empty Hands" above.
Opening night will be November 14, with Rupert Goold directing.
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 will be two-time Tony winner Christian Borle as Faye's husband, Jim Bakker; and Tony winner Michael Cerveris as Reverend Jerry Falwell
They'll be joined by Nick Bailey as Paul Crouch, Charl Brown as Steve Pieters, Mark Evans as Billy Graham, Allison Guinn as Jan Crouch, Ian Lassiter as Jimmy Swaggart/Ronald Reagan/Archbishop, 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. Autumn Hurlbert (Legally Blonde) will be the alternate for the title role, with a performance schedule to be announced.
The company will also feature Amanda Clement, Michael Di Liberto, Jonathan Duvelson, Lily Kaufmann, Denis Lambert, Elliott Mattox, Brittany Nicholas, Keven Quillon, Aveena Sawyer, Allysa Shorte, TJ Tapp, Daniel Torres, and Dana Wilton. Casting is by Carrie Gardner and Jillian Cimini of C12 Casting.
Tammy Faye features music by Tony winner and five-time Grammy winner John, lyrics by the Scissor Sisters' Shears, and a book by Graham (Dear England). The 2022 world premiere bow 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. Timothy Semon will serve as production stage manager.
Rocket Stage, Greene Light Stage, and James L. Nederlander are producing the Broadway run.
Tickets are at TammyFayeBway.com.
