TAMMY FAYE Previews- Page 10

[LucyEth]

Posted: 10/31/24 at 4:59pm

Attended the show last night and FULL DISCLOSURE, left at intermission because...well, there seemed absolutely no reason to stay for Act Two.  So do with these impressions what you will.  

My husband and I were super excited to see "Tammy Faye," having read the 2022 Variety review, which labelled it "terrifically entertaining," and Matt Wolf's NY Times anointment, which called it "spectacular entertainment."  We thought, "My God, this is going to be amazing, how bad could it be?!"  Well, the answer is: remarkably bad.  Shockingly bad.  Once again Elton John has written a score that contains not a single memorable melody.  And Jake Shears simply doesn't have the theatrical talent or craft to challenge him; the lyrics are, for the most part obtuse and metaphor laden.  Michael Cerveris (as Jerry Falwell) has a song entitled  -- for the life of me, I can't remember, something about a satellite -- that makes Tim Rice's wordy "Aida" lyrics sound like Dr. Seuss.  I stopped paying attention after 10 seconds and instead watched the set descend and then ascend above him for no discernibly good reason.  (IMHO this number needs to be cut ASAP.)  

I have no dog in the Andrew Rannells fight, but it's obvious that the role was built on him, and poor Christian Borle is an uncomfortable fit.  He's one of the funniest, most inventive actors working today (I will never forget his Black Stache and his demented Orin Scrivello) and it doesn't seem as if anyone has allowed him to find his version of Jim Bakker.  I'm sure no-one's actually said this to him, but it's as if he's been instructed to "do Andrew Rannells."  Brayben is a lovely performer with a stellar instrument, but oddly enough she makes little impression.  Too often Tammy Faye seems like a secondary character.  At the top of the first scene (after the Prologue) she exclaims "Where am I?" before realizing that she's gone back in time and is younger.  So I thought that she was going to be our narrator for the evening and follow her story through her eyes (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, right?), but no such luck.  Oh, well, a missed opportunity to engage with the audience, which, for the most part, was not particularly involved.

I know that the Brits love to take the piss out of us Americans, but presenting this story in such an over-the-top manner is gilding the lily to the nth degree.  I mean, fast asleep Tammy Faye was more over the top than any of us in our most dramatic moments, so why overdo it?  I think it's a miscalculation that's going to backfire here across the pond.  I could have used some quiet moments, but hey, maybe they were in Act Two.  

I wish this show had gone back into workshop so that the writers could have gotten the tone right for American audiences...and critics.  Not having done that, I don't see much of a future for it, unfortunately.  

[bway1430]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 11:49am

Bumping to move page...

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 3:29pm

ACL2006 said: "Is this show this season's Bad Cinderella? Bad press, word-of-mouth is awful, huge production costs, and another show is already eyeing the Palace."

I think it's better than Bad Cinderella, but I actually enjoyed Bad Cinderella more. It was more fun. 

There are just so many gaps in the story they're trying to tell. It's like I know less about Tammy Faye and Bakker after watching the show. That they had a bunch of kids together is address in one throw away line. How involved was Tammy Faye in the fraud? At one point Tammy Faye asked Jim if he's interested in men and he basically shrugs I don't either. 

James Graham just doesn't seem to have much he wants to say about Tammy Faye, other than applauding her for platforming Steve Pieters during the AIDS crisis. Which fair enough, but that was just one moment in her life.    

Everyone around me was excited and taking pictures... because of the renovated Palace Theatre. The venue is upstaging the mediocre show.  

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 4:24pm

So now it's officially titled 'Elton John's Tammy Faye' https://tammyfayebway.com/

 

I guess they're trying to sell it through Elton's name now but what I'm hearing the score is in fact one of the main problems with this musical (among other things)

 

 

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 4:39pm

pablitonizer said: "So now it's officially titled 'Elton John's Tammy Faye'https://tammyfayebway.com/



I guess they're trying to sell it throughElton's name now but what I'm hearing the score is in fact one of the main problems with this musical (among other things)”

 

Oof. Blood in the water.

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 5:48pm

By branding as such, unless it’s part of an arrangement, it’s erasing Jake Shears’ contribution to the score by putting Elton’s name over the title.

From what I know on the inside, it tracks with previous comments that there are still daily rehearsals going on and often many pages of changes on a daily basis. Heard through a mutual, one of the cast mentioned that this was the most significant amount of changes they’ve done during previews for any new show they’ve been a part of.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 7:01pm

Jonathan Cohen said: "

There are just so many gaps in the story they're trying to tell. It's like I know less about Tammy Faye and Bakker after watching the show. That they had a bunch of kids together is address in one throw away line. How involved was Tammy Faye in the fraud? At one point Tammy Faye asked Jim if he's interested in men and he basically shrugs I don't either.
."

With some distance from the show, I have landed on this point being the most accurate and unforgivable flaw in the piece. The set up in Act 1 is boring but well done in the sense that we see the grift, we understand the fraud, we get that Jim cheated on Tammy and maybe assaulted someone. But then in Act2 we get zero insight into Tammy's role, guilt, punishment (did the Feds not charge her? why not?), how it impacted their nonexistent family, why Bakker was sexually harassing Jessica Hahn if he was also maybe sleeping with men, how did he struggle with homosexual feelings while preaching against "sin" etc. etc. The play just has no interest in addressing ANY of these issues at all? Its rather outrageous if you think about it. 

Very curious to see what gets changed during previews. Its clear that critics adored it in London and not much has changed structurally so maybe we will be shocked by critical response, which is the only lifeline here.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 8:06pm

There’s something like 30 tickets sold for Wednesday night. Is this even going to open? 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 8:17pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "There’s something like 30 tickets sold for Wednesday night. Is this even going to open?"


Now that the title has been changed and they’ve exhausted their actors to the bone, the tickets will really start sellin’.

[tthomas76]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 8:55pm

I’ve wondered the same thing.  

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 9:37pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "There’s something like 30 tickets sold for Wednesday night. Is this even going to open?"

O dang I checked to see how much hyperbole you were using. Even for Saturday night hardly any seats in mezzanine are sold 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 9:50pm

bwayobsessed said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "There’s something like 30 tickets sold for Wednesday night. Is this even going to open?"

O dang I checked to see how much hyperbole you were using. Even for Saturday night hardly any seats in mezzanine are sold"

the producers may try and keep this open through the holidays, but this deems DOA.

[Strange Lupone]

Posted: 11/1/24 at 11:26pm

Dear God, check out Monday’s performance sales. Not just abysmal. Catastrophic. 

[Dolly80]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 7:16am

Damn. I thought people were exaggerating on here how bad sales are. That is brutal. There will be more people on stage than in the audience.

[tthomas76]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 7:44am

Has there been a show recently that hasn’t made it past the preview period? 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 8:11am

tthomas76 said: "Has there been a show recently that hasn’t made it past the preview period?"

nothing recent

https://playbill.com/article/16-broadway-shows-that-closed-before-opening

[Kad]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 8:33am

Those houses next week are bafflingly terrible, especially considering the people behind this production. Regardless of the show’s quality, I think we all expected more than… a few dozen tickets per performance to be sold. 
 

I have to wonder if a show about a famous evangelist, even a sympathetic one, is actively turning potential ticket buyers off? 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 8:39am

Increasingly feels like if the producers were adamant on bringing it to NYC, it needed an off-Broadway or West End production to flesh out the revisions and build some good buzz (theoretically) to merit a much larger venue. I liked it a lot in London and am dismayed at how the transfer appears to be turning out.

[yyys]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 9:14am

My suggestion is to see it now as it might close right after opening. I think they might still open though. No big stars doesn't help with the sales.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 9:17am

Really wish this had stuck to the original plan and transferred to the west end first. This could kill the show stone cold. It’s like American Pyscho (sp?!) all over again 

[JayElle]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 9:18am

Jordan Catalano said: "This was an odd night. I saw this in London and really loved it. I looked at Theatreboard and I gave it a five star rating there. Last night, when we left and had a “debrief”, my friend and I both said it was exceptionally uneven and just not very good. .....The end when he’s in prison it reminded me of like Ted Bundy locked up. ...........
Hysterical sentence.   Serial murderer Bundy actually had  admirers while on Florida's death row.

Thank you  for good laugh and  honest opinion.  Another attendee said it was "a total mess."  Just saved me $.

Never quite understood why they dragged them back into spotlight.   Let Tammy and the audience rest in peace.

Updated On: 11/2/24 at 09:18 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 10:05am

Kad said: "Those houses next week are bafflingly terrible, especiallyconsidering the people behind this production. Regardless of the show’s quality, I think we all expected more than… a few dozen tickets per performance to be sold.


I have to wonder if a show about a famous evangelist, even a sympathetic one, is actively turning potential ticketbuyers off?"

I mean, we had SCANDALOUS (the Aimee Semple McPherson fiasco by Kathie Lee) back in 2012. That was not star driven and the sales were poor, with Hurricane Sandy being the death knell for it after performances were cancelled.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 10:21am

They should’ve based this show directly on the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye by having a narrator/emcee like character that was a Drag queen of sorts and told the story as like a memory play. It should’ve been all camp, but instead it seems like they took a more serious approach. 

 
 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 10:40am

I just don’t think it will be possible to expand or top of what was already dramatized so well in the film Eyes of Tammie Faye with Chastain and Garfield. Every note that has come up in this thread was handled in the film, and quite successfully.

The only idea I could come up with would be to do a straight play with a couple musical numbers, as opposed to a full musical (that takes up more time with story-halting songs than propelling the story along).

[BETTY22]

Posted: 11/2/24 at 10:59am

Will great reviews turn his into a hit. 

Looking a very weak sales...ouch