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.
