TAMMY FAYE Previews- Page 5

[Famebroadway2]

Posted: 10/22/24 at 7:01pm

Gone are the days where shows would make MAJOR changes during previews. These days Sets, lights, etc are way too complex to make big changes. Nips and tucks sure, but big changes require going back into tech and also requires that the show has time and money to do it.  Playing an 8 show a week schedule does not allow much time to make big changes to a show.  

BUT…. It sounds like TF built tech time into their performance schedule so, I would not be surprised if they address most of the problems.  
 

[TBFL]

Posted: 10/22/24 at 10:39pm

 

There were also little things that bothered me. Pope John Paul II, for example, said "und" instead of "and," which struck me as an odd choice. I'd think JPII would insert Polish or Italian filler words, instead of ... German? (JPII spoke German, but he spoke 14 other languages...) For that matter, why is the international syndicate of Christian religious leaders even a thing in this musical? The audience doesn't need a clergy-peanut gallery.
 

 

 

You really weren't kidding when you said little things bothered you. 

JPII has probably 5 lines in the whole show, if that, and 1 word was an issue?  Yikes. 

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/22/24 at 11:01pm

TBFL said: "

There were also little things that bothered me. Pope John Paul II, for example, said "und" instead of "and," which struck me as an odd choice. I'd think JPII would insert Polish or Italian filler words, instead of ... German? (JPII spoke German, but he spoke 14 other languages...) For that matter, why is the international syndicate of Christian religious leaders even a thing in this musical? The audience doesn't need a clergy-peanut gallery.

 

 

 


You really weren't kidding when you said little things bothered you.

JPII has probably 5lines in the whole show, if that, and 1 word was an issue? Yikes."

 

 

 



Your lack of self awareness is astounding.

[greensgreens]

Posted: 10/22/24 at 11:41pm

This might be a weird question, but is this mostly a comedy done at the expense of Tammy or is this a compassionate piece? It seems from the marketing and song titles, there’s potential for a lot of double entendres but that could just be for marketing. 
 

As far as “the look” - it was essential to creating Tammy the icon and Katie couldn’t look further from Tammy. When someone said she looks like Reba, I have to agree 100%. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/23/24 at 12:20am

No, this is not done in a way to poke fun at Tammy Faye, in any way. 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 8:38am

Katie is a revelation. Her performance anchored the entire show for me.  Found it entertaining, the staging, the lighting, sets - it all worked for me.  Some off the songs are excellent, some just meh.  Empty Hands, You Didn't See Me Cry and He's Inside Me all stand out.   I do think the book needed some more fine tuning. The material treats Tammy with respect as Jordan stated earlier.  I wish we got to know more about Tammy Faye specifically in Act One. Big Jake Shears fan and could hear his wit in his songs.  Been playing Scissor Sisters non stop for the past 24+ hours. 

Special shoutout to the woman who was running that insanely crammed Bathroom Hallway at The Palace.  The theater looks amazing but whoever designed those bathrooms should be forced to watch that Kathie Lee musical 8 days a week.  One of the worst bathroom situations ever.  

Not as rough on the show as others have been.  

[BJR]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 8:48am

Caught this last night and agree and disagree with what''s been said here.

If this was opening cold on Bway, I'd be hugely impressed and think it's gonna be incredible. Because there are some brilliant performances and some pretty unique and memorable sequences. A really great show in there.

But as it is now, it's at least 20 minutes too long, can't figure out in Act 2 what story it's telling and tries to tell them all. As things spin out of control, it both moves too quickly through important events but also spends too much time on minor characters. Ultimately it feels like it has 7 endings. And since this is the 3rd major production, I'm not hopeful this gets solved.

Also, you could feel the audience frequently unsure of when to laugh or applaud. Some of that will get fixed with preview tightening, for sure. But some of it also feels like narrative uncertainty.

A bit thought on the end, besides being overwritten and messy, the end feels like a missed opportunity:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The story is framed around her cancer diagnosis, and in the end, it's too busy shoving in info about her comeback, letters from those she touched, suddenly she's dead and in purgatory, Jerry Falwell is there(?? who cares!), the pastor with AIDS who is there by isn't dead so why, and poof done, ready for awkward curtain call. It feels like the moment should be about Tammy facing death. Yes, processing her life and forgiveness. But her relationship to maybe seeing her God? And certainly in song! It feels so big a moment to be so diffuse (and a bit pandering).

 

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 9:29am

I saw this last night too, and just to preface my review: I went in completely blind, and I had no clue who Tammy Faye was prior to the musical outside a quick Wikipedia read. So I can't speak to any of the accuracy or sensitivity towards her life.

What I can speak to, is how visually stunning this is. The lighting and choreography help tell the story in such a way that I remembered why I'm beginning to miss these "big" musicals. 

I think act one was enjoyable and very easy to follow, although I felt it had the same problem of Lempicka where the villain's got some focus that felt a bit out of place. The woman playing Tammy was giving it her all, but I could definitely sense the audience wasn't returning it. Christian Borle was amazing, as he is in everything he touches. I couldn't help after the show to think about the whole casting mixup with Rannells, and I wish I got to see his take on the show. (More about this in the spoiler box).

I think some of the jokes were not landing, and there was a specific one (slight spoiler) where a certain current political candidate took a jab, and one person was clearly clapping and cheering while another 1-2/3 of the orchestra were confused if they should cheer or boo. 

It was a fun night out but lacked the emotional depth of Sunset, had catchy tunes great for a cast recording, and the weaker act two plot meant another 20 mins of reading to figure out what was supposed to be happening.

Onto spoilers...

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Was the scene of Tammy backstage then taking the rising platform while being followed by the camera a thing off Broadway? I can't help but view it as very, very similar to the exact scene in Jaime's current Sunset.

Also, does anybody have insight on if Jim breaking down in prison over the homosexual allegations is true to life (re, he may have been a closet bisexual, which to me would make sense seeing how graciously accepting that Tammy Faye is), or an actor/directors choice? That scene in specific could be played so differently that I'm curious how Rannell's or even the understudy would've built up to or played that scene. 

Also, I totally agree on how disjointed the last scene is. She should be facing her God, not her opponents and the queer ally's she made on the way. Feels so confusing for something that should be relatively straight forward.

 

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 12:39pm

Will this even make it to opening night? Looking at next week dates  not good at all

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 3:13pm

Guess that I am showing my age.  I really thought that Elton John's name would sell tickets (wasn't his last show Billy Elliott and there is always The Lion King, although I doubt many viewers even remember the music is his).  it is Thursday and maybe 20% of the seats are sold for either Saturday performance (and that doesn't even reflect the closing of the second balcony as well).

I would have expected more...is the early target audience seeing Death Becomes Her and Sunset Blvd. instead, or is this really something whose time has passed?  It will not get good reviews, but it would have been interesting to see what would happen at the box office if it did get very good reviews.

[rachelfran]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 4:26pm

Thanks to this board and show-score I was really afraid to see this last night ... I'm old enough to know a little bit about tammy and her husband but not much ... I wanted to see the Jessica Chastain film before the show to familiarize myself but I didn't get around to it ..

The first act was enjoyable even if the music isn't memorable and not all the jokes land. It's very campy and that was fun and some of it was truly funny.  The second act is another story.  At least 20-30 minutes too long so besides just being bad, it draaagggged.  I couldn't wait for it to be over. 

It ran 8:05-10:50 or so -- including the intermission that was probably too long.  Why is it starting at 8pm anyway? 

My seat was via TDF and was orchestra row L on the right side of the venue.

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 4:47pm

Funny, I thought this was raved in London and now everyone's saying it's like being forced to watch Out of Africa while getting a root canal.  I think the Great White Way got the message:  Don't EVER mess with Andrew Rannells.



 

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 4:51pm

I thought Christian Borle was great. Cerveris and Brayden were awesome too. I doubt casting Andrew Rannells would have made a difference. 
When I watched the show this week, people around me kept looking at their watches or phones during act 2. I think something else is the issue. 

Updated On: 10/24/24 at 04:51 PM

[TBFL]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 10:53pm

TotallyEffed said:

"Your lack of self awareness is astounding."

 

Thanks! I was going for 'mysterious and unpredictable'



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 11:30pm

TBFL said: "TotallyEffed said:

"Your lack of self awareness is astounding."


Thanks! I was going for 'mysterious and unpredictable'




Hi! So you actually come off as unhinged

Updated On: 10/27/24 at 11:30 PM

[TBFL]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 1:36am

TotallyEffed said: "TBFL said: "TotallyEffed said:

"Your lack of self awareness is astounding."


Thanks! I was going for 'mysterious and unpredictable'




Hi! So you actually come off as unhinged

 

Dammit! You were so nearly there....but just not good enough.

We were all rooting for you!!










"

"

 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 9:26am

Just listened to the three tracks the show released on their YouTube channel. The songs are surprisingly earnest for a couple I remember as a pair of clownish con artists. Are there any memorable comedy songs in this show? 

 

I remember Andrew Rannells singing a song on TV about Jesus being "Inside Him." Though this joke is recycled from "God Put the Rhythm in Me (Put it in Me)" from Altar Boyz.

Updated On: 10/25/24 at 09:26 AM

[lilpunkin]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 1:07pm

verywellthensigh said: "Funny, I thought this was raved in London and now everyone's saying it's like being forced to watchOut of Africa while getting a root canal. I think the Great White Way got the message: Don't EVER mess with Andrew Rannells.



"

Are you suggesting that Andrew Rennells is actually the devil?

I’m sure the cast and creatives would agree with you!

[denou_32]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 1:50pm

lilpunkin said: Are you suggesting that Andrew Rennells is actually the devil?

I’m sure the cast and creatives would agree with you!
 

Can you clarify which cast members had/have a problem with Rannells? Based on social media they seem like a close group, even after the Broadway "cast change." From a recent London meetup, to the many social media comments, birthday wishes, etc flowing both ways, well this seems suspiciously like normal interaction between friends. Or is Rannells using his satanic powers to force his former castmates into friendship?

 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 10:05pm

So which show will be taking The Palace in January? 

[BOM]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 10:11pm

I have tickets for Nov 20th. Should I start looking for a backup? I'm thinking Swept Away(saw at Arena Stage), or Death Becomes Her? Updated On: 10/25/24 at 10:11 PM

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 10:19pm

Looking at Tuesday and Wednesday, they may as well just close on Saturday. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 7:59am

BorisTomashevsky said: "Looking at Tuesday and Wednesday, they may as well just close on Saturday."

[leefowler]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 1:20pm

This show could be greatly improved by telling the chorus to tone it down. Whenever there’s a number set in the church or a theme park, the chorus has over the top broad smiles that remind one of the cheesiest SNL sketches. There’s one chorus person who looks like Stuart Smalley who’s been directed to play everything as “gay” as possible. Does this get a laugh? Sure, lots of people love laughing at the gays. 
 

What’s ironic about this is the person playing Tammy Faye, who might be expected to play the role in a grotesque over the top manner, is in fact giving a lovely, respectful performance. Katie Brayben is terrific. The cast could learn a lot from her.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 5:31pm

Oooof. This one is ROUGH. There’s no other way of putting it. The biggest problem at hand is that this is an inherently small show that has been bloated into an overstuffed production. I did not see this across the pond, but I can 100% see how this would have worked better in a much smaller venue. The show feels out of place in the (beautifully renovated) Palace Theatre.

The score is very one note. Lots of upbeat Gospel style numbers that drag on too long about 2-3 minutes each. The story is interesting, but the book is plodding. The cast does their best. Katie Brayben is REALLY good as Tammy, and her numbers definitely fare the best. Christian Borle seemed lost at sea. He’s not BAD, but I’ve certainly seen him do a whole lot better. Michael Cerveris, god bless him, is saddled with some of the worst songs I’ve heard in a new musical in quite some time.

The cheap set and flashy lighting designs are gaudy and garish. The act 2 opening camera gimmick is merely a bad rip off of what they’re doing down the block at Sunset Boulevard. The orchestra sounded extremely tinny and canned in.

This was a miss for me. The cast was taking their bows at 4:37PM this afternoon, so the good news is that it is no longer 3 hours. The bad news, though, is that it still feels like 4.

Updated On: 10/26/24 at 05:31 PM