TAMMY FAYE Reviews- Page 6

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 11/15/24 at 2:39pm

Agree with Kad's mystery as to why shes become Such An Icon--i suspect that her kindness towards HIV patients was such an insane break from the norm--something those of us born in the mid to late 80s might not appreciate as much--that she was beloved for breaking out of an ugly mold.

but ultimately she was a con artist who seems to have just barely escaped serious prison time. the documentary and certainly Jessica Chastain gave us some insight into her as a person--con artists are interesting, complicated, occasionally they even become President-- but this show gives us none. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/15/24 at 2:49pm

I've always thought of her as being a niche camp icon. The famous t-shirt of her splattered makeup across the chest with "I RAN INTO TAMMY FAYE AT THE MALL" written on it. There's also a really amazing kitsch fountain with the water flowing out as tears from her face. It's always seemed to be a gay camp/drag queen thing. I mentioned this before previews started and was raked across the coals. Not many people know, remember, or care about her today and the musical doesn't lean into her over the top persona at all.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 11/15/24 at 7:29pm

I saw this on October 30 and labeled it atrocious to my friends who asked. Just....bad. Which story was it telling? Jim's? Jerry Falwell's? Apparently, at some point, we were supposed to buy into Tammy Faye being a huge gay icon? None of the "We're on air!" performances were as big and flashy as the actual TV show, which could have been a saving grace.

I did love the Hollywood Squares, and the giant puppets were there the night I saw it (people reacted with hesitant laughter).

And even with the moment of us seeing her face in the mirror, never was her makeup as over-the-top as reality, and it didn't read at all from the rear orch where I was sitting. But at least my seat, which was a box seat in the orchestra??? was great, and free.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/15/24 at 11:47pm

It’s really embarrassing to see all the celebrities shill for each other. So many artists, musicians and theatre folk posting their pics with Elton and Jake. Just gushing superlatives about the show and how brilliant it is. They’re all tagging each other and raving about the show, music and lyrics. Most of them had to think it was hot garbage but they want their 15 minutes next to Elton. It’s such a game and so disingenuous. It’s no wonder so many people are sick and tired of celebrities. 

[broadwaybaybee22]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 12:33am

Bettyboy72 said: "It’s really embarrassing to see all the celebrities shill for each other. So many artists, musicians and theatre folk posting their pics with Elton and Jake. Just gushing superlatives about the show and how brilliant it is. They’re all tagging each other and raving about the show, music and lyrics. Most of them had to think it was hot garbage but they want their 15 minutes next to Elton. It’s such a game and so disingenuous. It’s no wonder so many people are sick and tired of celebrities."

You're 100% right. But let's face it most folks are going to Google the reviews for Tammy Faye and see the majority of trusted critics  like New York Times,  NY Post, Washington Post, Daily Beast,  Entertainment Weekly, UK Daily Mail just to name a few. If they read one or two of these seasoned theater critics giving their honest opinion about the Broadway theatrical productions then most will choose wisely. These critics also support their opinions with clear examples of where a show fails to hit the mark or shines. That's what I like about doing my research before laying out a few hundred dollars to see a Broadway show.  

It's not about bashing this show or any other show on Broadway.  It's a shame the majority of the critic's reviews are negative for Tammy Faye which can only shorten the lifespan of this already struggling musical. Other than Village Voice's review and a few others, the majority of reviews seem to be on the negative side. 

I'm curious what the numbers will look like next week for Tammy Faye and the other musicals that are fighting to survive.  With attendance so low BEFORE the critics I can't imagine people rushing to see Tammy Faye now.  Hopefully Elton will fund the show thru Christmas or New Years so the actors aren't out of work but who knows?  

Updated On: 11/16/24 at 12:33 AM

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 5:16am

Isn't this a similar trajectory to what happened with American Psycho?  Both opened with limited runs at the *350* seat Almeida Theatre in London, sold those 6-8 weeks very well, and got good reviews, etc.  And then their next stop was opening on Broadway in a theatre four times the size, for an open ended commercial run, which got bad (very bad in this case) reviews and didn't sell well...  My question is, with shows playing very differently on Broadway, and playing very differently in a significantly larger house, why wouldn't the producers think to try the show somewhere else before Broadway as another try out?  A west end transfer, an out of town American run, etc?  I mean, I know that adds significantly to the cost, and there are other factors to think about, but it just seems foolish to think that if I show plays well for a few weeks in a tiny, intimate theatre in London that the next stop should be a Broadway house.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 5:35am

EricMontreal22 said: "Isn't this a similar trajectory to what happened with American Psycho? Both opened with limited runs at the *350* seat Almeida Theatre in London, sold those 6-8 weeks very well, and got good reviews, etc. And then their next stop was opening on Broadway in a theatre four times the size, for an open ended commercial run, which got bad (very bad in this case) reviews and didn't sell well... My question is, with shows playing very differently on Broadway, and playing very differently in a significantly larger house, why wouldn't the producers think to try the show somewhere else before Broadway as another try out? A west end transfer, an out of town American run, etc? I mean, I know that adds significantly to the cost, and there are other factors to think about, but it just seems foolish to think that if I show plays well for a few weeks in a tiny, intimate theatre in London that the next stop should be a Broadway house."

Maybe transfer-wise, but American Psycho was actually very good.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 6:13am

EricMontreal22 said: "Isn't this a similar trajectory to what happened with American Psycho? Both opened with limited runs at the *350* seat Almeida Theatre in London, sold those 6-8 weeks very well, and got good reviews, etc. And then their next stop was opening on Broadway in a theatre four times the size, for an open ended commercial run, which got bad (very bad in this case) reviews and didn't sell well... My question is, with shows playing very differently on Broadway, and playing very differently in a significantly larger house, why wouldn't the producers think to try the show somewhere else before Broadway as another try out? A west end transfer, an out of town American run, etc? I mean, I know that adds significantly to the cost, and there are other factors to think about, but it just seems foolish to think that if I show plays well for a few weeks in a tiny, intimate theatre in London that the next stop should be a Broadway house."

While there are similarities with the trajectory of the two shows, I think one of the most important differences was the timeline regarding Katie Brayben and her pregnancy. I have a suspicion that the creatives and producers believed strongly in the material, and rapturous reception in London; knew their leading lady was integral to the project; and eschewed any additional development period that would have occurred during the time of her pregnancy as unnecessary. Instead of a West End run, or more smartly, a Stateside pre-Broadway engagement to test out how the material lands on the home audience, they must have thought time was of the essence -- and riding the wave the initial production generated would be the wisest course. (Hindsight is 20/20, of course.)

I'm in no way blaming or demeaning Ms. Brayben for her important life choice! But I think the Olivier win, critical reception, and perception of "need for speed" led the producers to not do their due diligence with the material. 

ETA: And there was also probably a feeling of "insulation" with the pedigree of the creative team attached, rightly or wrongly. "The New Elton John musical!" "Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters!" "Award-winning James Graham!" In prior seasons, that may have meant more to the general public than it does currently. 

Updated On: 11/16/24 at 06:13 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 7:00am

Brayben is good, to be sure, and I know she was quite acclaimed in the UK, but I really did not see a star turn performance from her that necessitated bringing her over instead of casting locally. Whatever made her- and the show itself- special seems to have been lost in the trip across the Atlantic. 
 

Honestly, I was mostly just thinking how Kristin Chenoweth would have been a truly wonderful match between performer and role. 

[inception]

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

Theatremonkey said insulation... perhaps it was a sort of isolation - with the creatives all just holed up together, and not getting any inside feedback letting them know things weren't going well.  I also think perhaps we are seeing a certain amount of arrogance on the part of some creators with many works a various media lately.  Immediately the recent Joker Folie movie comes to mind and also  Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis.  Earlier this year on Broadway we saw the bad reaction the creatives had to Lempicka's failure.

An artist needs to have confidence in their work, but they also need the humility to ask for outside input.  Especially for such expensive, commercial products.

[broadwaybaybee22]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 7:49am

TheatreMonkey said: "EricMontreal22 said: "   
ETA: And there was also probably a feeling of "insulation" with the pedigree of the creative team attached, rightly or wrongly. "The New Elton John musical!" "Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters!" "Award-winning James Graham!" In prior seasons, that may have meant more to the general public than it does currently."

You hit the nail on the head with this statement.  It appears the powers on this Tammy Faye production felt that because of the Olivier Award win by the lead actress and most importantly  that this is an Elton John/Jake Shears project they didn't feel the  need to even address any of the issues prior to going into previews at The Palace.

The biggest concern should have been can we go from a smaller venue like The Almedia Theater to the Palace and still maintain the "feel" for this show?  Will we be able to fill over 1600 seats every night? They only had a 6 week run in the UK at a theater with 320 seats.

Also did they do any marketing research on the public interest in its subject matter?  And most importantly what audience were they actually targeting?  If it's the gay community then great.  Target them... market them... etc. 

Not to be mean but I am not aware of Tammy Faye having a huge fanbase like other celebrities. It's a scandal from almost 40 years ago and she's been deceased for close to 20 years. Most younger people would most likely be clueless to who this person is. 

The loss of Andrew Rannells wasn't expected. This further complicated the production trying to scramble to find a quick suitable replacement.  By the time they started previews on Oct 19th they clearly weren't ready but maybe thought the issues they were facing were minimal and could be addressed and fixed over the next few weeks of previews.

They didn't expect the extreme negative audience reaction to the musical and especially on the various message boards. This left them  trying to fix several problems/issues that would have required several months or more to fix. Certainly not 3 or 4 weeks like they had to work on this. I was always under the impression previews were mainly to work out technical difficulties and minor changes.  Not complete book rewrites, songs  etc. 

The cast I believe worked extremely hard and were dedicated for sure. These are very talented individuals working on this project.  They tried to make improvements and according to some posting on here the musical did improve somewhat.

I hope the people involved in the decision making (Elton, David,  the director and producers)will all look at what the critics are saying with an open mind and not be offended. Art is about taking constructive criticism, learning from it,  and growing and improving. I am sure they are very upset over the negative reviews and it is understandable considering the amount of money,  time and hard work that went into making this musical happen. 

 

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 8:33am

broadwaybaybee22 said: "TheatreMonkey said: "EricMontreal22 said: "
ETA: And there was also probably a feeling of "insulation" with the pedigree of the creative team attached, rightly or wrongly. "The New Elton John musical!" "Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters!" "Award-winning James Graham!" In prior seasons, that may have meant more to the general public than it does currently."

You hit the nail on the head with this statement. It appears the powerson this Tammy Faye production felt that because of the Olivier Award win by the lead actress and most importantly that this is an Elton John/Jake Shearsproject they didn't feel the need to even address any of the issues prior to going into previews at The Palace.

The biggest concern should have been can we go from a smaller venue like The Almedia Theater to the Palace and still maintain the "feel" for this show? Will we be able to fill over 1600 seats every night?They only had a 6 week run in the UK at a theater with 320 seats.

Also did they do any marketing research on the public interest in its subject matter? And most importantly what audience were they actually targeting? If it's the gay community then great. Target them... market them... etc.

Not to be mean but I am not aware of Tammy Faye having a huge fanbase like other celebrities. It's a scandal from almost 40 years ago and she's been deceased for close to 20 years. Most younger people would most likely be clueless to who this person is.

The loss of Andrew Rannells wasn't expected. This further complicated the production trying to scramble to find a quick suitable replacement. By the time they started previews on Oct 19ththey clearly weren't ready but maybe thought the issues they were facing were minimal and could be addressed and fixed over the next few weeks of previews.

They didn't expect the extreme negativeaudience reaction to the musical and especially on the various message boards. This left them trying to fix severalproblems/issues that would have required several months or more to fix. Certainly not 3 or 4 weeks like they had to work on this. I was always under the impression previews were mainly to work out technical difficulties and minor changes. Notcomplete book rewrites, songs etc.

The cast I believe worked extremely hard and were dedicated for sure. These are very talented individuals working on this project. They tried to make improvements and according to some posting on herethe musical did improve somewhat.

I hope the people involved in the decision making (Elton, David, the director and producers)will all look at what the critics are saying with an open mind and not be offended. Art is about taking constructive criticism, learning from it, and growing and improving. I am sure they are very upset over the negative reviews and it is understandable considering the amount of money, time and hard work that went into making this musical happen.

"

Good points! I feel Elton is aware of how bad this musical is, remember reports saying he walked away from Devil wears Prada in the Chicago try-out? He knows when something simply doesn't work. 

[Kad]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 8:43am

I think there are many reasons this didn’t work. It’s been in development for many years and seems to had too many cooks pushing and pulling it in different directions, resulting in something with no strong point of view. John seems to be generally absent as a composer and resistant to making meaningful changes to his scores, Shears is not a strong theatrical lyricist, and Graham as a writer has a somewhat chilly remove from his historical subjects. The subject matter plays much differently in the US than in the UK, particularly today. These don’t explain the stunning lack of sales from the jump, though, which seems to indicate an extreme lack of interest. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 8:49am

Elton isn’t a stranger to horrible reviews - his Broadway production LESTAT was dragged thru the coals back in 2006. Heck, even though the Original Broadway Cast Recording was recorded, he pulled the plug on it and its release was cancelled. This is his second colossal flop on Broadway. Let’s hope THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA fairs better when that decides to cross the Atlantic to Broadway. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 8:54am

Considering how bad the sales are, I’m surprised it has completely disappeared from TDF, and isn’t on any of the papering sites I follow

[broadwaybaybee22]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 10:17am

pablitonizer said: "
Good points! I feel Elton is aware of how bad thismusical is, remember reports saying he walked away from Devil wears Prada in the Chicago try-out? He knows when something simply doesn't work."

You're right. When checking his social media his focus is now  on his new album with Brandi Carlile. He had posted about the new single they recorded but no updated photos from his appearance at the opening night of the Tammy Faye musical.

 I'm sure reading the critics negative reviews after the opening had to be depressing for all involved but especially Elton since his name is attached to it.  I noticed they even changed the title from "Tammy Faye the Musical" to "Elton John's Tammy Faye". Sadly the title change didn't seem to help boost ticket sales.  

[Jimbob2]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 10:47am

Kad said: "Brayben is good, to be sure, and I know she was quite acclaimed in the UK, but I really did not see a star turn performance from her that necessitated bringing her over instead of casting locally. Whatever made her- and the show itself- special seems to have been lost in the trip across the Atlantic.


Honestly, I was mostly just thinking how Kristin Chenoweth would have been a truly wonderful match between performer and role."

I haven't searched extensively up-thread (and I expect you know this already) but on YouTube there's chatshow footage of Chinoweth talking about her 'in development' Tammy Faye musical 8 yrs ago. From the tone of the interviewer it sounds like by then there was already a sense of 'why hasn't this progressed quicker - it's surely a slam dunk'.

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 10:56am

That incarnation of Tammy Faye’s story with Chenoweth was a completely different project and featured a score by composer Henry Krieger and a book by Australian playwright Anthony Crowley. 

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 11:40am

Theranos! The Musical featuring Renee Rapp as Elizabeth Holmes!

Anna Delvey! The Musical featuring Micaela Diamond as Anna Delvey!

That's what Tammy Faye feels like in the states. Someone on the Bway reddit was talking about how their grandparents still remember being swindled into "donating" all their savings. Americans aren't removed enough from this story for the camp to hit.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 12:04pm

I was in my late teens/early 20s and completely remember the whole Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker era perfectly and as a non-religious person. Yes, she was ridiculously hilarious and everything about her was over-the-top and campy, from those insane shoulder pads, her curly perm and of course, the “way too much mascara” make-up. Somehow there was this sadness about her due to her trying so hard to be mainstream. What we remember the most is her always crying and her mascara running down her face. When all that expose craziness started unfolding, that’s when the country became invested as it all became one sh*t show in the news. Jerry Falwell, Jessica Hahn - it was tabloid gems and everyone was watching. Calling her an icon is farfetched as no one saw her this way - pop culture icon? Absolutely. 

This is how many viewed Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker during their heyday in the 1980s:

 

 

 

[Up In One]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 12:19pm

Hope the Queen of Versailles team are reading these reviews many of the same criticisms are true of that show with its eye on Broadway.   

[Famebroadway2]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 12:41pm

Up In One said: "Hope the Queen of Versailles team are reading these reviews many of the same criticisms are true of that show with its eye on Broadway."

I thought the same thing this morning! 

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 1:00pm

This is pure conjecture on my part, but could some of the steamrolling with which this project moved forward be Elton John's own preference?

He is, admittedly, not a well man: his eyesight is going, he is frequently wheelchair bound, and his public statements have leaned into memento-mori gallows humor about how his organs and limbs are going one by one. He's also a living legend in semi-retirement, so rich, powerful and influential that a flop would neither bankrupt him nor tarnish his legacy.

Is it possible that he's in his "I wanna live before I die" period, pushing his passion projects and hobbies ahead rather than risking them (and him) dying in an extended workshopping period?

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 1:28pm

It's a shame this apparently isn't coalescing because the Faye/Bakker story is painfully relevant and also a great piece of contemporary history (the rise of the 24 hour news cycle and the modern christofascist empire, both of which have basically lead directly to Trump). I'm almost curious enough to try to see it but I have no idea if it'll last long enough for that to happen. Tammy getting eaten alive by cancer while her rapist husband has been allowed to go on hawking his nightmare nonsense is a pertinent and cruel cosmic joke.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/16/24 at 1:45pm

It should be noted that the musical whitewashes Jim Bakker’s relationship to Jessica Hahn. It’s portrayed as simply an affair- her allegations of being drugged and raped are not mentioned at all.