Tammy Faye: A New Musical - Almeida

“Braybells Ring Are You Listening: Katie Brayben covers Tammy Faye Christmas Classics.”

I doubt that as TAMMY FAYE isn't expected until the autumn.

My money is on The Noel Coward as PATRIOTS closes at the end of August.

I think Something Else has Booked the Noel Coward for the Autumn, but I could be wrong.

The haymarket is absolutely not on the list of theatres that any self respecting musical wants.

Strike That And Reverse It. It changed, They only ended up Recording 5 or so Songs which is a bit of a shame really as it seems like they had the time to record more.

Light Of The World, If Only Love, He's Inside Me, Satellite of God and If You Came To See Me Cry

If You Came To See Me Cry should stay as the 11 o'clock number - but they do need a new finale

One would think they would have announced a theatre/next move by now. We know they recorded promo tracks in December but total silence (mostly) since then with Katie Brayben saying after her Olivier win that something would be happening.

Just seems oddly quiet for a show meant to have had a transfer in mind.

Katie is incredibly pregnant (in fact she's probably had the baby by now!) and the entire show is her - it's nothing without her - so I figure they're taking their time, she's having her child, and then they will do the work needed and get it ready.

This won't be a thing til next year at the earliest

In an interview with Jake Shears (Tammy Faye lyricist) that was posted last week on a few online sites, including The Cheyenne Post, it appears the show is finally moving into its next phase:

Although 'Tammy Faye' wrapped up in December 2022, the 'Take Your Mama' hitmaker suggested there are still some big plans afoot.

He teased: "I think 'Tammy Faye' is going to go on to have a good life, hopefully, knock on wood. It's going to go in its next iteration. I can't really say any details. We got a couple of Oliviers for it."

Sounds like they are wisely giving it a revision before it's next mounting, just not sure where that will be.

Agreed. I think that is why I am slightly obsessed with this piece. It was a good show despite its flaws with potential to become a great one. Curious if same creative team will remain intact as it changes.

Totally agree about the Jan Crouch character. She was a minor character and has way too much stage time. What time that character loses onstage should go the character of Jessica Hahn who played a huge role in the downfall of Jim and Tammy's ministry. In fact, Jessica became as much a household name in America as Jim and Tammy Bakker (and like the Bakkers, was often satirised on SNL). At the Almeida, she goes as quickly as she appears.

Jan's inclusion also means too many 'kooks' spoil the broth. At the Almeida, every character was dialed up to 11 for broad comedy. We had a  southern gothic monster like Jan Crouch, and worse, a preening, pirouetting Billy Graham, which made zero sense and wasn't really funny.  Because of so many broad, played-for-laughs characterisations surrounding her, the essence of Tammy's sweet-natured but odd-balled buffoonery, matched with make-up you could see from space, gets lost. She needs to stand out above the rest and I hope the new iteration dials down the secondary character clownery and goes a little more for the heart. Less could be so much more and I look forward to seeing what they do with it next.

And yes, Jan was better known in the US but not until sometime after Tammy Faye had left PTL (even though they were both there at the beginning). They could lose her altogether and lose nothing.