Tammy Faye: A New Musical - Almeida

I don't think it was ever likely for the Autumn just because it would have been announced by now if it was.

All we can really go by at this point was an interview two weeks ago with their lyricist, Jake Shears who said "'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."

It's promising that something is happening and they still have a holding page for the website - but while I would like to see a West End transfer, there were a number of Broadway investors seeing the Almeida production so ya just never know where its next 'iteration' might be.....

I assume you mean David Furnish. :-)

I did hear rumblings a couple of months back that PRADA was looking for a West End theatre.

Lets hope Jerry Mitchell can work magic on PRADA like he did with KINKY BOOTS that also had a disastrous Chicago preview but went on to be a pretty decent musical.

As for TAMMY FAYE, having just listened to that interview he said moving to "a bigger theatre next year" so will guess that is West End as well (I hope).

I still think BG character and the song should have more 'religious fervor' and less camp.  If you surround a quirky, campy character like Tammy Faye with a setting where everyone else is either OTT or an oddball, we lose what made her special.

The many evangelists springing up around that time from Billy Graham to Jimmy Falwell, Pat Robertson and Jimmy Swaggart all had one thing in common: a serious but slightly jarring persona that made you pay attention even if you didn't care to. That was what made Jim and Tammy such a draw - they broke from that devoutly serious mould and made preaching fun, entertaining, accesible and warm...which made the quite them quite a target as they became more and more successful.

Totally agree about Jan and Paul and hope we see less of them in the revised version (and that "Run This Show" goes into the scrap heap). 

Heard it’s going to Broadway first. Then we can just pray it comes over here

It is currently listed  as 'in development' for Broadway on Theatrical Index so I would imagine that the show your American colleagues hated is not the show that Broadway will see in its next iteration. On a side note, I am from the US and adored it, not because I thought it was perfect but because there was a lot to like and it had great potential. 

In terms of how Americans might have received the Almeida version, the NYT gave it a very positive/encouraging review. The NY Post was less kind but the less said about that tabloid and the hack currently reveiwing on their behalf, the better.

You are correct about US democracy hanging on a thread but I wouldn't try and gauge what Broadway audiences will/will not cling to in today's climate. Yes, the show is about the rise of conservative Christianity and its integration into the GOP/American politics, but the central story is about a woman who rose above all that to embrace EVERYONE including those her fellow 'Christians' would have nothing to do with. Despite the worst of everything happening around her and to her, she always carried on smiling, singing and with a ton of heart and loyalty to her faith....and with make-up you could see from space.

Like others here, I look forward to it's next chapter.

FINGERS CROSSED!

Tony Award for Katie Brayben please

It probably won't end up coming back here. It's the kiss of death for the West End when these things go to the US after the taxpayer subsidised UK run (American Psycho, Groundhog Day).

I completely fail to understand, why when something has been a proven success here, they would want to go to (the comparatively harsher and less forgiving environment of) Broadway.

It was a mistake for Groundhog Day and it’s a mistake for this IMHO.

It’s a majority UK team and there’s an audience for it here.

I think the feeling is that TAMMY FAYE would have major appeal for Broadway audiences as Tammy Faye Bakker was a household name in America for much of the 1980s - 1990s but not really known on this side of the pond.  In addition, her story lends itself to musical treatment and having Elton John behind it certainly doesn't hurt.

On the plus side, they have been redeveloping the show since the Almeida version so to see it made bigger, better and (hopefully) Broadway ready will be interesting.

Whilst I don't necessarily disagree with you BVM, something in me says that Americans would relate to religious evangelism and TV evangelism, more that we would over here in the UK.

And it's my understanding that the height of Tammy Faye Baker's fame was in the late 80's, which is not that long ago for people to forget.  There was also that recent Jessica Chastain film about Tammy Faye Baker that she won the Academy Award for.

So, whilst she may not have been coming into people home via television like she used to - I do realise that she has passed on- although everyone from that time has moved on, the memory is still there.

You know it’s interesting that you say that.

I’m couldn’t say with absolute certainty if we took to TV evangelism in Australia. It may be a case that we did, but I was too young to truly understand it.

I do have vague memories of it. It was on Sunday mornings or very late in the evenings. Not to sure if it was live and that was because of the time zones.

I mentioned it to a friend when I saw the show and she said she remembered it vividly.