“It’s time to bring America back to God”
When the idea of musicals comes to fruition, it’s not atypical for shows that are set in the the USA (Hamilton, Chicago, 1776, Rent, Hair, Ghost – to name a few) to bring British audience nights of delightful entertainment… and now we have another one that follows the trend with Tammy Faye: A New Musical.
Admittedly, I wasn’t too sure myself who the American evangelist and television personality was; in this production, her life is charted in a superb manner by Katie Brayben. Tammy Faye gained prominence or her work with The PTL Club, a televangelist program that she co-founded with her husband Jim Bakker (Andrew Rannells’ character) in 1974. With music by Jake Shears (of Scissors Sister fame) and Elton John, I would have been lying if I wasn’t interested in how these two would serve up a delicious soundtrack of camp music and punchy lyrics.
Over the course of the two act performance, we are gripped by the drama of the lives of these two fantastically camp – yet deeply problematic – individuals. Their lives showcase some of the worst and best of humanity. The pacing of the action unfolds are a really good pace, and I felt immersed in the set design. Designed by Bunny Christie, it cleverly changes the hospital scenes and then subsequently the TV set (the windows showcasing different characters really effectively).
Overall, this production felt like a well-researched and an overly entertaining romps; its roaring success – with its high-energy end – will be seen by most of the community who can digest another glamorous staging of a not-so-glam subject. I felt the impact Tammy Faye had on the cis-gay male community was not glossed over, but instead plied with sensitivity that was important given its impactful nature for the wider LGBTQ+ community; the TV interview with a patient with AIDs cemented that legacy of how the fight to reduce stigma was (and is continuing to be) fought showed a more human side to Tammy Faye. Andrew Rannells give a brilliant performance, and for a West End debut was in his element; Zubin Varla’s Jerry Falwell was perfect in his facial expressions in particular and his ability to showcase the baddie without it teetering on the panto villain trope; finally, the choreography and direction (Ruper Goold) were both executed to the highest of standards. I felt like the space (Almeida) provides endless possibilities, and as far a producing houses go it was exceptional in its vision – clearsighted and for there to be slick changes done in a seamless manner.
A bit like how the Tiger King went from an unknown American personality to gaining prominence, I believe that the creatives on this show have worked hard to create a magnificent and captivating story that will resonate deeply with many audience members for varying reasons. Do not miss this! The run is sold-out but do check daily for returns.
** Note: For anyone under interested, the concessions for the Alameda are really worth checking out — as well as the Almedia For Free scheme i.e. a free performance for those aged 25 and under. On sale at 5pm on Mon 21 Nov for the following performance: Thu 24 Nov 7.30pm **
Until 3 Dec 2022 : https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/tammy-faye/11-oct-2022-3-dec-2022#open-calendar