It takes more than a holy spirit and revivalist verve to make “Tammy Faye” divinely suited for musical theater.

Creating a successful musical requires a creative team to have a clear vision of what the show should embody: Is it meant to be a campy romp, a sharp critique, an emotional drama, a clever satire, or an insightful biography? The new Broadway musical “Tammy Faye” attempts to explore all these perspectives but fails to commit to any, lacking confidence, consistency, or purpose. The result is as chaotic as Tammy’s makeup.

This misguided West End import

Directed by Rupert Goold and featuring songs by Elton John, the show begins with a sense of wicked irreverence as Tammy (Katie Brayben), dressed in white, ascends into a celestial light accompanied by a heavenly choir. However, instead of meeting her maker, she finds herself with her proctologist, where a colon cancer diagnosis triggers a flashback to her life filled with faith, love, and guilt.

Meeting Jim Bakker

At a megachurch event hosted by Billy Graham (Mark Evans, appropriately charismatic), Tammy encounters her future husband Jim Bakker (Christian Borle), a traveling Christian puppeteer. His preaching style draws eye-rolls from the Evangelical leadership, including Jerry Falwell (Michael Cerveris), Pat Robertson (Andy Taylor), Jimmy Swaggart (Ian Lassiter), and Marvin Gorman (Max Gordon Moore).

Building a ministry

However, Tammy’s positive encouragement helps Jim stand out from the “doom and gloomers,” and together they establish a ministry that is loving, entertaining, and fabulous. They eventually persuade Ted Turner (also played by Taylor) to launch the PTL (“Praise the Lord”) satellite network, where they achieve stardom of biblical proportions.

Gaining followers

Tammy’s emotive personality, along with her unconventional segments on cooking, fashion, and solutions for erectile dysfunction, attracts millions of followers. As their massive satellite congregation threatens other religious leaders, Falwell seizes an opportunity to enhance his own influence beyond his ministry.

Complicated character

At first glance, Tammy Faye Bakker seems like an ideal figure for musical theater, where strong, larger-than-life women are celebrated. However, a closer inspection reveals a complex character, marked by her extravagant lifestyle, substance abuse, and willful ignorance of her husband’s exploitative schemes against the poor.

Softened flaws

In James Graham’s storytelling, Tammy’s shortcomings are downplayed or glossed over, with no significant character to balance the bitterness or delve into the psychology, making it difficult to invest in the show. At least “Evita” had Che.

The inevitable fall

The second act depicts the inevitable decline, which is less engaging than the rise. Tammy’s compassionate support for a gay pastor with AIDS on her talk show marks the beginning of their downfall, compounded by revelations of her husband’s affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn (Alana Pollard) and Jim’s dubious plans for the Christian housing development/theme park, Heritage USA.

Context of the narrative

Like the documentary and Michael Showalter’s film “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” Graham attempts to frame the musical within the broader context of a growing national conservative movement, which Falwell exploited “to put God in the White House.” Yet, the musical only skims the surface of themes like religious hypocrisy, greed, egos, and pandering politicians.

Lighthearted cameos

The show receives some uplift from lighthearted appearances by various political, media, and religious figures, including Ronald Reagan (Lassiter), the Archbishop of Canterbury (Lassiter again), Thomas S. Monson, head of the LDS Church (Moore), Ted Turner (Taylor), and Pope John Paul II (Taylor). Interestingly, their perspectives are never expressed through song.

Brayben’s performance

Brayben, who originated the role in London, makes an effort to navigate the show’s varied tones, imbuing Tammy with heart, soul, and a powerful voice. However, she is hindered by John’s score, featuring lyrics by Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears. The songs lack distinction and character depth, presenting generic and forgettable power ballads, Christian pop songs, and revivalist anthems.

Characterization of Jim Bakker

Tony winner Borle strives to infuse life into his portrayal of Tammy’s troubled husband, but Graham provides him with little more than puppet voices for humor and a dramatic meltdown. Cerveris’s rich baritone lends a chilling quality to Falwell’s character, yet he, too, lacks depth, appearing only to sneer and loom ominously.

Visual presentation

Katrina Lindsay’s costumes effectively evoke the ‘80s vibe with pastels and ample pink, while Bunny Christie’s set is dominated by a towering wall of television screens but lacks additional elements.

Conclusion

In yet another season finale that explores the afterlife, Tammy ultimately reconciles with her mortal sins, perceiving the light of a presumably forgiving God. However, audiences may not share such charitable sentiments.

Person

Tammy Faye, Rupert Goold, Elton John, Katie Brayben, Billy Graham, Mark Evans, Jim Bakker, Christian Borle, Jerry Falwell, Michael Cerveris, Pat Robertson, Andy Taylor, Jimmy Swaggart, Ian Lassiter, Marvin Gorman, Max Gordon Moore, Ted Turner, Taylor, Jessica Hahn, Alana Pollard, James Graham, Ronald Reagan, Thomas S. Manson, Pope John Paul II, Jake Shears, Tony Borle, Katrina Lindsay

Titles

Tammy Faye, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Heritage USA

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