‘Tammy Faye,’ With a Big Assist From Elton John, Captures the Televangelism Era in All Its Messy Glory

The first image presented in the new Broadway musical “Tammy Faye,” before the curtain even rises, is a pair of gleaming, heavily mascaraed blue eyes, representing those of the show’s heroine, Tammy Faye Bakker. Then, as the orchestra begins to play, those eyes well up and leak tears, and that mascara — through a trick of Finn Ross’s video design — begins to streak, quickly forming sizable smudges.The real Tammy Faye Bakker — who died Tammy Faye Messner in 2007, having remarried by that point — was, of course, nearly as notorious for her heavy hand with makeup as she was for the scandals that implicated Jim Bakker, her first husband and partner in televangelism, in the late 1980s. Anyone who was around at that time surely remembers how “The PTL Club” — the acronym stood for “Praise the Lord” — and its satellite network became mired in accusations of financial foul play, including hush money Jim had allegedly paid a church secretary after, by her account, raping her. Jim was eventually convicted of multiple fraud and conspiracy charges and sent to prison.As for Tammy Faye, who during her time on the TV program had addressed topics considered taboo with a rising Christian conservative coalition — notable among them the then-raging AIDS crisis — she found a new calling as a gay ally, parlaying the flamboyant personal style and refusal to condemn homosexuality that made her controversial with certain audiences to sustain her celebrity and champion the rights of others.Katie Brayben in ‘Tammy Faye.’ Matthew Murphy“Tammy Faye,” which had its premiere at London two years ago, doesn’t detail these later developments. But it does conclude with its title character’s ascent into heaven, and over nearly two and a half hours the musical makes its case for that ultimate reward — loudly and ardently, with precisely the mix of earnestness and irreverence one might expect. The cast is led, vigorously, by English actress Katie Brayben, making her Broadway debut after winning an Olivier Award for her performance in the London production. Two of our own most beloved and reliable leading men, Christian Borle and Michael Cerveris, respectively play Jim Bakker and Jerry Falwell, the pastor and activist most closely associated with the rise of the Moral Majority movement during the Reagan era.Yet the biggest star involved in this musical is its composer, Elton John. “Tammy Faye” marks the first new musical to feature a full score of original songs by Mr. John since “Billy Elliot” made its premiere at New York in 2008. Another pop veteran, Jake Shears, the Scissor Sisters frontman and solo artist, contributed the lyrics, and the libretto was written by British playwright James Graham, who in his most recent Broadway outing, “Ink,” offered a rather less than favorable view of a young Rupert Murdoch.Mr. Graham is joined here by one of his collaborators on “Ink,” the director Rupert Goold, whose own penchant for bold, stylish gestures would seem to make him a good match for this tale of ambition and corruption — and, in this case, redemption — on our side of the Atlantic. Bunny Christie’s set is dominated by a wall of TV screens, on which Mr. Ross’s bright, playful projections share time with the various characters, who range from media mogul Ted Turner to Pope John Paul II and the archbishop of Canterbury.American preachers occupy the spotlight, of course, particularly other televangelists of the era, several of whom endured their own public falls from grace. Although Falwell is the most prominent, we’re also reintroduced to Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart, and Marvin Gorman, who are seen seething with envy as the Bakkers rocket to fame and fortune selling a kinder, gentler brand of Christianity — one that accommodates silly jokes, cooking segments, and interviews with the publisher of Hustler, Larry Flynt, and a pastor suffering from AIDS.Falwell is the most reprehensible, or at least gets the most stage time. Mr. Cerveris, a marvelous actor and singer, is saddled with playing a caricature of religious and political extremism and opportunism, and a somber one at that. Scheming to get the approval of Ronald Reagan — played as a presidential candidate by Ian Lassiter, who also pops up as Swaggart and the archbishop — he intones, “Sir, it’s time to put God in the White House.”The equally talented Mr. Borle fares a little better: The role of Jim accommodates his flair for goofy comedy, and Messrs. Graham and Shears have, appropriately, made the character more sympathetic, despite his weaselly qualities, which the actor captures as adroitly as one would expect.Yet the musical is called “Tammy Faye,” after all, and it’s ultimately up to Ms. Brayben to carry it. She does so gamely, belting out the anthemic power ballads Mr. John has created for the part and infusing several country-flavored numbers he has provided with the necessary twang. Just as importantly, her Tammy Faye is palpably human, emerging as neither the cartoon character portrayed by her critics nor a saint — though the show’s creators have nudged her a little closer to the latter.“‘Light’ is mentioned way more in the Bible than ‘darkness,’” she points out toward the end. “And love? Love is mentioned so much.” Whatever your religious affiliation, it’s a point worth remembering.

‘Tammy Faye,’ With a Big Assist From Elton John, Captures the Televangelism Era in All Its Messy Glory

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