Christian Borle on TAMMY FAYE and Its Powerful Message of Love

Fall Preview 2024

Christian Borle

By
Andrew Martini
No items found.
on
September 30, 2024 4:25 PM
Category:
Features

Hallelujah! Tammy Faye, the Olivier Award-winning London hit, will begin previews this fall at the Palace Theatre, with an opening scheduled for November 14, 2024. It will be the first full-scale musical to play the newly-renovated Broadway house.

Tammy Faye tells the story of famed televangelist Tammy Faye Messner and her husband Jim Bakker, whose message of love and faith reaches an audience of millions in a glitzy, over-the-top package in the mid-1970s. As their wealth and status grows, rivals from the conservative right rise to take Tammy down, especially as her determination to lead with love welcomes in communities they would rather keep out.

Tammy Faye features a score by musical legend Elton John, with lyrics by Jake Shears, a book by James Graham, and choreography by Lynne Page. Rupert Goold, who directed the run in London, returns to direct on Broadway.

Leading the cast, is two-time Olivier Award winner Katie Brayben, who won her second Olivier Award for playing Tammy Faye at the Almeida Theatre in London, two-time Tony Award winner Christian Borle as Tammy’s husband Jim Bakker, and Michael Cerveris, another two-time Tony Award winner, as Jerry Falwell, the ultraconservative founder of Liberty University and fellow televangelist.

I had the chance to speak with Borle about playing Jim Bakker, a complex and controversial figure, and the joys of working with an iconic creative team to bring this story to life.

“What’s been fascinating about jumping into this project that has existed for a couple years now is to see that it kind of exists in its own musical universe,” said Borle. “So, it’s the story of Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker, obviously, and some real life people, but the play is very much its own thing.”

“Katie Brayben has welcomed me with open arms. We bonded immediately. She’s so down to earth and, while she’s taking it very seriously, she seems unfazed by the scope of what’s required of her. She’s dancing across the top of the water in a really exciting way.”

When asked about working with an icon like Elton John, Borle admitted that he was initially nervous, but those feelings quickly disappeared. 

“I have fallen so quickly in love with the music,” he said. “Initially, it was intimidating to think about doing new Elton John songs. But they’re just so good and they’re so actor-driven with the lyrics by Jake Shears, and they’re so smart and funny.”

The Palace Theatre, where Tammy Faye will begin previews this fall, was Borle’s former Broadway home during his Tony-nominated run as Emmett Forrest in Legally Blonde from 2007-2008. After a visit to the brand new space, Borle told me, “I’m having flashbacks to ‘Chip on My Shoulder.’ Like, yeah, you’ve got to play up [to the balcony]. But they don’t seem far away. What they’ve done is gorgeous. I can’t wait for people to see that house.”

For Theatrely’s Gen-Z audience, Tammy Faye might be the first exposure our readers have to Tammy Faye Bakker and her unique persona—a fact that didn’t bother Borle at all, but actually excited him. 

“I love that there’s an audience that’s going to come see the show that is not overly familiar with these people and their story,” he said, “because as I was reading the script, I thought it was one thing, but it turns out to be so many things. There are twists and turns in the story that you will not see coming and I think that people who don’t know it might not even believe that it’s a true story.”

“Ultimately,” he added, “in this day and age, it’s wonderful to have a musical, and to be working on a musical, whose ultimate message is about the power of love over the power of hate.”

Tammy Faye begins performances on October 19, 2024 at the Palace Theatre. For tickets and more information, visit here

Theatrely’s 2024 Fall Preview is sponsored by The Broadway Cruise 3, setting sail to Cozumel, Mexico this March. To learn more, visit here

No items found.
Andrew Martini

Andrew Martini is a writer currently living in Brooklyn. He is a fan of all things theatre, especially musicals. Originally from New Jersey, Andrew is an avid reader and, above all, an ice cream snob.