The Birthday Chronicles Came To An End On Saturday November 23, With The Opportunity To See "Tammy Faye--A New Broadway Musical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

                                        Well, not for long, darlings, because the show is closing this afternoon.

                                       You know, girls, flops can be interesting.  Some are unrecognized classics, like "Henry, Sweet Henry," "Merrily We Roll Along," and "RAGS."  Others are just plain boring, like "A Doll's Life," even though it may have Harold Prince's direction.

                                         But then, there is "Tammy Faye."

                                         Interestingly enough, because of traffic, we were late for the show, arriving a half hour in.  You know, it did not make a damn bit of difference; in fact, had we missed the entire first act, it still would not have mattered

                                           No one really wants to watch a train wreck but watching a musical fall apart before one's eyes can be fascinating, especially to Theater Queens.  This.was the show's only virtue.

                                            Elton John may be a renowned songwriter, but he strikes out here.  Only one number, "If You Came To See Me Cry," sung with great passion by Katie Brayben, who plays Tammy, demonstrates what the show could have been, but it is too little, too late.  I felt really sorry for Miss Brayben, who was brought over here from London on a tidal wave of awards. She was probably sold a bill of goods that this show would do for her what "Evita" had done for Patti LuPone.  I could tell by all the lavishness of the sets and costumes, and opening the Palace Theatre after years, that this was exactly what the producers had in mind.  Except they had no score to back it up.  So, I have no idea what Brayben's future will be after this musical.  I am not worried about Christian Borle and Michael Cerveris, who are Broadway favorites and will soon find other gigs, which will soon make them forget about this one.  Rupert Goold, who directed Rene Zellweger in the film "Judy" fails again with another biographical product.  This show makes Tammy Faye into a saint, and she wasn't.  "Evita" had the guts to show the flaws of its titular character, but this show sanitizes and glosses over all the terrible things the Bakers did, so when the fall deservedly comes, those who don't remember this moment in history may be confused.  Like the recent news story about the cake for Eric Adams falling apart, this show does right before its audience's eyes.

                                            Yet it is not boring, because the astute theatergoer will keep analytically wondering what went wrong, or what could have been done to make this show better.  It had the talent, it had the drive, but there is no fire to this show, and Brayben, who does not even look like Tammy Faye hasn't the spark or charismatic presence that the real Tammy had.  Imagine a "Gypsy" with a bad Momma Rose.  Well, we got that with Bernadette Peters, back in 2003.  The results are the same here, except "Gypsy" still retained its great score.

                                               I feel sorry for those involved who worked so hard on this show.  I really do.

                                                Christian Evangelism, on television, whether you agree with it or not, does have a kind of theatrical magic.  That is what is sorely missing here.  Perhaps the show needed some evangelical consultants, because the show does not get it right.

                                                   The real thing knows how to hide the smoke and mirrors.  This show does not, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   After today, it will be forgotten!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!