Casting has been finalized for the Broadway premiere of “Tammy Faye.” The previously announced musical will begin previews on Oct. 19 and open on Nov. 14 at the Palace Theatre. Rupert Goold will direct the musical, which features a book by James Graham, music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears and additional music by Tom Deering.
Newly announced cast members include Tony Award nominee Charl Brown as Steve Pieters, Nick Bailey as Paul Crouch, Mark Evans as Billy Graham, Allison Guinn as Jan Crouch, Ian Lassiter as Jimmy Swaggart/Ronald Reagan/Archbishop, Raymond J. Lee as John Fletcher, Max Gordon Moore as Thomas S. Monson/Marvin Gorman, Alana Pollard as Jessica Hahn and Andy Taylor as Pat Robertson/Ted Turner. Autumn Hurlbert will play the titular role at select performances to be announced.
Brown is a 2013 Tony Award nominee for his featured turn as Smokey Robinson in “Motown,” while Bailey understudied in the Broadway mounting of “Casa Valentina.”
Evans appeared as Stuart Dunmire “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Guinn’s Main Stem credits include revivals of “Hair” and “On the Town.”
“Tammy Faye” will mark the first Broadway musical credit for Lassiter and Moore. Both have multiple straight-plays credits to their name; Lassiter performed in “King Lear” and “War Horse,” while Moore appeared in “The Nap” and “Indecent.”
“Tammy Faye” will be Lee’s third Broadway musical of 2024, having performed in both “Sweeney Todd” and “The Heart of Rock and Roll.”
Taylor’s Broadway credits span three decades, having appeared in “Titanic,” “Once” and “On the Twentieth Century,” among others.
“Tammy Faye” will mark the Broadway debut of Pollard.
Hurlbert made her Main Stem debut in “Legally Blonde” and played Portia in the national tour of “Something Rotten!”
Rounding out the company are ensemble members Amanda Clement, Jonathan Duvelson, Lily Kaufmann, Elliott Mattox, Brittany Nicholas, Aveena Sawyer, Allysa Shorte, Daniel Torres and Dana Wilton, as well as swings Michael Di Liberto, Denis Lambert, Keven Quillon and TJ Tapp.
They join the previously announced principal players Katie Brayben as Tammy Faye Bakker, Christian Borle as Jim Bakker and Michael Cerveris as Jerry Falwell. Brayben won an Olivier Award for playing Tammy Faye in the musical’s 2022 run at the Almeida Theatre in London’s West End, while Andrew Rannells was originally announced to play Jim Bakker. Casting is by C12 Casting/Carrie Gardner and Jillian Cimini.
“Tammy Faye” chronicles real-life couple Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, who preached their version of evangelistic Christianity to Americans via the television in the 1970s. Tammy just wants to put the fun back in faith, however, she faces increasing pressure from a new wave of ministers to push religion into schools and the law.
“Tammy Faye” is being produced by Rocket Stage, Greene Light Stage and James L. Nederlander.
