Just days following its debut, Elton John's Broadway production inspired by the life of televangelist Tammy Faye Messner has been abruptly canceled.
The music icon took on the task of composing the music for the production and was present at the grand premiere in New York. On the other hand, Jake Shears was responsible for crafting the lyrics for the show.
Although there was much excitement surrounding its transition from London's West End, where it had enjoyed a successful run, "Tammy Faye" did not resonate as strongly with US audiences.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show secured funding of $25 million.
An insider informed the Daily Mail that there were concerns from the writers about the storyline not resonating well with the audience.
"The 1700-capacity venue was only selling 300 tickets a night. This is not exactly great for Elton."
According to the insider, negative initial feedback about the show was so detrimental that it essentially put an end to its chances of success, leading industry insiders to believe it was destined to fail from the start.
The insider added, "The first-night reviews were not exactly positive. They thought they'd be cancelled before the year is out."
The New York Times described "Tammy Faye" on Broadway as a "disjointed, strangely bland musical," whereas Variety labeled it a "misguided West End import."
Having premiered on November 14, the show will be concluding its run on December 8 after a total of 24 preview shows and 29 regular performances.
"Tammy Faye" experienced a significant decline in ticket sales. During its latest run, the performance had the lowest revenue among all shows on Broadway, drawing audiences to a theater that was nearly 40% empty.
Katie Brayben plays Tammy Faye Bakker while Christian Borle potrays her husband, Jim Bakker.
Rocket Stage, owned by John, is the company behind the creation of the production "Tammy Faye."
