Take two steps into the newly renovated Palace Theater and you’ll see them: the skyward-looking eyes of the late Christian televangelist Tammy Faye Messnerwhich were superimposed on a cotton candy sky. It’s a simple image – Tammy was, of course, known for her signature makeup – but look a little longer and you’ll soon notice thin streaks of black mascara running across the screen, suggesting that the real pain lies behind these dreamy blues. So it’s a shame that the musical adaptation of his life sacrifices both time and space to properly explore his many trials and tribulations in favor of over-the-top gags and bright, flashing lights.

Following a highly acclaimed stint at London’s Almeida Theatre, which saw Katie Brayben win an Olivier Award for her performance as the titular PTL Club host, Tammy Faye is now officially spreading the word on Broadway. The musical, which features a book by James Graham, attempts to serve as a retrospective look at Tammy Faye and her husband Jim Bakker (Tony Award winner Christian Borlé) rises and falls from grace, as well as the absorption of Christian ideals into the Republican Party during America’s televangelism boom. However, by trying to weave the two subjects so closely together, it doesn’t really dig into either, instead creating a superficial, strangely lifeless look at a larger-than-life figure.

As the story progresses, Tammy and Jim meet at school and fall in love while running their own traveling Christian puppet show. Their hard work has earned them their own electric church – aka a religious TV show – which is skyrocketing to the top of the ratings due to Tammy’s charismatic personality and her interest in diversifying typical church content with interviews and lifestyle segments.

While receiving record audiences, pastors like Jerry Falwell (Michael Cerveris) begin conspiring behind the scenes to sabotage Tammy and Jim’s careers for the benefit of their own political and professional careers and, quite simply, because they hate to see a woman win. From there, the musical attempts to piece together as much of Tammy Faye and Jim’s life story as possible between moments featuring a chaotically evil clergyman and – truly – Ronald Reagan (Ian Lassiter) making a joke slow and sad on MAGA.

And this is where one of the Tammy FayeThe show’s biggest problem is that it wants to inspect both the joys of its host’s Christian broadcasts, while also impressing upon viewers the real-world implications that this movement still has on American politics today. As a result, the tone shifts wildly throughout its two-hour, 35-minute runtime — its talented ensemble delivers campy punchlines, sings, spanks them, and inflates extra-long hot pink balloons while they perform an innuendo. -a God-filled song (“He’s Inside Me”) one moment, then have Cerveris sinisterly perform a fire-and-brimstone ballad the next.

It also largely eliminates Tammy’s involvement in PTL’s possible legal troubles and rarely makes her face the faces of those affected by her company’s actions, making her appear like a victim of circumstances rather than someone one that effectively took funds from its subscribers under the pretense that it would save them or gain them hotel perks.

Its songs, brought to life by solid music from the EGOT winner Elton John and lyrics by Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters, manages to give a glimpse into Tammy’s mind, but there aren’t many memorable tracks behind “He’s Inside Me” and “In My Prime Time” that stick in the minds of the audience after the performance. Still, Brayben’s voice – which is infused with a sweet country twang – is a real highlight, particularly in the final two musical performances of the evening. That being said, several songs could have been cut entirely to keep the show running smoothly and more focused on its star.

Brayben brings to Tammy Faye both a kindness and, later, a conflicted nature that feels earned. As ex-husband Jim, Borle manages to initially come across as a charming young man before slowly and thoughtfully bringing out his darker, more corrupt side. Meanwhile, Cerveris does a fantastic job of putting you under the skin of pure evil Falwell, as he delivers fiery odes to a satellite and berates Tammy Faye and women like her. However, Graham’s book and Rupert Goold’s direction move past so many of the characters’ transgressions with such speed that it is difficult to feel sympathy for anyone’s actions by the end of the musical.

That’s not to say there aren’t touching moments within Tammy Faye. Her support for the LGBTQIA+ community is mentioned throughout the musical, but the reenactment of her groundbreaking 1985 interview with Steve Pieters, a gay man with AIDS, is easily one of the musical’s most effective scenes . Others, like the opening of the second act, which is recorded backstage and broadcast on screens, allow viewers to witness a rawer, more resilient version of Tammy as she gives herself a speech of encouragement, sprays her hair one more time, then walks. on stage for his big comeback. If only there had been more moments like this.

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And speaking of hairspray, the real star of Tammy Faye is his directing, makeup and production design. Costume designer Katrina Lindsay showcases Tammy’s looks through her many eras, which range from simple pink dresses to rainbow ensembles to a dress worthy of Violet Chachki revealedwhile wig, hair and makeup designer Luc Verschueren keeps his hair teased to the heavens and his mascara flowing. Tony and Olivier Award winner Bunny Christie also absolutely crushes it with her simple but effective scene design, showcasing a Hollywood Squares-platform that not only serves as the backdrop for Tammy’s show, but also allows its actors to broadcast lines from its windows or broadcast images on its many screens.

While Tammy Faye may try to wrap up its main character’s life in a pretty bow by preaching the importance of self-love and forgiveness, its end result, unfortunately, is a complicated portrait of an equally complicated woman. Grade: C