Tammy Faye the Musical; Will we Ever See It


According to reviews, Tammy Faye has all the marks of a successful musical. It has driving music, dancing and a story to tell. Tammy herself is portrayed as a soul with a big heart embracing LGBT people within fundamentalist Christianity. The men surrounding her journey, husband Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell and Par Robertson are empty suits going through the motions.

Remembering some of what went on back then, it seems surreal. Jim and Tammy had a daily morning RV show staged at their Christian resort. The audience were tourists there to behold the huge construction projects, hotels and restaurants. Success had already arrived for Jim and Tammy, natives of Northern Minnesota, but the bustling and talk were of even bigger things. Spending beyond the revenue and various other problems began to bring down the enterprise. Then Jim had a sexual encounter with another woman. As things spiraled downward Jerry Falwell took over the TV satellite broadcast. 

Jim went to prison for fraud and Tammy tried to keep a TV program going. She divorced Jim and married a contractor who had built the theme park. She died, Jim remarried and had a stroke but I still watch him briefly on his daily You Tube channel. It's an irresistible human drama. 

In spite of millions invested, Tammy Faye the Musical closed after a short run on Broadway. I hope there is a successful traveling version that comes to where I live so I can see it. There is nothing I enjoy more than stories about preachers/performers who claim to be blessed by God then experience the success as if that is true only to crash, God and all. It makes one doubt they were ever "blessed by God" or anyone else.

The Bakkers, along with Joel Osteen, should be given credit of not raising money by bashing gay people as so many others have done. We who find them entertaining will enjoy the saga of their lives for a long time to come.  

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