Elton John loves bringing 'incredible' 'Tammy Faye' music to life

Elton John and his husband David Furnish have long been captivated by Tammy Faye, a televangelist known for her bold style, compassion, and complicated legacy. 

Her 1985 interview with gay pastor Steve Pieters, living with AIDS, on her show Tammy's House Party, particularly inspired them. 

This moment, alongside her rise and fall, led John and Furnish to adapt her story into a West End show and now a Broadway musical.

"I toured America for so long and so often that she became someone I was very, very interested in... This woman was incredible. The way she looked, talked, acted - vibrant, full of life, joy, and forgiveness," John said. 

"I love interesting people like that who have had great success, been banished, lost everything, and then come back due to faith and belief."

John and Furnish optioned Tammy Faye's life rights 12 years ago, assembling a creative team including James Graham and Rupert Goold. John wrote the music, drawing on American Southern influences, and collaborated with Jake Shears on lyrics.

"All great music from America came from the South. Everything started there," John said. "I'm a born-again Southern person."

The musical, premiering on Broadway November 14 at the Palace Theatre, stars Katie Brayben as Tammy Faye, Christian Borle as Jim Bakker, and Michael Cerveris as Jerry Falwell.

Furnish explained why they chose a musical: "It's a bright, brash, colorful world, larger than life. Music was integral to that world; Tammy was a great singer. Hymns, music, and faith fit musical theater perfectly."

John acknowledged the musical's examination of televangelism's rise and conservative movement under Ronald Reagan may "jangle nerves." 

"A lot of evangelicals might not like what we're saying, but the truth is Jerry Falwell convincing Ronald Reagan to bring church into state changed America forever."