Katie Brayben Talks About Playing Tammy Faye Bakker on Broadway: "She Truly Led With Love"

Portraying a real person onstage or in film comes with challenges and sometimes real awards.

Actors Jessica Chastain and Katie Brayben both took home top prizes — an Oscar and an Olivier, respectively — for playing the late televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, who has been ridiculed for her lavish lifestyle and praised for her devotion to AIDS patients.

Now, Brayben has brought her acclaimed portrayal to Broadway in the new musical Tammy Faye, at the Palace Theatre, starring alongside Tony Award winners Christian Borle as her husband Jim, and Michael Cerveris as the Reverend Jerry Falwell in this tuner with a score composed by Elton John and Jake Shears and a direction by Rupert Goold.

TheaterMania recently spoke with Brayben about playing Tammy Faye, portraying other real people, working with Borle, Cerveris, John, and Shears, and adjusting to Broadway audiences.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

How did much you know about Tammy Faye before taking the role, and how has your opinion of her changed — if at all?
I don’t know much about her. We really haven’t heard of televangelism in the UK, and my first thought about people like her asking regular people for money is that I felt it was criminal. Once I got the role, I did a lot of research on her, and I discovered how she truly led with love. Ultimately, we start this show with two people — she and Jim — who want to spread the word of God and do good in the world, but their power ultimately corrupts each of them in some way. I know there are many compromising things about her, but I really enjoy that complexity!

How important is it to you that people like Tammy?
I think it’s important for the creators — especially Elton and Jake — that they love her. Tammy means a lot to them for obvious reasons. Personally, I think it’s up to the audience to decide how they feel about her; it’s not for me to tell them what they think, or whether they should empathize with them. I don’t want to push anyone in any particular direction.

You have played real people before, most notably Carole King in Beautiful and Princess Diana in King Charles III. Can you tell me about what you feel is your responsibility to these women?
Of course, I feel a responsibility to portray them accurately. But I am not afraid of that responsibility. In fact, I find it thrilling. It’s a gift to watch these people in videos, read their biographies, listen to their records. I love doing research. But what I love even more is being able to step into a room and do the piece the creators have put in front of me.

What is it like to have Elton John and Jake Shears write songs for you?
Honestly, they’re writing for Tammy and the piece, mainly, not Katie. But it’s been amazing. What’s wonderful for me is getting to play a role no one has played in this iteration. I am not fitting into anyone else’s vocal range. Singing is such a joy for me, but it’s not joyful when I am under pressure to sing in another person’s style. Plus, I get to be a part of a creative process with these two absolute legends. What I can say is the whole process has been very positive and creatively nourishing.

Tell me about the transition from London to New York. You’ve moved from a 325-seat theater to a house about five times larger. What kind of adjustments have you had to make?
What’s funny is when I walked into the Palace for the first time, I felt I would be overwhelmed. Instead, I immediately thought, “I know you, you are a theater.” Honestly, I felt the show was busting at the seams at the Almeida. What we gain in terms of having a larger audience being part of it is worth every adjustment we’ve made. It really works in this space. And in a way, Tammy loved people, so the more people we have in the audience, the better it is for her.

You’re working with two American musical-theater greats, Christian Borle and Michael Cerveris, both of whom are new to the show. How has that been?
I am in love with this entire cast. But they are unbelievable. It is so wonderful to play scenes with them. And having Christian onstage — well, he is my happy place. He is so playful. But they both have this incredible ability to switch from making you laugh to having you feel devastated. I am so lucky.

How different how are you finding American audiences from British ones?
It’s interesting to think of the audience as one thing, when they are a collection of individuals. I think one difference in how Americans are reacting to a piece is how much you know about Tammy and Jim. In the UK, there were different points of laughter, different levels of understanding. Here, I can sense there are times that I feel, “You lived through this, you know this.” But the important thing is there are so many moments in this show when we touch people as just human beings. Whether an audience member is American, British, or from somewhere else, I believe we’re really not that different.