Last week, we continued our logos series with a look at the first of the season's bio-musicals, A Wonderful World (HERE). This week, we dive into the show art for the other one, Tammy Faye, which recently began previews at the newly refurbished Palace Theatre. We thought the logo for the show about jazz legend Louis Armstrong did its subject well and with dignity. Will the advertising for a show about cultural icon/religious fraudster be as effective?
2024 - 2025 Broadway Musical Logos:
Tammy Faye
All decked out in "heavenly" shades of blues, yellows and pinks, the key art embraces both the pastel decadence of the 80s - the Bakker's biggest era - and the accouterments of the evangelical belief system - the puffy clouds surrounding the path to the "golden light.' The hot pink metallic sheen of the letters (not to mention the swirly capital "T" is both feminine and wholesome, yet still somehow manages to capture the phony, show-bizzy quality of its subject matter.
To date, there are two iterations of the logo that feature Tammy Faye Bakker herself. First, the window card version, featuring both Tammy Faye (Katie Brayden) and Jim Bakker (Christian Borle), brings the version of our heroine and husband as most of us know them, as religious grifter co-hosts of The PTL Network. With a glittery "stairway to Heaven" amid the puffy clouds (or are they puffs of stage smoke?) and distant rainbow, they beckon you to join them with outstretched hands and hand mics. Vegas meets salvation in all its gaudy glory, draped in a blue tuxedo and a pink chiffon party dress. You can almost feel the suckers being drawn in. How 2024...
The other iteration features Tammy Faye all by herself. Here, I think, she seems a bit more sympathetic. She was, after all, not entirely a villain, but rather, a true ally to the gay community for example. Her heart was (mostly) in the right place, and in many ways, she was a victim of the machine she helped create. Arms up, palms open she reaches for her God. With her head back, a wide smile of exaltation on her face, she looks, dare I say it, genuine and innocent. It looks like she's practicing what she preaches.
On a final note, I'm a little surprised that it doesn't really lean heavily (not at all in some versions) on showcasing Sir Elton John as the show's composer. Is he not the draw he once was? Is there some element of distance from his efforts? Or do they want the focus to remain squarely on the title subject.
I think this expansive show art will look pretty terrific on the Palace's new, giant screen billboard. But no matter what key art the ad team landed on, the show's subject matter is polarizing. Either you are interested or repulsed, and that more than anything will have a lot to do with your ticket-buying decision. I'll be honest. This is a fine enough effort as a piece of key art, but has not persuaded me to go see it. I'm simply not interested in the Bakkers. Living through their saga was enough for me.
Grade: B
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