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Katie Brayben was inducted as a Fellow of the College in September 2023, recognising her contributions to arts and culture as a former Actor Musicianship graduate of Rose Bruford.
Tammy Faye opened at the Almeida Theatre in October 2022, with Katie in the title role performing alongside the Tony award-winning Andrew Rannells. The new original musical by James Graham explores the rise and fall of American televangelist Tammy Faye, who became an unlikely queer ally during the AIDS crisis at a time when gay people were being attacked and ostracised. Music for the show was created by Sir Elton John, with lyrics by the Scissor Sisters’ frontman Jake Shears.
Tammy Faye The Musical. Photo © Marc Brenner
In late 2023, it was reported that the show would transfer to Broadway for the 2024-5 season. Still, the latest news, including a promotional video, has announced that Katie Brayben will reprise her role alongside co-star Andrew Rannells. Tammy Faye’s stateside debut will begin previews on October 19th at the newly renovated Palace Theatre.
Last summer, Katie received her second Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her incredible performance as Tammy. Ahead of the awards ceremony, we spoke about the show’s success, her approach to portraying real-life people on stage, and the creation of the musical itself.
“One of the hardest things to do in our industry is to create a new musical. As an actor you know there has usually been 10+ years of work on the project before you even step into the room to rehearse.
It requires gargantuan passion and perseverance to get a project that big underway. We had a very respectful room of people who just wanted to tell the story as best they could. It’s not always like that, so it’s truly wonderful when it happens.”
Tickets and more information for the Broadway run of Tammy Faye, starring Katie Brayben, can be found here.