Katie Brayben on Transforming into Tammy Faye for Broadway: 'She Was More Than Just Makeup and Hair' (Exclusive)

Katie Brayben believes there is more to Tammy Faye Messner than meets the eye.

The award-winning actress portrays the late evangelist in Tammy Fayea new Broadway musical based on her life is now playing at the Palace Theater in New York. Set in the 1970s, the series follows Messner’s rise to fame alongside her then-husband, preacher Jim Bakker, and the behind-the-scenes rivalry that eventually destroyed their empire.

It’s a story fans may think they know, but a musical — with music by Elton John, lyrics by Jake Shears and a book by James Graham — offers a new perspective.

“Tammy was a complicated woman, and we’re really unraveling the layers of her here,” Brayben tells PEOPLE. “Our show is about letting the audience into the woman behind the personality. And I think you’ll leave understanding a different side of her than you did before.”

But becoming a Messner isn’t just about embodying the spirit of the late star, who died in July 2007 at the age of 65 after an 11-year journey from colon cancer. Brayben also transforms into the signature Messner look, right down to the bright blush and dark eyeliner.

Well… a version of it, that is.

Katie Brayben poses during a photo call for the upcoming Elton John/Jake Shears Broadway musical ‘Tammy Faye: The Musical’ at New 42 Studios on October 2, 2024 in New York City.

Bruce Glikas/Getty

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“She obviously has that iconic style, but we’re meeting her when she’s younger, so it’s not all there yet,” says Brayben.

In fact, Brayben was initially wary of embracing Messner’s more extreme glamour. “Personally, I didn’t want to turn the audience off, because it was more than just makeup and hair,” says Brayben. “So it was really important to have that balance. And I think we hit the right spot—our designers, makeup artists, and wigs—where it really lets people in and doesn’t block them out.”

Ultimately, the star actor wants audiences to leave the show with a better understanding of who Messner is, not what she looks like. “I hope people will see her private moments and understand her as a human being,” he says. – That is the most important thing to me.

Tammy Faye Sings Again in First Listen of Elton John and Jake Shears’ Upcoming Broadway Musical (Exclusive)

Katie Brayben in ‘Tammy Faye: The New Musical’.

Matthew Murphy

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Tammy Faye comes to the Great White Way after premiering in London’s West End in 2022 where it earned two Olivier Awards from four nominations, including a Best Actress trophy for Brayben. This will be her Broadway debut. Brayben’s previous acting credits include playing Princess Diana in the 2014 play. King Charles III – which she also starred in the 2017 BBC television film adaptation — and the role of singer-songwriter Carole King in the biomusical Beautiful: Carole King’s musical.

Those two roles, says Brayben, helped shape her now.

“Weirdly, I’ve played a lot of real-life people,” says Brayben. “And what I usually do is find aspects of their character that match mine and where we’re similar, and I start from that point of view.”

George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr. and all the stars go to Broadway

Katie Brayben in ‘Tammy Faye: The New Musical’.

Matthew Murphy

In terms of research, the actress studied the way the founder of the PTL club “moves and speaks”. She also read her books and watched her television programs, but a large part of her preparation came down to the trust she has in the show’s creative team and the work itself. “What’s really interesting is that when you walk into a room and you play a James Graham show [and] if you’re performing songs by Elton John and James Shears, you really have to perform the piece in front of you,” she explains. “There’s a moment where you just have to let it all go and believe that you have the essence of this person.”

The one thing theatergoers won’t see? Impression of Messner.

“I don’t believe in doing impressions,” says Brayben, noting that it does viewers a disservice. “You can end up blocking the audience if you do that. And the most important thing for me, doing this show, is the connection with the audience; the connection with the people. Because that’s what Tammy was to me. She connected with her audience and the people she loved. ”

Tammy Faye Messner.

Collection of Ron Galella via Getty

Messner was known for her eccentric personality and glamorous persona, which set her apart from many mainstream evangelicals of the time. She was also more liberal than her contemporaries, advocating for members of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly during the height of the AIDS epidemic.

She and Bakker married in 1961 and began their ministry the following year. They would then become founding members Club 700 and hosts of numerous popular shows themselves, including Club PTL (Praise the Lord), which eventually blossomed into its own network.

The couple divorced in 1992, three years after Bakker was sentenced to prison for numerous fraud and conspiracy charges. She married construction entrepreneur Roe Messner in 1993, who himself had run-ins with the law and served 27 months in prison for bankruptcy fraud.

Both Bakker and Roe are still alive.

Katie Brayben and Christian Borle in ‘Tammy Faye: The New Musical’.

Matthew Murphy

Broadway audiences won’t get to know Roe, but they will enter a conflict involving Bakker and fellow preacher Jerry Falwell, who has become a bitter rival to him and Tammy. Broadway veterans and Tony Award winners Christian Borle and Michael Cerveris play both roles.

The cast of the musical also includes Nick Bailey, Charl Brown, Mark Evans, Allison Guinn, Ian Lassiter, Raymond J. Lee, Max Gordon Moore, Alana Pollard and Andy Taylor, Amanda Clement, Michael Di Liberto, Jonathan Duvelson, Lily Kaufmann, Denis Lambert , Elliott Mattox, Brittany Nicholas, Kevin Alternates Quillon, Aveena Sawyer, Allysa Shorte, TJ Tapp, Daniel Torres and Dana Wilton with Autumn Hurlbert as Tammy Faye.

And while Tammy Faye’s story certainly makes for good drama, Brayben tells PEOPLE that he hopes audiences will focus on that heart, noting how the late star maintained her love for people until the end.

“She was still kind and did everything with love and was non-judgmental even when she was publicly criticized for her scandals,” notes Brayben. “We don’t shy away from that in the musical. We hope people walk away and think, ‘Yeah, love… actually.’ ”

Tickets for Tammy Faye: The New Musical they are on sale now.

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Source: HIS Education