For Elton John, Donald Trump’s presidential election victory did not make Broadway great again.
In an interview with Time magazine, which named the singer-songwriter its Icon of the Year, John seemed to blame Trump for the epic failure of his new musical “Tammy Faye.”
The composer, whose pricey show closed a flop on Sunday after just 29 regular performances, called “Tammy Faye” a “political piece of work” that pushed the wrong “buttons” in the days after Nov. 5.
“It’s a shame for everyone who put so much work in it,” John, 77, told Time. “But that’s what happens when you take a chance.”
“It’s a fairly political piece of work,” added John of the show that opened Nov. 14 and closed Dec. 8. “And with that you have to press somebody’s buttons. The buttons we pressed last night with the critics weren’t the right ones.”
“Tammy Faye” tells the story of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, the popular 1970s and ‘80s televangelists who shook up religious TV with upbeat prayer, inspirational interviews and variety acts. One plotline of the musical concerns how the rise of TV preachers helped Ronald Reagan win the presidency.
For instance, Reverend Jerry Falwell tells then-Governor Reagan, “Together, we … can return this country to a time of greatness again.”
But theater critics had more gripes with the show than just politics.
In a one-star review, The Post said John’s score was made up of “Saltine-cracker songs that are forgotten the moment the audience applauds.” And the Times called the musical “strangely bland.”
Audiences didn’t embrace it either.
“Tammy Faye,” which was capitalized for $22 million but could’ve cost up to $25 million, never enjoyed a sold-out week on Broadway. Six of its eight weeks played to less than 65% capacity at the Palace Theatre.
John’s hits on Broadway include the Tony Award-winning “The Lion King” and “Billy Elliot: The Musical.”
On Dec. 1, John’s “The Devil Wears Prada,” based on the 2006 film starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, opened in London to more scathing notices.
In a one-star review, the Daily Mail said “Prada,” which The Post also awarded one star when it debuted in Chicago in 2022, “still looks like a cheap knock-off.”
Giving the musical two stars, the Telegraph said John’s score sounded as if he “couriered over some generic material and everyone has followed suit.”
At opening night of “Prada,” John said that damage to his vision resulting from a severe eye infection made it nearly impossible for him to watch his show.
“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight,” John said onstage. “So it’s hard for me to see it. But I love to hear it and boy it sounded good tonight.”
