Tammy Faye review: Elton Johns Broadway show is a disaster of biblical proportions

Two hours and 35 minutes, with one intermission.At the Palace Theatre, 160 W 47th Street.The Bitch is Back at the Palace Theatre, the storied house that holds decades of memories for Elton John — both happy and miserable.Twenty-four years ago, his “Aida,” a Disneyfied take on Verdi, opened there to mixed reviews, but it eventually caught on with tourists.Then, in 2006, came the singing vampires of “Lestat” (uh-oh!), based on Anne Rice’s novels.

Critics were out for blood, and wary audiences didn’t bite.And on Thursday, the Rocket Man’s latest show, “Tammy Faye,” took its opening night bows, once again, at the Palace. Unfortunately for Sir Elton, the god-awful musical about flamboyant 1980s televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker (later Messner) is a lot more of a “Lestat” than an “Aida.”Sheesh, the glories of his “Billy Elliot” seem so long ago, Billy probably goes by William now.“Tammy Faye,” which I also found lacking when it premiered in 2022 at the tiny Almeida Theatre in London, vanishes in a much bigger Broadway house.Poof!Two years ago, the sinfully long show still included many of John’s same Saltine-cracker songs that are forgotten the moment the audience applauds and a book that’s seemingly allergic to insight and fleshed-out humans.

But boring, it was not. Perhaps our sustained interest was due to the close proximity to the actors.The Almedia seats 350, while the Palace has room for 1,600.

The energy was definitely helped along by the showbiz effervescence of Andrew Rannells.More on that later.Gobbled up in New York, the musical, with a score by John, lyrics by the Scissor Sisters’ Jakes Shears and a book by James Graham (“Ink”), has gotten significantly worse. Directed by Rupert Goold (“Patriots”), usually the UK’s go-to guy for sleek and mechanical stagings, “Tammy Faye” is neither.

Rather, it’s amateurish with lots of dead air and little focus. Much like the Jessica Chastain film “The Eyes of ...