Elton John thinks his musical failed because it was ‘too political’

Elton John may be one of the best-selling musical acts across his decades-long career, but he isn’t afraid to acknowledge when a project fails. The legendary singer candidly spoke to the Sunday Times in an interview published Friday about his Broadway production of “Tammy Faye,” which he described as a “flop.” “We put out two [...]

[Source: CNN Entertainment] Elton John may be one of the best-selling musical acts across his decades-long career, but he isn’t afraid to acknowledge when a project fails. The legendary singer candidly spoke to the Sunday Times in an interview published Friday about his Broadway production of “ ,” which he described as a “ ” “ ,” he said, referring to “ ” and the West End production of “ ” respectively. “ ,” a musical based on the life of the titular singing televangelist, debuted on Broadway on November 14.

The show failed to find an audience and closed a month later. John suspects that the state of US politics intersecting with the timing of the show’s debut had something to do with why the musical never took off. “‘ ” he said, referencing the November 5, 2024 election.

“ ” In December, the New York Times reported the show underperformed at the box office and played to houses inside of the Palace Theater that were 37 percent empty. John produced the music, Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters wrote the lyrics and Rupert Goold served as the director for the musical. Katie Brayben starred as Faye.

The “ ” singer has previously found huge success producing music for Broadway shows, including his work on “ ” “ ” and “ ” He most recently released a collaborative album with singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile titled “ ”.