Rannells was supposed to play Jim Bakker, but he alleged a contract issue prevented him from continuing.
Andrew Rannells will be replaced as the lead in the Broadway production of Tammy Faye by Christian Borle.
Two-time Tony Award winner Borle will play fellow televangelist Jim Bakker, husband of Tammy Faye (Katie Brayben), who was played by Borle as Shakespeare in Something Rotten and Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher.
Rannells played Bakker in London, opposite Brayben. Originally expected to bring the show to Broadway, he revealed on the Tony Awards red carpet that he would no longer be involved in the musical because of a contract issue. Beginning on October 19 and running through November 14, the production, which includes music by Elton John, will be performed at the refurbished Palace Theater.
“I am beyond thrilled that Christian will be joining the company of Tammy Faye. Christian is one of Broadway’s most exciting leading men,” Elton John stated. “I know Christian will perfectly capture both the humor and the darkness written into the role and I, along with the rest of the creative team, cannot wait to see him and Katie bring this unforgettable couple to life this fall.
Borle played Joe/Josephine in Some Like it Hot on Broadway most recently. Along with Thoroughly Modern Millie and Legally Blonde, he acted opposite Rannells in Falsettos. He recently completed a run as Albert Peterson in the Kennedy Center production of Bye Bye Birdie and played Orin Scrivello in Little Shop of Horrors Off-Broadway at the Westside Theater.
The book Tammy Faye, which centers on Rupert Murdoch, was written by James Graham, the writer of Ink, and has lyrics by Jake Shears of the Scissor sisters. King Charles III and Ink director Rupert Goold is back.