Erwin native Allison Guinn cast in Broadway musical

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – Erwin native Allison Guinn has been cast to play televangelist Jan Crouch in “Tammy Faye,” a new musical coming to Broadway.

It’s been nearly 10 years since Guinn was on the Broadway stage. In the past, she’s been in Broadway productions of “Hair” and “On The Town.” She’s also starred in the West End Theatre for “Hair” and did a national tour for “Les Misérables.”

Guinn said she’s excited to portray the “larger-than-life” persona of Jan Crouch.

“She was known for wearing very big pink wigs and being very fashionable and loving Jesus,” Guinn said.

Guinn believes her Tennessee roots will help her in this role.

“Because the character is very, very Southern,” Guinn said.

“It’s the Bible Belt. So having that experience growing up definitely helped me relate to the character, and having an authentic accent never hurts.”

The musical started out at the Almeida Theatre in London before coming to New York City on Broadway.

Elton John writes the music for the production.

“I’m really excited to be back and really honored to be singing Elton John’s music,” Guinn said.

Earlier this year, Guinn was nominated for an Ensemble Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award for the Hulu show “Only Murders in the Building.”

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“A girl from Erwin, Tennessee, going to walk the red carpet in L.A., it’s always wild and crazy, and of course, when I’m back in my little apartment in Queens, it’s always crazy to think, hey, I did that. Yeah. And so I’m very grateful, very grateful to have these opportunities.”

Guinn is not in this current season of “Only Murders in the Building,” but she is keeping up with the cast.

“I’m not in this upcoming season, but my friends like Michael Cyril Creighton is. And he’s been giving me all the everything that he can tell me. He’s telling me all the fun moments. And it should be a really, really exciting season with a lot of great guest stars like Melissa McCarthy and Molly Shannon and Eugene Levy.”

Besides her upcoming role as Jan Crouch, Guinn also hosts a murder ballad podcast with her friend Amelia Cormack. The name is Some Dark Holler, and a new episode comes out about every two weeks.

Guinn reminds young performers to stay dedicated.

“Success is not necessarily an upward climb; it’s hills and valleys,” Guinn said. “And just stay persistent, and if it’s what you really want to do, just find a way to keep going because that’s really important. Because there will be a lot of times where you’re in your valley and it seems hard to imagine finding another mountain, but it will come if you stay persistent. Stay dedicated to what you want to do.”

Guinn said she is thankful for her family’s support and is excited to return to the Broadway stage.

Guinn will start rehearsals next week for “Tammy Faye.” Previews begin on October 19, and the opening date is set for November 14.

Visit the official website to learn more a bout the musical Tammy Faye and to purchase tickets.

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