US EditionTheater Review: 'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth Gets Lost in a Hall of Mirrors
The musical adapts a documentary on the Siegels’ lavish lifestyle and financial collapse during the 2008 recession, featuring Kristin Chenoweth in a leading role.
- On Sunday at the St. James Theatre, Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy Award winner, starred in The Queen of Versailles, reuniting with composer Stephen Schwartz and featuring a book by Lindsey Ferrentino.
- Based on Lauren Greenfield's 2012 documentary, the musical adapts Jackie Siegel and David Siegel's plan to build the largest private home in the United States, halted by the 2008 financial crash.
- Director Michael Arden stages the production with golf carts, projections, and large set elements, while Dane Laffrey's scenic and video design and Christian Cowan's costumes shift between 17th-century France and early-2000s Florida.
- A reviewer called it `two-hour-and-40-minute luxury-car crash`, with critics noting the production feels unfinished despite tryouts, although Chenoweth is praised as a force in The Queen of Versailles.
- Framed as a modern fable, creators Lindsey Ferrentino and Stephen Schwartz explore the American Dream and themes of accumulation, but reviewers say musicalizing the documentary blunts its clarity and Broadway might be the wrong medium.
19 Articles
19 Articles
'The Queen of Versailles' director Michael Arden is drawn to 'cautionary tales'
At the 2023 Tony Awards, director Michael Arden stepped on stage to accept his first-ever Tony for directing the Ben Platt-led Parade. In his speech, he spoke about being called the f slur more times than he could count as a kid. And as he wrapped his remarks, he declared, “All I can say now is I’m a faggot with a Tony.” Since then, Arden has become one of the most in-demand theater directors on Broadway. He helmed Maybe Happy Ending, which nabb…
Gilt or Guilt? The Queen of Versailles Can’t Decide
‘The Queen of Versailles,’ the new Stephen Schwartz–Lindsey Ferrentino musical starring Kristin Chenoweth, can’t make up its mind whether to scold or gawk. Plus: A weirdly similar paradox in Anne Washburn’s The Burning Cauldron of Fiery Fire.
Associated Press News
Theater Review: 'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth gets lost in a Hall of Mirrors
The new Broadway show "The Queen of Versailles" feels unfinished, despite reuniting Kristin Chenoweth with "Wicked" songwriter Stephen Schwartz, Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy says.
'The Queen of Versailles' review: A Broadway musical as empty as the mansion it portrays
Kristin Chenoweth can't save a documentary adaptation that barely scratches the surface.Julieta Cervantes 'The Queen of Versailles' with Kristin Chenoweth2025 has been the year of Wicked! The movie adaptation, which came out at the tail end of last year, has ignited a full-on Elphaba and Glinda craze that shows no signs of abating. Halloween costumes were everywhere. The Wicked: For Good sequel is ready to dominate the box office upon it's Nov. …
‘The Queen of Versailles’ Broadway Review: Kristin Chenoweth’s Electric Performance Can’t Save this Overly Ambitious Slog
In 2012, award-winning documentarian Lauren Greenfield’s film, “The Queen of Versailles,” became a Sundance darling. The documentary followed Jackie and David Siegel, billionaires and owners of Westgate Resorts, as they began building a replica of Versailles in Orlando, Florida. The property was touted as the largest private home in the United States. However, amid their […]
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