Kristin Chenoweth Reunites With the ‘Wicked’ Composer and Lyricist, Stephen Schwartz, for ‘The Queen of Versailles’

The last time Kristin Chenoweth starred in an original musical on Broadway, her character was fictional: Glinda, previously known as the good witch in “The Wizard of Oz,” reintroduced in “Wicked” as a seemingly vain, frivolous young woman whose greater depth and virtue were revealed only after her sunny world had been shaken.The heroine played by Ms. Chenoweth in “The Queen of Versailles” is another bubbly blonde whose fortitude is challenged, though she’s based on a real person whose trajectory has involved more controversy and deeper tragedy. The new show also reunites the beloved singer and actress with “Wicked” composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose many contributions to musical theater stretch back to classics such as “Godspell” and “Pippin.”For “Versailles,” Mr. Schwartz and librettist Lindsey Ferrentino found source material in Lauren Greenfield’s 2012 documentary of the same title, which followed Jackie Siegel, a former computer scientist and beauty queen, and her husband David, a timeshare magnate, as they built an elaborate mansion modeled after the Palace of Versailles constructed under King Louis XIV. The Siegels were thwarted in their goal by the Great Recession of 2008, which disrupted David’s business and, consequently, the couple’s marriage, with Ms. Greenfield’s crew in place to capture the fallout. On screen, David came across as crass and sometimes cruel, and Jackie was alternately his victim and his partner in vulgarity — an aging trophy wife squeezed into tacky little dresses, shopping and scheduling pricey cosmetic procedures as her husband’s empire crumbled.Yet as they are adapted by Mr. Schwartz and Ms. Ferrentino, who has demonstrated a flair for juggling wry humor and compassion in acclaimed plays such as “Ugly Lies the Bone” and “Amy and the Orphans,” and as played by Ms. Chenoweth and an equally well cast F. Murray Abraham — under the typically vibrant direction of Michael Arden, fresh off his second consecutive Tony Award win, for last season’s “Maybe Happy Ending” — actually seem less cartoonish than they did in the documentary.This is in part because we learn more about the Siegels, and Jackie in particular, as they’re represented here. In Act One, Jackie’s earlier life is traced in memory scenes that stretch back to her teenage years, showcasing a ferocious work ethic, an abusive first marriage, and a stint as Mrs. Florida. The second act follows the couple after the market crash as they struggle to retain their assets and rebuild their fortune, incorporating developments after Ms. Greenfield’s film wrapped — including one so devastating that it requires a considerable tonal shift.Kristin Chenoweth in ‘The Queen of Versailles.’ Julieta CervantesAll of this is juggled with segments set in the original palace of Versailles during the 17th and 18th centuries, where we meet Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette. The parallels aren’t subtle, with lavish displays of extreme wealth — Dane Laffrey’s set design can be as grandiose as Christian Cowan’s costumes for Ms. Chenoweth are gaudy and glittering — reinforcing a profound sense of inequality, and hinting at the retribution to come.As if these elements weren’t ambitious enough, Mr. Schwartz, clearly inspired by the range of characters and time periods covered here, crafted a score as texturally diverse as any of his previous efforts, nodding to everything from country — Ms. Chenoweth, who has shown an affinity for that genre, finally gets a theatrical vehicle for it — to classical, and from lilting jazz to thrashing rock. The resulting production is hardly a smooth ride, but it’s obviously not intended to be. “If you can make things bigger — do,” Jackie gushes early in the show, and “Versailles” proceeds, with a breathless and stunning force, to explore the theory that nothing succeeds like excess in the context of how American aspiration has metastasized in recent decades. Social media plays a role, and a few lines seem to wink darkly at our current president; toward the end, David’s grown son from an earlier marriage notes of the mansion, “They haven’t even started the east wing.”David and Jackie’s own litter of kids, prominent in the documentary, are neither seen nor heard here, but we become reacquainted with Victoria, Jackie’s teenage daughter by her ex-husband, whose arc is expanded and made newly haunting, and charted with a powerful voice and great sensitivity by Nina White. In the musical, Victoria gradually develops a bond with a less privileged but similarly disaffected cousin, Jonquil, played by a spicy and eventually moving Tatum Grace Hopkins.In David, Mr. Abraham, best known for high-profile screen credits ranging from an Oscar-winning performance in the 1984 film “Amadeus” to popular series such as “Homeland” and “The White Lotus,” has a showcase for both his acerbic wit and his capacity for nuanced pathos. If this mogul can be a thoughtless boor, he is also, like Jackie, someone who has had to strive — “It may surprise you … but we are not old money,” Jackie quips at one point — and is capable of love.It’s Ms. Chenoweth, of course, who shines brightest, both figuratively and literally, thanks to those costumes, which show as much skin as Ms. Siegel’s did on screen. The part of Jackie not only accommodates the comedic prowess the actress has demonstrated throughout her career but offers deeper emotional terrain, right up to a knockout closing song that was plainly influenced by one of the most iconic numbers in musical theater history. “Everything looks golden when the sun is in your eyes,” Ms. Chenoweth sings earlier in the show. “The Queen of Versailles” reminds us, with an unapologetic urgency suited to this wild and unsettling cultural moment, not to be blinded.

Kristin Chenoweth Reunites With the ‘Wicked’ Composer and Lyricist, Stephen Schwartz, for ‘The Queen of Versailles’

More from the New York Sun

Hamas, Defying Trump, Eyes Keeping Control of Gaza

New York GOP Seeks To Flip Suozzi’s Seat With Same Candidate They Fielded In 2024

Would-Be Trump Assassin Sentenced to Life in Prison

More from the New York Sun

Hamas, Defying Trump, Eyes Keeping Control of Gaza

New York GOP Seeks To Flip Suozzi’s Seat With Same Candidate They Fielded In 2024

Would-Be Trump Assassin Sentenced to Life in Prison

Supreme Court Allows California To Use New Congressional Maps Likely Netting Democrats Five Seats in Coming Midterms

Starmer Says He ‘Regrets’ Appointing Peter Mandelson After Latest Epstein Files Disclosures

Defense Minister Warns Israel Will ‘Dismantle’ Hamas After Gaza Attack Severely Wounds IDF Soldier

‘You Are Standing With Our Jailers’: Iranian Dissident Blasts Mamdani’s Hijab Day Post

Georgia Lawmakers Advance Bill That Would Jail Librarians Who Allow LGBTQ-Themed Books in Children’s Sections