Meet the Queen of THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, Broadway Newcomer Lindsey Ferrentino
The Queen of Versailles will begin previews at the St. James Theatre on October 8 and will open on November 9, 2025.
By: Joey Mervis Sep. 25, 2025
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"Musicals are so big and the process of writing them is just wrangling them closer and closer until you finally feel like they're in your hands," Lindsey Ferrentino recently told BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge. "I think and hope and feel confident that the show's in our hands now. I think what we're trying to say about these characters is hopefully clear."
The musical in question is The Queen of Versailles, and it's just weeks away from beginning Broadway previews. Lindsey is a huge part of getting it here. As the show's book writer, she has collaborated with director Michael Arden and composer Stephen Schwartz for years, and through an out-of-town tryout in Boston, to make it to this finish line- Broadway. Kristin Chenoweth stars as computer engineer to billionaires, Jackie Siegel.
"It is a big show and it's funny and it has social critique and social satire. But there are deep moments of empathy and pathos and heart in this show too."
Though she has already written extensively for the stage and screen, this project will mark Ferrentino's Broadway debut. How do you write for a star as iconic as Kristin Chenoweth on your first crack at Broadway...?
"[Kristin] didn't know about the project when we started writing it, but we knew we were writing it for her," Lindsey added. "I've never seen an actor quite like her where she comes out on stage. I always joke with her that the audience is sitting there with matches. They are ready to light the place, set the whole place on fire, and she's made of lighter fluid. It's combustible when she comes out on stage. They want her, period.
"So that's a huge responsibility and you have to live up to that... but then you also get to play with that because she's so inherently likable. And if you have a character that maybe isn't likable in the entire show or maybe makes decisions that Kristin Chenoweth or the audience members wouldn't make, that tension is actually really fun and interesting."
The Queen of Versailles will begin previews at the St. James Theatre on October 8 and will open on November 9, 2025.
Photo Credit: Michaelah Reynolds (rehearsal), Matthew Murphy (Boston)
