The Queen of Versailles
Closing: December 21, 2025The Queen of Versailles - 2025 Broadway History , Info & More
St. James Theatre (Broadway)
246 West 44th St. New York, NY
The Queen of Versailles will soon hold court on Broadway. The new musical is based on Lauren Greenfield’s award-winning 2012 documentary film of the same name and the life stories of Jackie and David Siegel.
The film depicts the billionaire real estate couple, who were triumphantly building the biggest house in America for themselves—a sprawling 90,000-square-foot palace inspired by Versailles—when their timeshare empire falters and the economic crisis hits…
The film received positive reviews and currently has a 95% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. It won the US Directing Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature.
In early 2023 it was officially announced that Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth would reteam with composer Stephen Schwartz for a musicalized version of the story. The musical also features a book by Lindsey Ferrentino, direction by Tony Award winner Michael Arden and choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant & Christopher Cree Grant.
In the musical, Chenoweth leads the company as beauty queen, socialite and TV personality Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel. From computer engineer to Mrs. Florida to billionairess, Jackie Siegel sees herself as the embodiment of the American Dream. Now, as the wife of David "The Timeshare King" Siegel and mother of their eight children, they invite us to behold their most grandiose venture yet: they're building the largest private home in America in Orlando, Florida – a $100 million house big enough for her dreams and inspired by the Palace of Versailles. But with the Great Recession of 2008 looming, Jackie and David's dreams begin tocrumble, along with their lavish lifestyle. The Queen of Versailles explores the true cost of fame, fortune, and family.
The musical premeiered at Boston’s historic Emerson Colonial Theatre in a limited six-week run- Tuesday, July 16 through Sunday, August 25, 2024. In the Boston engagement, Chenoweth was joined by F. Murray Abraham as David Siegel, Melody Butiu as Sofia, and Nina White as Victoria Siegel.
The Queen of Versailles - 2025 - Broadway Cast
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR The Queen of Versailles
‘The Queen of Versailles’ Broadway Review: Kristin Chenoweth’s Electric Performance Can’t Save this Overly Ambitious Slog
5 / 10
the play’s positive components do not make up for its faults. Broadway is the wrong medium for this story. Musicalizing the story does little to ground the audience in Jackie’s world and instead pulls and stretches the tale, when the themes alone could speak for themselves. The narrative would actually soar if it were given feature-film treatment. Additionally, adding the musical element further bastardizes this tale. Except for “Caviar Dreams,” the third song in Act One, none of the other selections are particularly memorable. Though the opening act is fairly intriguing, by the second act, the nearly three-hour-long performance began to drag, especially as the show’s tone shifted drastically.
In ‘The Queen of Versailles,’ Kristin Chenoweth Can’t Get Enough
8 / 10
Chenoweth is a wonder, sounding a little bit country whenever Jackie is most herself, as in “Each and Every Day,” a love song to the infant Victoria; taking her high notes out for a spin in “The Royal We,” a duet with Marie Antoinette (Cassondra James); and convincing us for a moment, in a turn-on-a-dime song called “Grow the Light,” that Jackie has recalibrated her priorities. Not so. For the central character of this tale, living out her American dream, there is no point of satiation. There is only a vast emptiness that must be filled with more, more, more. Preferably, of course, dipped in gold.
Category
The Queen of Versailles History
Other Productions of The Queen of Versailles
| 2025 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Videos
