A Diva's Triumph on Shaky Foundations
The St James Theatre in New York currently hosts Kristin Chenoweth's highly anticipated return to a leading Broadway role after a decade's absence. The Queen of Versailles, a new original musical reuniting the Wicked star with celebrated composer Stephen Schwartz, presents a curious vehicle for this comeback. Based partly on Lauren Greenfield's acclaimed 2012 documentary, the production mirrors the ambition of its subject: Jackie Siegel, the real-life shopaholic wife of timeshare billionaire David Siegel, who embarked on building America's largest private residence, a scale-model Versailles in the Florida wetlands.
An Ornate Production Lacking Cohesion
Directed by Michael Arden and running nearly three hours with intermission, the show is described as lavish, unwieldy, and seemingly unfinished. The narrative sprawls across multiple themes, often invoking Louis XIV and his court as a Greek chorus to comment on the Siegels' modern-day extravagances. The production is a multimedia spectacle, featuring stunning scenic and video design by Dane Laffrey that creates one of the most layered stages seen on Broadway. It blends American camp, family drama between Jackie, her daughter Victoria (Nina White), and foster-cousin Johnquil (Tatum Grace Hopkins), and clumsy commentary on wealth worship.
Key moments intended to critique American excess, such as a pointed reference to a 'redone east wing' or a heartbreaking interlude from the Filipino nanny Sofia (Melody Butiu), fail to land with significant impact. Instead, they feel like footnotes to the central narrative of Jackie's vapidity. The 2008 financial crash is treated as a relative blip in the storyline.
Chenoweth's Performance Overshadows Flawed Material
Ultimately, the musical rests on the formidable talents of Kristin Chenoweth. The actor blazes through the role of the unapologetically new-money blonde, relishing every bedazzled outfit and shameless punchline. Her operatic soprano and decades-honed portrayal of delusional but lovable characters lend a heroic lacquer to what could easily be a risible figure. Her performance is fun in a diva-off with Marie Antoinette (Cassondra James) but proves less moving when confronting Jackie's spendthrift determination after tragedy.
The music by Stephen Schwartz is, at best, forgettable and, at worst, unpleasantly deranged or outright offensive, as in the number 'Little Houses'. A final, should-be shattering number meant to convey loneliness amidst marble and mirrors fails to achieve the emotional depth of a classic like 'Rose's Turn', instead highlighting Chenoweth's aptness for another starring role. While the production is an absolute mess, Chenoweth's gale-force performance makes it a spectacle worth witnessing for her fans, even if the overarching commentary on wealth falls flat.
