Kristin Chenoweth’s Wicked Reunion Goes for Broke in The Queen of Versailles

No one mourns the Siegels, but many remember their riches-to-rags story. Jackie Siegel, wife of David “The Timeshare King” Siegel and mother of their eight children, planned a $100 million Orlando mansion modeled after the Palace of Versailles. Their dream became infamous in Lauren Greenfield’s 2012 documentary, which captured not only their extravagance but also the collapse of their empire when the Great Recession hit.

Now Kristin Chenoweth reunites with her Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz for a new Broadway musical based on that saga: The Queen of Versailles. With a book by Lindsey Ferrentino and direction by Michael Arden, the production is an exploration of fame, fortune and the rising price of the American dream.

Chenoweth, who has been involved with the project for more than four years, believes the show raises some hard-hitting questions. “When is enough enough? Why do we build people up? What about them makes us interested and fascinated? And then why do we tear them down?” she asks.

While those inquiries resonate with her Versailles collaborators, there is also the appeal of seeing the pocket-sized diva in a larger-than-life role. Working with Chenoweth again gave Schwartz the opportunity to write for her in a way that pushes boundaries. “I think it really will challenge Kristin to show parts of what she can do that she’s never really shown before.”

The Siegels’ tale struck a personal chord with Ferrentino, who watched the documentary as their real estate ventures expanded into her community. “The family started buying up pieces of my hometown, and so I just became obsessed,” she says. “I felt like it could only be told as a musical because the characters have this grand-scale ambition and failure. They just sang to me.”

Director Arden leans into that mix of drive and downfall. “This is a mirror to the world, the country right now,” he says. “Hopefully, it inspires people to question, am I chasing something with such fever that I am not actually realizing what I have? In the pursuit of happiness, do we ignore the beauty and the wonder around us?”

The cast finds both humor and heartbreak in the material. Isabel Keating, who plays Debbie, calls it “the ultimate comic tragedy,” while Nina White, who plays Victoria Siegel, is drawn to its depth: “It’s so rare that you see a new musical that has something to say, and ours definitely does.”

Stephen DeRosa, who plays John, points to its scale: “It’s what happened in real life, but it’s also epic in its proportions.”

That grand sweep excites Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham. Playing David Siegel, he says, “I feel like I’m going to present this to the public to say, this is for you. Wait ‘til you open this package!”

Chenoweth agrees: “We’re ready to have it out.”

Watch the video below.