Kristin Chenoweth/Stephen Schwartz team up for Queen of Versailles stage musical — Page 2

Can't help but wish William Finn was writing this instead...

It's funny when people trash source material like some of the best-written musicals aren't adapted from the most head-scratching ideas. I type this days before a giant-scale revival of a show about murdering people and cooking them into pies goes into previews.

Sure, the source material is contemporary, but adapting stories of the overtly rich in crisis that serve as class critique is far from a new or shocking idea. 

As for the jab at Real Housewives: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' earlier seasons are more dramatically sound than most new works in Broadway theatres. There will always be those who turn their noses up at anything they see as meant for the "lowest common denominator."

If you lie down with dogs ...

Is this coming to Broadway? And when?

One to miss…

fbueller said: "CarlosAlberto said: "First "Joy" now this? Talk about scraping the bottom for source material. SMDH. What's next? The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: The Musical?!? Ugh."

Kristin deserves better material."

She does. She really does.

This could end up being great but honestly...this subject matter is depressing. I struggle to think that *this* is what backers want to put money behind. It all sounds tacky and beneath Cheno.

The Tammy Faye musical would have been more compelling and still had a ripped-from-the-headlines quality.

https://deadline.com/2023/10/the-queen-of-versailles-musical-1235561938/

EXCLUSIVE: F. Murray Abraham, Here Lies Love’s Melody Butiu, and Kimberly Akimbo’s Nina White have joined the cast of workshop presentations of The Queen of Versailles starring Kristin Chenoweth being held in New York next month.

Featuring music by Stephen Schwartz, The Queen of Versailles is a new musical based on the acclaimed 2012 documentary about socialite and TV personality Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel. The workshops are scheduled for November 2 and 3.

The people already writing this off as a concept more than likely have not even engaged with the source material. There's a really compelling character study in Jackie and her life is actually rife with turmoil prime for musicalizing. Now, whether or not Schwartz has a good score in him for it remains to be seen (this feels like something that would be right up Frankel/Korie's alley), but who knows!

And, to be fair to Chenoweth, Death Becomes Her is indeed happening, just not with her. Sometimes performers help develop a show and then move on or roles are given to others for various reasons (a semi-recent example: Donna Murphy developed Elizabeth Arden for War Paint). 

F Murray Abraham is inspired casting. I hope they don’t lose him.

DaveyG said: "I admire everyone on this team - I just can't stomach the Trump-loving Siegel family."

Well, we have a musical about Imelda Marcos on Broadway and Eva Peron is a regular Broadway presence. Sometimes vile people make great artistic subjects.

Call_me_jorge said: "Kad said: "DaveyG said: "I admire everyone on this team - I just can't stomach the Trump-loving Siegel family."

Well, we have a musical about Imelda Marcos on Broadway and Eva Peron is a regular Broadway presence. Sometimes vile people make great artistic subjects."

I don’t remember, but were Imelda Marcos and Eva Peron intimately involved with their respective shows? /s"

...how is Siegel "intimately involved" with this? And the documentary this is adapted from is hardly a puff piece about her.

If we're locking out anybody who supports Trump from Broadway, then I have some bad news for you about the people who own a lot of these theaters.

Updated On: 10/3/23 at 04:48 PM

I watched the documentary this weekend and found it pretty interesting. Jackie is an incredibly sympathetic character and I think a lot could be done with her. Likewise, David could make a great villain.

I know this is just a workshop (following the one or reading that was held in the spring), but any chance this might get expedited due to the large names behind it?

Updated On: 10/11/23 at 09:32 AM