THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES with Kristin Chenowith & F. Murray Abraham to open at St. James in November

Additional casting tba

Updated On: 3/10/25 at 09:04 AM

KevinKlawitter said: "Additional casting tba"

I wish this show well, but unless they’ve made changes since Boston, there’s no way this makes it through spring in that theater.

Kristin is excellent though, as are the set and costumes, but a lot of the book needs an overhaul. Specifically, it needs a clear pov on Jackie Sehgal, tweaks to the nurse/nanny, and to actually have an arc for some of the other supporting characters.

Also, the St. James is going from "This Time Next Year" to "This Time Next Year."

Time really is a flat circle.

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Should run long enough to pass the time before THE PRODUCERS transfers."

…..isn’t this production of The Producers deliberately small? The Garrick Theatre has 732 seats."

That Producers revival needs to pick a smaller theater. Especially if they don't plan to cast a name or two.

I trust Michael Arden can turn this show around.

Seems I'm in the minority here but I thought this showed a LOT of promise out of town and felt that it was better put together than some other shows that have made it to Broadway (but perhaps that's not saying much).  There's definitely tweaks they can do with the book and direction but I'm excited to see it again.

I think Michael Arden's direction of "Maybe Happy Ending" is his most impressive Broadway work to date. While not a revival, it's important to acknowledge that Arden benefited from joining the project after its successful development with other creatives. Even some of the show's most striking directorial moments seem to have originated in earlier productions under different directors.

It seems to me that the situation with "Queen of Versailles" is quite different. Most criticisms of "QOV" suggest that the show's concept itself is the root of its problems. No director can overcome that without the unified vision of their collaborators. 

Given the massive production already in place, I believe there will be significant obstacles to making the foundational changes that the show likely needs to see substantial improvement. It's ironic, considering the show's theme of hubris. I think there was certainly hubris in rushing this show into a full-fledged Broadway tryout, rather than opting for a more traditional development trajectory with regional audiences, which would have provided a better opportunity to course correct.

I am so excited to see this. 

I'm so thankful that they took the time and money to open this show out-of-town before bringing it to New York. I am rooting for this big musical with an original score—so sad that this is such a rarity, but I have hopes that they can fix whatever was wrong in Boston. And if they can't, I'll take ten more original flops than one more jukebox musical. 

How did what played Boston compare to Tammy Faye or Lempicka?

Ensemble1741630406 said: "I don't want to sound insensitive but I simply cannot root for this show. It's another one of those "why TF does that need a musical?" musicals. Also, Kristin looks way too old for the part."

Just for the record, she's younger than Jackie Segel.

My biggest issue in Boston was the heroine’s lack of agency. She’s dragged around by her husbands in act one. Then reacting to her daughter in act two. She wants material things. She goes on shopping sprees. But she never accomplishes anything. It’s hard to build a musical around that.

Chenoweth is two years younger than the real Jackie Segal but for most of the musical is playing Jackie Segal in her 20s-40s.