The Perfectly Imperfect Queen of Versailles

There was a buzz in the air as people sauntered into the ornate Emerson Colonial Theatre for opening night of The Queen of Versailles. It is a story I managed to remain completely ignorant of until the night of the show and my curiosity definitely started bubbling up as I scanned the crowd of chicly dressed couples and groups taking their seats. The Queen of Versailles musical is based on Lauren Greenfield’s documentary film “The Queen of Versailles” and the life of Jackie and David Siegel. The show opens in France with King Louis XIV singing (it is a musical after all) about building Versailles in a remote area because he could. It then shifts to modern day America where the parallels of wealth and royalty in America and Europe are compared and contrasted in song.

The Queen of Versailles runs at the Emerson Colonial through August 25th and tickets can be purchased here. It is in some ways a trashy musical about trashy people except there are some gorgeous sets, fab costumes and a few excellent songs about it all. The Queen of Versailles is unlike any musical I have ever seen. If you usually go to the movies and then someone invites you instead to stay home and watch reality tv. It is a bit like that. I am not one to judge what you like or not. I love a good arthouse cinema bizarre movie experience but I can also relish a good reality tv night in.

In a nutshell, The Queen of Versailles is a musical about the psychosis of American consumerism in the extreme. The real life story is disturbing and unsettling so much so that it almost hurts to laugh at the comedic bits. There were plenty of audience-wide chuckles and lots of witty lyrics sprinkled throughout the show.

It was clear that many in the audience were there to witness the queen herself: Kristin Chenoweth, who is indeed a powerhouse.She played alongside another well regarded talent, F Murray Abraham as well as standouts Melody Butiu, Nina White, and Tatum Grace Hopkins.

The Queen of Versailles will head to Broadway for the 2025-26 season.