“The Queen of Versailles,” which is having its world premiere at the Emerson Colonial Theatre before heading to Broadway, is based on the 2012 documentary that followed Siegel’s determination to build the biggest home in America, modeled on the palace of Versailles (with, of course, a nod to Vegas). Her slightly twisted version of the American Dream is derailed by the economic collapse of 2008, when her seemingly bottomless budget, fueled by her husband David’s timeshare empire, is threatened. Lauren Greenfield’s film captured Jackie’s conviction that “more and more and more” is always better, and while we never sympathize with her, there was a sharp sense of sadness that, while surrounded by so much, her life was so empty.
Related: Broadway fans have been making pilgrimages to Boston for overlapping ‘Queen of Versailles’ and ‘Gatsby’
Advertisem*nt
Multi-award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz, who worked with Chenoweth on “Wicked,” teams up with her again on this broader — if not deeper — dive into the lives of Jackie and David Siegel. Schwartz taps all of his musical theater brilliance, with a breathtaking opening production number, “Because We Can,” a memorable Chenoweth solo, “Caviar Dreams,” and the final number, “This Time, Next Year.”
Chenoweth never fails to dazzle as she sashays up, down, and all around Dane Laffrey’s very busy set (scaffolding, stairs, video screens, and scenic pieces move in and out at a dizzying pace), wearing an endless number of costume designer Christian Cowan’s outfits, ranging from a Juicy Couture tracksuit to a closetful of form-fitting minidresses, nearly all completed by terrifyingly tall platform shoes.
Award-winning film, TV, and stage actor F. Murray Abraham plays Jackie’s husband David with an air of bemused aloofness. To be fair, in the documentary, David Siegel was essentially a bit player, and that hasn’t changed here, but Abraham seems utterly surprised to find himself on stage in this musical.
Advertisem*nt
Lindsey Ferrentino, a playwright known for ability to craft believable individuals who wrestle with often-overwhelming issues (“Ugly Lies the Bone,” “Amy and the Orphans”), tackles the challenge of finding the elusive heart of this privileged family. She is most successful with the secondary characters — Jackie’s daughter from her first marriage, Victoria, and Jonquil, the niece she adopts when Jonquil is a teenager. In fact, two of the most heartfelt numbers in the show feature Nina White as Victoria, who struggles with meeting her mother’s expectations for her: “Pretty Always Wins” and “The Book of Random.” Later, White and Tatum Grace Hopkins (Jonquil) explore the tension created by mashing two teenage cousins together without warning and expecting them to act as sisters. They find a tender moment of connection in the sad but funny “Pavane for a Dead Lizard.”
The creative team has broadened the story to emphasize Jackie’s roots and her inspiration, the original palace of Versailles. The musical cleverly threads moments with King Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, and their subjects into the 21st-century construction site in Orlando. The Act II opening number, “The Royal We,” a duet with Jackie’s role model Marie Antoinette (Cassondra James) on her little farm (“Le Hameau de la Reine”), where everything is “faux,” is hilarious, not to mention vocally impressive, as the two “queens” nail operatic trills. But the pointed political comment as Marie heads to her untimely end in the musical’s penultimate scene felt garish and a bit on the nose.
Related: Broadway-bound musical ‘The Queen of Versailles’ comes to Boston
But like the Queen of Versailles herself, director Michael Arden has taken Jackie’s motto of “more is better” too much to heart. The constant referencing of the documentary, with characters speaking directly into the camera, is occasionally clever but overused, allowing us to disconnect from the story, let alone the characters’ emotional arcs. Some judicious pruning of scenes is also needed, especially in the first act, which sags before Chenoweth supercharges it with the almost desperate “This Is Not the Way.”
Advertisem*nt
“The Queen of Versailles” also needs to loosen its grip on the documentary and amp up the dramatic tension. Although the stakes seem high — an economic downturn could leave them with nothing — the Siegels recover with nary a penny pinched. Although there is a moment when Jackie and her daughter Victoria consider a more modest life, it never feels sincere. When Jackie suffers a tragic loss, we have barely a moment of grief before she turns it into another economic opportunity. And while Jackie’s utter lack of self-awareness is central to her character, as an audience we need to feel something, if not someone has been changed by this experience.
Chenoweth’s star power may be thrilling, but it can’t blind us to the need for this musical to dig a little deeper into the characters and tighten up its running time before heading to Broadway.
THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES
Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by Michael Arden. At the Emerson Colonial Theatre, through Aug. 25. Tickets from $39. www.emersoncolonialtheatre.com
Terry Byrne can be reached at trbyrne818@gmail.com.
