This is not what caviar dreams are made of.
Last week, Kristin Chenoweth’s Broadway comeback vehicle “The Queen of Versailles” announced that it is closing Jan. 4, 2026, after what will have been only 65 regular performances and 32 previews. The musical, which reportedly cost $22.5 million to mount, has done solid if unremarkable at the box office, but was largely panned by critics.
Chenoweth, 57, seems to be taking the news of the show’s early departure in stride.
“I just want to say that I’m so proud of this new art that we’ve created, and it’s getting harder and harder to do,” the Tony winner said in an Instagram video posted Nov. 26. “I think about all the shows in the past couple of seasons that have come and gone, that not everybody got to see. I just love Broadway so much, and I love audiences and a live art form.”
Based on the 2012 documentary, “The Queen of Versailles” follows socialite Jackie Siegel (Chenoweth) and her timeshare magnate husband, David (F. Murray Abraham), as they set out to build the biggest house in America. But their plans stall amid the 2008 stock-market crash, and the Orlando-based couple endures personal tragedy with the 2015 death of teenage daughter Victoria (Nina White).
“The Queen of Versailles” has come under fire from critics and theater fans for centering the Siegel family, who are longtime Republicans and friends of President Donald Trump. The show was described as “nauseatingly tone-deaf” by The Daily Beast and “a MAGA musical nightmare” by The Wrap. The subject matter has been contentious in the famously inclusive Broadway community, with countless people of color and LGBTQ+ members who are directly impacted by Trump’s policies.
Chenoweth, too, received backlash in September for an Instagram comment expressing her “heartbreak” over the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
The “Wicked” actress ended her recent video with a message encouraging audiences to see any show on Broadway, which has struggled to bounce back after COVID. According to the New York Times, 46 new musicals have opened since the pandemic, but only three have been profitable.
Producers are also taking fewer chances on new work: “Queen of Versailles” was only one of two original musicals that opened on Broadway this fall, along with the beloved rom-com “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).”
“Broadway is the best,” Chenoweth added, imploring people to support the arts. “You have a live performance art form, and there’s nothing better than to look out and share an experience with an audience.”
