What the Queen of Versailles Musical Is About
The Queen of Versailles musical is a Broadway production based on the documentary film about the Siegel family and their failed attempt to build the largest single-family home in America. The show adapts their real-life story into a musical format, focusing on the family's wealth, business ventures, and the 2008 financial crisis that halted construction. The book is by Stephen Oremus and Winnie Holzman, with music and lyrics by Oremus. The production is currently running on Broadway at the St. James Theatre, a venue known for hosting major long-running musicals. The show is produced by David S. Greathouse and Jeffrey Sine, with the original film directed by Lauren Greenfield serving as the source material. For the original documentary, see the Sundance Film Festival page Queen of Versailles.
The musical translates the Siegels' extravagant lifestyle and business history into a stage narrative, using the documentary footage and interviews as a foundation. The story centers on Jackie Siegel, one of the owners of Westgate Resorts, and her husband David Siegel, the founder of Westgate Resorts. The show explores themes of wealth inequality, the American Dream, and the impact of the financial collapse on their personal empire. The production design features opulent costumes and set pieces that reference the unfinished Versailles house. The show is categorized as a musical drama and is marketed to audiences interested in real-life stories of wealth and downfall. The Broadway production is currently playing with an open-ended run schedule.
Production History and Key Figures
The Queen of Versailles musical had its world premiere at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston in 2024 before transferring to Broadway. The pre-Broadway tryout ran from July 2024, with the official Broadway opening following shortly after. The production is directed by Casey Nicholaw, a Tony Award-winning director and choreographer known for work on Monty Python's Spamalot and The Book of Mormon. The choreography is also by Nicholaw, with scenic design by Derek McLane and costume design by Jane Greenwood. The cast features Kristin Chenoweth as Jackie Siegel and F. Murray Abraham as David Siegel, both well-known Broadway performers. The show's development involved the original documentary filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, who worked with the creative team to adapt the film's narrative for the stage.
The production is backed by a group of Broadway producers and investors, with the lead producers being David S. Greathouse and Jeffrey Sine. The show is presented by a team that includes the Westgate Resorts brand, which is a major timeshare company founded by David Siegel. The Westgate Resorts brand is referenced in the show as part of the family's business history. The production is currently running at the St. James Theatre, a historic Broadway venue located at 246 West 44th Street. The show's ticket prices and box office performance are tracked by Broadway data platforms such as Playbill and BroadwayWorld. For the latest Broadway grosses and attendance data, see the Broadway League's official reports Broadway League Research.
Financial and Critical Reception
The Queen of Versailles musical has received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of the lead actors and the spectacle of the production, but some criticism for the pacing and the adaptation of the documentary's complex financial narrative. The show's financial backers have invested significantly in the Broadway production, with the production budget reported to be in the range of typical large-scale Broadway musicals. The show's box office performance has been tracked by Broadway data services, with weekly grosses and attendance figures published by sources such as Playbill and BroadwayWorld. The show is currently playing to a mix of tourist and local audiences, with its marketing emphasizing the real-life story and the connection to the Westgate