Save any loose change before the presale hits for Kristin Chenoweth's new musical!
Chenoweth has been cast as Jacqueline Siegel — the "Queen of Versailles" — in a new musical adaptation of her life. An official synopsis reads: "From computer engineer to Mrs. Florida to billionairess, Jackie sees herself as the embodiment of the American Dream." However, "with the Great Recession of 2008 looming," the musical will see her dreams crumble, along with her and husband David's "lavish lifestyle."
The show, produced by Chenoweth and Bill Damaschke, will dive into "'the true cost of fame, fortune and family' first told in filmmaker Lauren Greenfield's wildly astonishing 2012 documentary." Seeing as this is literally a musical about Siegel's life, Chenoweth and the self-styled queen officially met in Naples over the weekend.
On Instagram, Siegel wrote of the encounter:
Well, you guys! 💋 I met @kchenoweth this weekend, and she is everything I imagined and more! ✨ There is a reason she is the queen! 👑 Kristin was performing in Naples at @artisnaples! I had goosebumps during every song, and afterward, I got to meet her! Talk about being star-struck! She is so sweet, and I felt like I'd known her forever! 💗 I still can't believe she’ll be playing me!!! 🎶 What a year this is going to be!!!❤️👸💋
Recently, Siegel starred in the Discovery+ followup to 2012's The Queen of Versailles, called The Queen of Versailles Reigns Again. It was an interesting move by her and husband David, often known as "The Timeshare King," considering his corporation Westgate Resorts had sued the original documentarian for their portrayal in the original flick. Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield won that lawsuit in 2014 after an arbitrator for the Independent Film and Television Alliance found that the doc wasn't defamatory. Even more, Siegel was on the hook for $750,000 in legal fees racked up during the case.
Shockingly, Greenfield also revealed in an interview this week that she and the Siegels were producing the musical together. "I’m just really excited that, you know, 10 years later, we’re all happily involved in this musical that I can’t wait for audiences to see."
Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for The Queen of Versailles