{"id":27458,"date":"2025-11-03T21:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T21:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/27458\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T21:58:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T21:58:13","slug":"kristin-chenoweth-interview-on-wicked-queen-of-versailles-broadway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/27458\/","title":{"rendered":"Kristin Chenoweth Interview on Wicked, Queen of Versailles, Broadway"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tThis is not the Kristin Chenoweth<\/a> we think we know \u2014 all Glinda bubbles and giggles and good times. This is a different Chenoweth, perhaps closer to the woman that exists offstage, the one that fought her way to the top of the showbiz heap. It\u2019s a steelier Chenoweth, more determined and, yes, maybe a little exhausted. Mounting a new musical will do that to a person \u2014\u00a0especially when that person is not just its producer but its star and main box office draw.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd this time, her character is far from a good witch. She\u2019s playing shopaholic one-percenter Jackie Siegal \u2014 wife of time-share king David Siegel, played by F. Murray Abraham \u2014 in a lavish musical adaptation of the 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles. The music and lyrics are by Stephen Schwartz, the man behind Wicked<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tTo call this Trumpian satire unusual material for a Broadway showcase is an understatement. That it comes in the wake of a rare PR headache for the beloved Wicked star only ratchets pre-opening tensions even higher. After right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University, Chenoweth commented beneath Kirk\u2019s final Instagram post, \u201cI\u2019m. So. Upset. Didn\u2019t always agree but appreciated some perspectives. What a heartbreak..\u201d She signed off with a broken-heart emoji.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe statement infuriated some members of the LGBTQ+ community \u2014 a sizable segment of her fan base \u2014 for whom Kirk was a loathsome and dangerous figure. An emotional Chenoweth later addressed the backlash on NY1, saying, \u201cI saw what happened [to Kirk] online with my own eyes, and I had a human moment of reflection. \u2026 It\u2019s no secret that I\u2019m an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 4-foot-11 diva, 57, recently joined The Hollywood Reporter via Zoom from her home in Manhattan for a wide-ranging conversation as she prepares to unveil the most challenging project of her career \u2014 and just weeks ahead of Wicked: For Good<\/a> taking flight in cinemas.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd while she declines to address the Kirk controversy any further beyond acknowledging that it \u201calmost broke\u201d her, Chenoweth does prove candid about every other aspect of her life, from famous former lovers like Prince and Aaron Sorkin to those whispers of a feud with Wicked co-star Idina Menzel.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKristin Chenoweth in The Queen of Versailles.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJulieta Cervantes\/DKC O&M<\/p>\n

\n\tHow many more days to opening night, Kristin?<\/p>\n

\n\tI wish it was tomorrow. It\u2019s Nov. 9, next Sunday. We\u2019ve finally frozen the show, so no more changes. And that\u2019s been a relief. I always say to people, \u201cJust know that [mounting a new musical] is the hardest thing to do, period.\u201d We have the music and it\u2019s so wonderful \u2014 Stephen Schwartz has outdone himself. But the plot has to work with the music. Otherwise why sing it? I always tell the young kids that I mentor, \u201cOnly sing it if you can\u2019t speak it.\u201d That\u2019s why we sing. But when musical theater is done poorly \u2014 and you\u2019ve seen it \u2014 it\u2019s all of a sudden the song from nowhere and we\u2019re doing jazz hands. But when it\u2019s done well, just know how hard it was to get to that point.<\/p>\n

\n\tWasn\u2019t this like a five-year journey for you?<\/p>\n

\n\tYes. During COVID, Stephen Schwartz called me. He\u2019d been threatening to write another show for me. And I thought, \u201cSure, that\u2019s sweet. Let\u2019s see if it ever happens.\u201d I was at my mom\u2019s and I think I\u2019d just wrapped [Apple TVs musical satire show] Schmigadoon. I was really tired from the masks and COVID. Remember that? So he and [director] Michael Arden called me and said, \u201cWe have your next show: The Queen of Versailles.\u201d I was like, \u201cOh, French! It\u2019s a period piece.\u201d And they said, \u201cNo, it\u2019s about Jackie Siegel. The documentary.\u201d Then they told me the conceit of it. And I thought, \u201cOh, this is so interesting.\u201d So he played me one of the songs and that was it.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat\u2019s the conceit?<\/p>\n

\n\tI will say that we have a French court that comes in and out of our piece.<\/p>\n

\n\tLike a Greek chorus commenting?<\/p>\n

\n\tYes. And to dramatize how easily the past repeats itself. And what do we do when we have more than enough? It\u2019s easy to fall prey to things where you think, \u201cI would never become that clich\u00e9.\u201d The very first time I got a paycheck worth anything, I signed with Paramount for a sitcom,\u00a0Kristin. And I thought, \u201cI\u2019m going to get me a new car.\u201d And I really wanted a Mercedes. I did not grow up anything near that. My dad went through hard times. It wasn\u2019t a rich kid\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis was in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah. But with the very first paycheck, I went and got a new two-door Mercedes coupe. I just fell right into the trap. And about six months later, I looked at my daddy and I said, \u201cI thought it would be better. I just thought I\u2019d like it better to have this car.\u201d And he goes, \u201cIt\u2019s because money fades. It\u2019s an instant gratification. And then then you want more.\u201d And that\u2019s why I chose to do this piece, for what it\u2019s saying about us \u2014 as a country, and where we are at. There are lines we wrote \u2014 way before any presidential election \u2014\u00a0that now are harrowing. Harrowing. And I\u2019m not going to talk about politics, because I\u2019m not a political person.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou did endorse Kamala Harris though, right?<\/p>\n

\n\tYes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd you voted for her?<\/p>\n

\n\tYes.<\/p>\n

\n\tOK. So you have been public about your politics.<\/p>\n

\n\tAbsolutely. Anybody that knows me knows how I believe. But as time has gone on with this piece, it\u2019s art imitating life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI did watch the documentary again. It is a shocking story about obscene wealth. But like you\u2019re saying, it shines a light on a way of life that once seemed fringe and far away, but now seems to have taken center stage. The Siegels are the kind of people that would definitely socialize at Mar-a-Lago. And in fact, the husband mentions knowing Trump several times in the film, well before Trump became president. This is not a world that Broadway musicals would typically delve into.<\/p>\n

\n\tI think people thought it was going to be one thing. And I definitely do the comedy for sure in the beginning, but there\u2019s a very dark turn that happens that the documentary doesn\u2019t even touch upon. Our Act 2 picks up where the documentary left off. So at first it\u2019s funny. But people meet me at the stage door and say, \u201cI can\u2019t believe what a surprise that [tonal] turn was.\u201d I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re left or on the right side of things \u2014 it shines a mirror on all of us. We can all see ourselves in it, good, bad, ugly.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut just to get back to this idea that you\u2019re also a producer, and this is ostensibly a moneymaking venture, and it\u2019s a very bold thing to do. Broadway is not what it used to be. It\u2019s all safe IP and jukebox musicals now. And you\u2019re doing this original, dark piece that\u2019s also delving into the very divisions facing the country right now \u2014 wealthy versus poor, right versus left \u2014 which have never been more heated, as you know.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOh, I know.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd I guess there\u2019s a risk that Broadway musical audiences don\u2019t come looking for things like subtlety or nuance, and maybe they won\u2019t even understand that it\u2019s a parody or that you\u2019re criticizing these people. Are you worried that they\u2019ll say, \u201cOh, you\u2019re starring in a show about people you admire, people that go to Mar-a-Lago?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m not worried about it because when they see it, they see it. I mean, there\u2019s online, those people, but I don\u2019t worry about those people. I worry about the people that come to see it. Oh no, it\u2019s not confusing at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLet me ask you about the recent controversy involving Charlie Kirk. I know that was tough on you.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was tough on me, but I\u2019m not going to answer any questions about it because I dealt with it. It nearly broke me, and that\u2019s all I\u2019m going to say. You probably know my heart, so you probably know.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou haven\u2019t done Broadway in a very long time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tTen years. The last time was On the Twentieth Century at the Roundabout Theatre and it was a limited run.<\/p>\n

\n\tIs it because you were turned off by how it\u2019s changed? I know Patti LuPone has complained about what she feels Broadway has become, a sort of garish tourist trap that refuses to take chances.<\/p>\n

\n\tNo, I love Broadway. Broadway is my favorite. I am a creature of the theater. But when you come back to Broadway after you\u2019ve done some really cool things, you want to try to make a decision that feels like it\u2019s saying something. I could be over there at\u00a0Death Becomes Her. But that feels very familiar to me. This role is pretty complicated.<\/p>\n

\n\tIs it true that they pursued you for\u00a0Death Becomes Her?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOh yeah. I had to make a decision and the decision was a bold one and a brave one. But I\u2019m really happy I made it, because this character is very complicated. I look at famous women roles. Let\u2019s look at\u00a0Gypsy\u2018s Mama Rose. I imagine when that came out in 1959, people were like, \u201cGeez, she\u2019s the worst.\u201d But look \u2014 we\u2019re still watching her. We want to see who\u2019s going to put their stamp on it. Most recently it was Audra McDonald. I don\u2019t know if Jackie Siegel will become that kind of part, but you can kind of see, if not the comparison, why I would want to play it more.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd we don\u2019t have Stephen Sondheim anymore, but look at what he wrote about. Presidential assassins and all this dark stuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYes. And Stephen Schwartz\u2019s score on this one \u2014 I think he might be trying to murder me. I have to hit a high C, soprano legit, and then I go down into midrange and then belting. So I don\u2019t usually speak during the day. But I\u2019ve got Stephen Schwartz alive and working at the top of his game.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou mentioned that he brought this to you. Did he bring\u00a0Wicked\u00a0to you as well?<\/p>\n

\n\tI was doing the sitcom\u00a0Kristin and he called me about\u00a0Wicked\u00a0and said, \u201cIt\u2019s just one song. I\u2019ve got your voice in my head singing it.\u201d I didn\u2019t know him very well. He saw me in\u00a0Steel Pier. He said, \u201cJust come over and let me play it for you.\u201d So I went over to his apartment in L.A., he played me \u201cPopular,\u201d and I said, \u201cOh, that\u2019s cute.\u201d And I had just won the Tony for You\u2019re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. But I go, \u201cI\u2019m doing this TV show and I just don\u2019t know.\u201d He goes, \u201cJust do the reading.\u201d So I did the reading. It was just Act 1 at that point and Marc Platt was the producer. He was there.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the original story, it was all about Elphaba \u2014 Glinda came on and was her friend and then went away. I thought, \u201cThis is perfect. I can go on, score with \u2018Popular\u2019 and do something really funny, and then I can leave and go take my bow.\u201d At the second reading, Stephen Schwartz has more music for Glinda. The third reading, it\u2019s Glinda and Elphaba. And it just evolved and evolved and evolved and evolved into what you see today. So I\u2019m really glad that Stephen had me in his head. And when he said, \u201cVersailles is your next show. Kristin, you\u2019re doing it,\u201d I\u2019m not going to say no.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou have to trust his instincts.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe gives me great notes. And he\u2019s at rehearsal every day. And he\u2019s got this\u00a0Wicked: For Good\u00a0coming out on Nov. 21. He\u2019s my inspiration.<\/p>\n

\n\tAre you going to make another appearance in the\u00a0Wicked\u00a0movie sequel?<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t know if I\u2019m allowed to talk about that. I don\u2019t think it hurts to say no, I\u2019m not. I think we kind of did our thing and passed the broom and wand, so to speak. But I can\u2019t wait to see it. I kind of know a lot about it from my girl, so I just can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

\n\tMeaning Ariana Grande.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOver the years, I\u2019ve heard rumors that you and your Wicked co-star Idina Menzel did not get along. Is that true?<\/p>\n

\n\tWe are so different in the way we do our process that of course rumors are going to fly, right? She and I, only\u00a0we\u00a0know what we went through to get to where we were. We would die for each other. So it\u2019s like sisters. Are sisters always perfect? So it\u2019s family. That\u2019s the best way I can describe it.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKristin Chenoweth in The Queen of Versailles.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJulieta Cervantes\/DKC O&M<\/p>\n

\n\tIf I recall,\u00a0Wicked\u00a0did not get good reviews when it opened. It actually got trashed.<\/p>\n

\n\tYeah, it did.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo I suppose that\u2019s a good lesson to keep in mind as you unveil a new show. Although I\u2019ve read some very good reviews already from the Boston tryouts of\u00a0Versailles. But how seriously do you take these reviews? How long did it take before you realized, \u201cOh my God,\u00a0Wicked\u00a0is actually going to be around for the rest of time\u201d?<\/p>\n

\n\tI knew it when we opened in San Francisco. I knew it. I remember talking to Idina after opening night in New York. It was a sad day. She goes, \u201cWe should have gotten good reviews.\u201d I go, \u201cNo. It doesn\u2019t matter. You are the green girl who flies at the end of Act 1. I come down in a bubble. We sing \u2018For Good.\u2019 And the people have spoken.\u201d I wanted the good reviews for our show, but I knew it wasn\u2019t going to matter because I\u00a0heard\u00a0the audience.<\/p>\n

\n\tNow,\u00a0Queen of Versailles\u00a0couldn\u2019t be more different from\u00a0Wicked. It\u2019s not like at the end there\u2019s a pretty, big bow and these are characters that you\u2019ve known your whole life. If I\u2019m a critic now, I don\u2019t know. I dare say I just think it\u2019s a very topical piece. People will have things to say about it, whether they\u2019re good or bad. How important are reviews? You tell me.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt used to be like The\u00a0New York Times\u00a0could make or break a show, but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s the case anymore. But now you have a lot more of these bulletin boards and audiences weighing in online and forming a consensus.<\/p>\n

\n\tI like the online presence, but I also want to make sure that they\u2019re actually at the show. That\u2019s something that scares me a little bit about not just theater, but people giving any opinions about any business. Are they there? Did they eat the hamburger? Had they gone to the clothing store?<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Yelp, it\u2019s always like, \u201cI had the worst fight with my husband here so I\u2019m giving the restaurant zero stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRight? So I just hope that people that are critical or have anything to say about our show, both bad or good, actually come. That\u2019s what I care about. The\u00a0New York Times\u00a0for me has always been among the top 10 places that you would like to get a good review. I don\u2019t know anymore. I feel like the business has changed so much, even in the 10 years since I\u2019ve been away.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019ve had some amazing career chapters that\u00a0Wicked\u00a0seems to have overshadowed. One is your two-season stint playing press secretary Annabeth Schott on\u00a0The West Wing.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was supposed to be a few episodes and it turned into two years. It was some of the happiest times of my life, because of the cast and the writing and getting to work at that level with the best in the business. And also the political views \u2014 how I wish it was like that now. I got very close to John Spencer [who played White House chief of staff Leo McGarry and died in 2005]. I mean to sit down every week at a table read and get gold \u2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGold from Aaron Sorkin.<\/p>\n

\n\tNot when I worked there. I worked there under John Wells. Aaron Sorkin had wanted me for the show, but I chose to do Wicked\u00a0instead. He had written me a fan letter and it was a beautiful relationship. We dated on and off over the years. Aaron and I have had a wonderful relationship over the years, and by the time I hit\u00a0West Wing, he was very much out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tI just assumed Aaron had cast you.<\/p>\n

\n\tI hadn\u2019t even met Aaron. Then when I got the show, he sent me flowers and said, \u201cJust my luck. I\u2019m not on the show anymore, but you are.\u201d And he asked me out on a date.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat did you have in common with him?<\/p>\n

\n\tRespect, I think, for what each other does.<\/p>\n

\n\tI sense a theme, which is that you become a muse to these very brilliant creative men, and they call for you. Because that\u2019s also what Prince did.<\/p>\n

\n\tPrince. Yeah. Just two evenings. The first night, I didn\u2019t know it was a date.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut you figured it out by the second night, I assume.<\/p>\n

\n\tI figured it out the first time. You kind of can\u2019t believe you\u2019re in the presence of that. I think Prince was put in my life as an encourager, because he said, \u201cI want to show you something.\u201d We went into his movie room and he played\u00a0this aria that I did with\u00a0<\/a>Great Performances<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0<\/a>Candide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhich I just watched. It\u2019s unbelievable. First of all, your voice.\u00a0Where\u00a0did that come from?<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t know. I was adopted. My biological daddy was a musician, and so it makes sense, but he was more country-rock and rockabilly. But I definitely got the music from my biological family.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo Prince somehow was watching\u00a0Candide, which I can\u2019t imagine.<\/p>\n

\n\tI don\u2019t know how he found it. But that\u2019s the interesting dichotomy about who Prince was. He was classically inclined. He had his finger on the pulse of everyone. And when he played it, I said, \u201cI\u2019m not going to watch this with you.\u201d And he said, \u201cYes, you are. I want you to see how wonderful you are.\u201d It was like an angel had appeared. He wanted to encourage me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd then what happened the second night?<\/p>\n

\n\tWell, I had gotten nominated for an Emmy and lost, and he said,\u00a0\u201cInvite all your friends. I\u2019m going to do a concert in your honor tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt sounds like he really liked you.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd I couldn\u2019t understand it. I couldn\u2019t. It\u2019s Prince. Look, I\u2019ve had wonderful men in my life, but to finally find\u00a0the\u00a0one [in my husband since 2023, Josh Bryant], is another thing entirely. He\u2019s an amazing musician himself. He\u2019s not bad to look at. But we just have similar hearts. I realized you date so that you can eventually find somebody that\u2019s like-minded, has a similar heart. It just happened for me later in life, that\u2019s all. Plus my focus for so many years was on my child, which was my career, and now I have somebody to share it with.<\/p>\n

\n\tI\u2019m glad you found him. You deserve it. You belong on the Mount Rushmore of Broadway.<\/p>\n

\n\tThank you, baby.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKristin Chenoweth in The Queen of Versailles.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJulieta Cervantes\/DKC O&M<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is not the Kristin Chenoweth we think we know \u2014 all Glinda bubbles and giggles and good…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27459,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[17315,9,24,63,122,124,123,17316,17317],"class_list":{"0":"post-27458","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-kristin-chenoweth","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-nyc","12":"tag-queens","13":"tag-queens-headlines","14":"tag-queens-news","15":"tag-wicked","16":"tag-wicked-for-good"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}