Wicked Stars Fail to Enchant in Uneven Broadway Productions

The year 2025 has been dominated by the Wicked phenomenon. The movie adaptation, released late last year, has sparked a full-blown Elphaba and Glinda craze that shows no signs of slowing down. The Wicked: For Good sequel is poised to dominate the box office upon its November 21st release, and the original Broadway musical continues to play to packed houses.

However, the timing has not been as fortuitous for the two beloved original stars of Wicked, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. Menzel's Redwood, which featured the actress soaring on stage, never took creative flight and had an underwhelming run earlier this year. Now, Chenoweth is headlining a Broadway musical that is equally undeserving of her talents.

The Queen of Versailles, which opened tonight at the St. James Theatre, is an adaptation of the 2012 documentary about Jackie Siegel and her family's quest to build a massive, opulent home. The musical, with a book by Lindsey Ferrentino and music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, struggles with an identity crisis, toggling between campy comedy, social commentary, dark family drama, and French historical farce without excelling at any of them.