Kristin Chenoweth’s ‘Queen of Versailles’ closing early on Broadway

The grand opening will be abruptly followed by the grand closing.”Queen of Versailles“— Kristin Chenowethbrilliant return to Broadway outlandish reality TV star Jackie Siegel.

Just over two weeks after officially opening at the St. James Theater on Nov. 9, producers announced they were abandoning production on the lavish musical, which features music by “Wicked” composer Stephen Schwartz.

Production will close on January 4th.

The Queen of Versailles, co-produced by Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Chenoweth, is an adaptation of the novel of the same name. Lauren Greenfield's 2012 documentary. of the same name. It follows a wealthy Orlando couple and their outlandish plan to build the largest home in the country—a replica of the palace in the Paris neighborhood where King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived during the French Revolution—all as their dreams begin to crumble amid the Great Recession.

The play, which also starred Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham as Siegel's husband, David, marked Chenoweth and Schwartz's first time working together on Broadway since “Wicked” premiered in 2003.

The Queen of Versailles performed well at the box office, grossing over $5.5 million from nine performances and 32 screenings. But finding a way forward wasn't enough for the producers. According to The New York Times, the show the cost is estimated at $22.5 million. capitalize.

Although New York Daily News critic Chris Jones is delighted that Chenowith directed the musical “with an exceptional combination of rugged determination and a seductively empathetic commitment to truthfulness”, other reviews were less kind.

Entertainment Weekly said that the musical “switches between different modes of action—in this case campy comedy staging, facile social commentary on income inequality, grim family drama and French historical farce—and none of them are particularly successful.”

Associated Press critic Mark Kennedy wrote: “the story oscillates between mocking and championing Siegel's dreamy vision, losing its biting satire and ultimately losing its chance to say something about wealth inequality as America once again flirts with economic disaster.”

Additionally, Chenoweth herself became the target of widespread backlash after she expressed regret over death of polarizing Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirkknown for holding what many consider racist or homophobic views.

The actress, a prominent advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, has remained largely silent on the controversy but said in an interview earlier this month that the retaliatory blow “almost broke” her.