Kristin Chenoweth has been an icon in these parts since I first watched her devour the scenery in the original Kander & Ebb musical ‘Steel Pier‘. Following that, Andy and I were lucky enough to see her perform with Idina Menzel as part of the original Broadway cast of ‘Wicked‘. Now, I’m taking Andy to see Ms. Chenoweth in her current headlining run in ‘The Queen of Versailles’ at the Emerson Colonial Theatre. It was a surprise anniversary gift for him that will kick off my birthday weekend next month.
‘The Queen of Versailles’ has an intriguingly-unexpected subject at its heart – about the woman who endeavored to build the largest home in America. While I was a little disappointed to discover it wasn’t a straight-up Marie Antoinette musical by the guy who musicalized ‘Wicked’, I’m holding any judgment in reserve until I hear how it plays out. In the hands of an experienced star like Chenoweth, and the pedigreed musical history of Stephen Schwartz, this may be the next must-see musical.
Our last Boston-opening before it went to Broadway experience was when we took in ‘Moulin Rouge’ – and if this follows that bombastic trajectory, it may be bound to even bigger houses. I can’t wait to see Ms. Chenoweth’s sparkling embodiment of the American dream.
