“The Queen of Versailles” has once more invited the world to know her story, in a new Broadway musical.
But Jackie Siegel shares a scene not for the stage.
“Right now, I’ve still got my husband’s toothbrush next to the sink, with his comb, his razor,” Siegel says in a phone chat from the home on Seagull Island near Orlando, which she time-share magnate David Siegel shared until his death in April.
“I’m still kind of in denial that he’s gone.”
As the central figure in the notorious 2012 “Queen of Versailles” documentary, Siegel is portrayed in the musical by stage and recording star Kristin Chenowith. F. Murray Abraham (Academy Award-winner for playing Antonio Salieri in “Amadeus”) portrays David Siegel, founder of Westgate Resorts and owner of Westgate Las Vegas for more than a decade.
In previews this month, “Versailles” makes its world premiere at St. James Theatre on Nov. 9. The new production is expected to cause a ripple across the Great White Way.
Tony Award-winner Michael Arden (“Parade”) directs. This is composer Stephen Schwartz’s first new Broadway musical since “Wicked” premiered in 2003.
It is Chenowith’s most ambitious dramatic role; she originated the role of Glinda (alongside Schwartz) in “Wicked.” Dane Laffrey’s set is said to be jaw-dropping.
In this musical retelling of the documentary, “Versailles” is Siegels’ fabled $100 million Versailles-inspired mansion near Orlando. In the couple’s shared vision, the 90,000-square-foot mansion was to be the largest private residence in the country.
A study in opulence, the project was undercut by the 2008 recession as the Siegels ran short of money to finish.
Work on Versailles remains
That’s the story in the musical. In real life, the Siegel family continues to push toward its completion. The Siegels’ construction business fast-tracked work for a certificate of occupancy of Versailles be completed by May 3, in time for David’s 90th birthday.
Siegel says the effort halted to finish off Versailles stopped after David Siegel’s passing. Some infrastructure needs remain (the plumbing needs to be hooked up), but Siegel says, “It’s close,” and just a matter of time and timing.
“I’m going to wait till after, after the holidays,” the queen of the manor says. “Maybe in February or March, we’ll have it ready.”
The Siegels’ support of “The Queen of Versailles” musical might have been a surprise to those who followed David Siegel’s acrimonious history with the documentary.
Winning over David
The Westgate founder had unsuccessfully sued the filmmakers for defamation of character, claiming the film depicted his company was on the verge of insolvency and ignoring his charitable work.
But David Siegel did see samples of the musical, in its infancy in New York in 2023.
“He was able to go to one of the workshops so he could see a few scenes,” Siegel says. “And he was actually pleased.”
The Siegels had expected “Versailles” would not be a fairy-tale story. That feeling was reinforced when Jackie saw the opening of previews on Oct. 8 performance a couple of weeks ago.
“It can’t be like a perfect life, you know?” Jackie says. “There’s no story of two people who just have this perfect life. You have to have the conflicts in there. But overall, he was very, very happy, and he loved (Abraham).”
Meeting the co-lead
Jackie met Chenowith, impressed that the woman playing her onstage adopted a slight, upstate New York accent to play the role. Siegel is originally from the town of Endwell and graduated with a bachelor degree in computer engineering technology from Rochester Institute of Technology.
Siegel became a pageant queen, a Mrs. Florida champion who now owns Mrs. Florida America organization, and a documentary star. She says her kids were sold on Chenowith’s portrayal during the show’s off-Broadway run in Boston last year (Jackie could not attend because David was hospitalized).
“When my kids went to the show in Boston, they said, ‘Mom, we thought it was you up on stage,” Siegel says. “She did that good of a job. It was wonderful to hear that.”
Jackie met Abraham after the opening of previews in New York. “He hugged me, and I hugged him back, harder,” Siegel says. “I thanked him for bringing my husband back to life.”
In her memory
Siegel says that she and her husband agreed that a Broadway show with two acclaimed leads would generate publicity for their most important philanthropic project, Victoria’s Voice. The Siegels lost their 18-year-old daughter, Victoria, in the summer of 2015 to what was ruled an accidental overdose of methadone and sertraline.
The couple launched Victoria’s Voice drug-prevention foundation, and released their daughter’s personal diary, also titled “Victoria’s Voice,” in 2019.
David spent the rest of his life hard-focused on the development and distribution of Narcan nasal-spray devices. He said that Narcan spray would have saved his daughter’s life.
Victoria’s tragic death is depicted in Act II of “Versailles.” Jackie is asked if that scene is jarring to theater-goers, especially one who lived through it.
“This is an emotional roller coaster. You laugh. You Cry,’ the Queen of Versailles says. “For me, it’s particularly emotional to see people again who are no longer in mortal form. But I feel like, in a way, they are still here.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.