Chenoweth stars in a new musical based upon the award-winning documentary “The Queen of Versailles” by Lauren Greenfield and “The Life Stories of Jackie and David Siegel”. With music by the incomparable Stephen Schwartz, it is a veritable Broadway spectacle with gorgeous costumes and lavish settings including a grand ballroom. (Costume design by Christian Cowan and Scenic & Video Design by Dane Laffrey)

The play begins in France with King LouisXIV, the Sun King, before he and wife Marie Antoinette met their tragic ends. Louis (Pablo David Laucerica) is clownish and history suggests that he and his wife didn't have a clue and were totally out of touch.

Singing “Because I Can,” he proposes building Versailles, to show off his wealth and splendor. Flash forward to depict Jackie's story, including her first marriage to an abusive husband. Years later, she meets and marries David Siegel, a much older man. (terribly miscast F. Murray Abraham)

On a trip to France some time later, the two visit Versailles and Jackie is enchanted.The wealthy Siegel, “The Time Share King,” is able to cater to his wife’s many ridiculous whims and proposes they build the biggest house in America and they sing “Because We Can.” Again the whole thing would feel totally artificial and ridiculous if it weren't mostly true.

Together the Siegels had 6 children and Jackie already has her own daughter from her first marriage Victoria (excellent Nina White.) We follow Vicky and Jackie's niece Jonquil (Tatum Grace Hopkins). The rest of their children are not in this story line.

Of course the Siegels have a staff of servants but only Sofia, the nanny (the wonderful Melody Butiu) appears and gets to sing. Towards the end of the show when Jackie is ‘alone’ in the house, I wondered what she had done with all her other kids.

Directed by Michael Arden, the musical has a basic problem: once it strays from the documentary, it gets lost. The musical uses real dialogue spoken by the main characters but sadly, it strays from the documentary. The book by Lindsey Ferrentino has too much extraneous material and could easily have eliminated several of the French flashbacks and much of Siegel's later life.

The first act is fun and enjoyable but much of the second act loses its lightness and momentum which are the charm of the musical. The French royalty lose their heads (off-stage) Then it's 2008, the banks fail and Siegel loses his money. More significantly Vicky is profoundly depressed, enabling White to perform a lovely ballad and continues to her decline into depression, ultimately resulting in a drug overdose. Although the events are true, it really puts a damper on the musical.

However, if you are a Chenoweth fan, this may not dampen your experience . She performs several songs and her voice resonates throughout the theater. She’s vivacious. extremely talented, sings well and does it all in skin-tight mini dresses and high heels!!! Chenoweth is always smiling and is luminescent. The character she plays isn’t particularly likable, and like Marie Antoinette with whom Jackie sings a duet, she doesn’t seem to have a clue about what’s going on around her. Yet we like her and that's due to Chenoweth’s charm and voice.

With lots of good music and wonderful lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Pippin,etc.) and amazing voices to perform them, the show does offer some entertaining moments. I just wish that it had ended after the first act. I can appreciate wanting to provide the audience with the events after the documentary to show what happened afterwards.

But when we last see Jackie, she is alone in her palace, standing on her grand staircase all alone.. Her husband has left on business, one daughter is lost to drugs and the other simply walks out. Are we supposed to leave the theater feeling sorry for her? What's missing is closure and what happens next?