THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES Previews — Page 6

I love me some great merch, but it's just all really tacky which tracks...perfectly,

Broadway Merch

they'll have all this in bulk at Broadway flea market next year.

Have we ever read such unanimously negative reviews on this site for a new show in previews? It seems the tone of the show is the problem - not satiric like Legally Blonde, not tragedy like Gypsy, not a character study like Company, not a social commentary like Chicago. Maybe the off-Broadway revival of Baker's Wife might be Stephen's high point this season, certainly a wonderful romantic musical score. Broadway just cannot have more of these 30 million dollar busts. A lot of the touring shows, the movies made into generic musicals, are not doing well at the box office on the road for a similar reason: no point of view, no particular theme, no reason to be a musical. Even flawed shows like Love Life, Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Tenderloin, or more recently Newsies and Scottsboro Boys had had a reason to be a musical and style. In those shows the musical score amplified characters, the theme, the style, or the world of the play even if the book might have been flawed.

I hope they can use the comments and the preview period to discover the key to the point of view and theme. Broadway needs a new musical hit this season since so few new shows are opening.

bear88 said: "When is the last new Broadway show that made significant changes in previews?”

When is the last new Broadway show that made significant changes out of town?

The system is broken.

What would Wicked be without their time in San Francisco?

bear88 said: "[...] When is the last new Broadway show that made significant changes in previews? I don’t see enough of them to know. Of musicals I have seen,I knowShuffle Alongchanged quite a bit during previews, replacing significant songs and choreography, but even that was basically the same show. Or was it? (I only saw it in previews.)"

This might not be significant enough, but during previews, Maybe Happy Ending ditched an elaborate, two-story set with an enclosed motel room for the scenes surrounding "How to be Not Alone" and restaged it to its current form centered around the bed.

DiscoCrows said: "“Pretty Wins” sung by Nina White as Victoria is now streaming on all platforms (along with Caviar Dreams, previously released).

https://queenofversailles.lnk.to/obcr"

One of only a few genuine human moments in this show

EmceeHammer said: "bear88 said: "When is the last new Broadway show that made significant changes in previews?”

When is the last new Broadway show that made significant changes out of town?"

SUFFS is kind of the poster child now, considering the amount of work that happened between the Public and Broadway. That show still wasn't 100% successful (I yearn to see how a different director would have guided the show), but the show at the Public would not have won two Tonys for writing.

NEXT TO NORMAL and BEETLEJUICE did a ton of work, too.

Some Broadway preview periods are getting shorter now. Q0V has a month between 1st preview and opening night (same with LOST BOYS and ROCKY HORROR and CHESS), but that's kind of a luxury for a musical nowadays. SCHMIGADOON will have 16 days, TWO STRANGERS will have 19 days, CATS will have 20 days. Subtract 3-4 days to freeze the show and have press performances, and you have very few working days. The most significant changes that can happen at that point are minor changes to script and staging, lighting changes, and costume alterations.

Broadway previews have never really been a time for huge changes- it's performing surgery on a conscious patient at that point. That should all be happening in readings, workshops, and tryouts.

But the development process is lengthy and drives up investment costs, yet all-too-often doesn't yield much, if any, of the changes a show may really need. The blame is probably diffuse but the buck has to stop with the lead producers.

This musical spends too much time trying to convince us of something we already know - that Jackie Siegel is a vein and materialistic person. There’s nothing wrong with this as a character trait (as far as good musicals are concerned) but for this to effectively resonate with audiences, we need to see the impact that has on the lives of others beyond her truncated relationship with her daughter, who we also know from the second she steps on stage is on a different path from her mother.

This show could have offered such great and captivating commentary on wealth inequality in America through the lens of a glamorous Broadway musical, and yet all it boils down to is Jackie retorting to the same habitual lifestyle traits without actually being forced to reckon with the predatory, two-faced reality of the “American Dream” her and David spend the show arguing is just as equitable to them as it is to people like Sofia. The French Court subplot has no issue affirming this isn’t the case - if they want to hold that lens to Jackie’s story, they need to commit to the bit and use her story to accurately convey that reality. No wonder people feel so distorted watching this show - Jeff Bezos may as well have written it.

She is hurt after what happens at the end of the show, but she doesn’t actually grow an ounce as it pertains to the subject matter. And neither does the audience because of it.

Updated On: 10/10/25 at 11:22 AM

Lempicka was the last show I remember them making big changes. Cutting songs, moving things around.

I always wonder after an out-of-town tryout if the creative team leaves with a realistic assessment of a show's strengths and flaws. Any time and resources available to work on improvements before Broadway can't be effectively used if they don't have a sufficient understanding of what needs to get better.

Updated On: 10/10/25 at 12:29 PM