Kristin Chenoweth's new Broadway show will close months earlier than expected amid slow ticket sales, poor reviews and the star's comments about Charlie Kirk - leading critics to suggest her sympathy for the slain conservative activist got the play canceled. The Queen of Versailles, which just opened on November 9, will hold its final performance on January 4 after previously having dates listed through March 29. Chenoweth, best known for playing Glinda in the original stage production of Wicked, was the target of intense criticism in September after Kirk's assassination for offering support to his family in a social media post.
'I'm. So. Upset. Didn't always agree, but appreciated some perspectives,' the 57-year-old wrote on Instagram. 'What a heartbreak. His young family. I know where he is now. Heaven. But still.'
The comments by Chenoweth, who has a large LGBT following, sparked outrage from fans who inundated her with nasty insults. As news of the play's early exit circulated, some took to social media to speculate on the motive.
' Honestly considering her recent "alignment choices" I'm shocked it lasted that long,' one wrote on a Facebook post announcing the decision. 'Moral of the story: If you play stupid games, typically you get stupid prizes! Bless her heart (sarcasm).' Another scathed: 'Sometimes simply not commenting about political lightning rods is better for entertainers' careers. Maybe next time she won't try to play both sides.'
Kevin James Bennett, an accomplished beauty editor and Emmy Award-winning makeup artist, also piled on.
'For those of you who thought "The Queen of Versailles" could survive the leading lady being exposed as MAGA-friendly... The show is CLOSING on January 4th,' he wrote on Facebook . '...Kristin Chenoweth should have thought about that before she publicly betrayed the LGBTQ+ community, who have loved and supported her career for decades.' 'Sympathizing with any rhetoric that positions him as a martyr is unacceptable, Ms. Chenoweth,' he concluded.
Chenoweth told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month that the initial backlash 'almost broke' her. 'It was tough on me, but I'm not going to answer any questions about it because I dealt with it,' she said of the Kirk controversy. Chenoweth's role in the play, which is based on a 2012 documentary about a Florida couple seeking to build a luxurious abode just before the 2008 financial crisis, had been in the works for five years.
'I dare say I just think it's a very topical piece,' she told the Hollywood Reporter. 'People will have things to say about it, whether they're good or bad.'
The show began previews on October 8 following a successful stint at the Emerson Colonial Theater in Boston. Reviews since then have been mostly negative. Entertainment Weekly wrote that 'the songs are just one of many problems plaguing an identity crisis of a show that doesn't quite seem to know what it wants to be.'
The Guardian called it 'lavish, unwieldy, pointless and seemingly unfinished.' The New York Post panned the production's entire second act as 'terrible.' However, The New York Times praised it as an 'entertaining biomusical with a hummable score.' The stage adaptation marked a reunion between Chenoweth and the composer for the original score of Wicked, Stephen Schwartz. It was also Chenoweth's return to Broadway after ten years, after she made a cameo in 2024's Wicked film. She does not appear in the sequel released this month.