Kristin Chenoweth is setting fans’ expectations straight as she gears up for her return to Broadway in The Queen of Versailles.
While chatting with PEOPLE on the red carpet at the 2025 Tony Awards in New York City on Sunday, June 8, the Tony-winning star made it clear that this new role is unlike anything Wicked fans might be anticipating.
“People think they’re gonna get Wicked — you’re not gonna get Wicked, so don’t get disappointed,” said Chenoweth, 56, with a smile.
The upcoming Stephen Schwartz musical The Queen of Versailles, co-produced by Chenoweth’s Diva Worldwide Entertainment, marks her first Broadway performance in a decade.
Inspired by the 2012 documentary by Lauren Greenfield, the story follows socialite Jacqueline “Jackie” Siegel and her husband, David Siegel — the so-called “Timeshare King” — as they attempt to build the largest private home in America. Chenoweth plays Jackie, opposite F. Murray Abraham as David.
Chenoweth revealed how long the project has been in the works.
“We’ve worked on it for five years, and I need to birth this baby, you know?” she said, while also reflecting on her longtime working relationship with Schwartz. “Twenty-two years with” him, she added with a nod to their shared Wicked history.
Admitting she had a few initial doubts, Chenoweth recalled the moment Schwartz approached her with the idea.
“When Stephen called me [and explained the premise], I was like, ‘I don’t know …’” she told PEOPLE. “But then we started talking and discussing and developing, and it got me excited.” What ultimately drew her in, she said, was “what it has to say.”
While The Queen of Versailles marks a new creative chapter, Chenoweth’s ties to Wicked remain strong.
Last year, she and Idina Menzel made surprise cameos in the Jon M. Chu-directed film adaptation, playing members of an Emerald City ensemble during the song One Short Day.
In the movie, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande stepped into the roles of Elphaba and Glinda, originally played by Menzel and Chenoweth on Broadway.
Asked whether she and Menzel will return for the second installment, Wicked: For Good, which is due out in theaters this November, Chenoweth teased, “All I can say to the fans is they’ll just have to go and see.”
Chenoweth will take the stage in The Queen of Versailles at the St. James Theatre in New York City. Previews are set to begin on October 8, with opening night scheduled for November 9.
