Broadway's The Queen of Versailles has added a high-power standby to its company. Broadway favorite Sherie Rene Scott will standby for the title role, otherwise being played by Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth. Chenoweth will start the run playing all weekly performances, with a schedule of select performances starring Scott to be announced at a later date.
The casting will bring Scott back to the Main Stem for the first time since starring in the 2016 revival of The Front Page. After early career turns in The Who's Tommy, Grease, and Rent, Scott created the role of Amneris in Aida in 2000, and later starred in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Little Mermaid, Everyday Rapture (which she also co-wrote), and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Off-Broadway, she was the original star of The Last Five Years. She was last seen on the New York stage as Audrey in Off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors.
It also makes Scott the latest in a growing trend of prominent standbys on Broadway. Last season, Mandy Gonzalez, Caroline Bowman, and Rashidra Scott all played select performances as Norma Desmond in the Tony-winning Sunset Boulevard revival, with the role normally being played by Nicole Scherzinger. Other notable star standbys have included Donna Murphy in Hello, Dolly!, Montego Glover in Gypsy, and Donna McKechnie in The Visit.
"Sherie is a true Broadway original, and she brings such heart and humor to everything she touches," reads a statement from Chenoweth, who is also co-producing the musical. "Her sensibility is a perfect fit for our show, and her take on Jackie will be an event all on its own."
The musical begins performances October 8 at the St. James Theatre, ahead of a November 9 opening night. The work is Stephen Schwartz' first new musical on Broadway since Wicked. Lindsey Ferrentino (Amy and the Orphans) has penned the book, adapting Lauren Greenfield's 2012 documentary of the same name.
Chenoweth is starring as socialite Jacqueline "Jackie" Siegel opposite Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham as David Siegel. The work follows the couple's endeavor to build the largest private home in the country in Orlando, Florida, only for the 2008 recession to dampen their dreams and lavish lifestyle. The work made its world premiere at Boston's Emerson Colonial Theatre last year—see what critics had to say of the try-out here. Two-time Tony winner Michael Arden is at the helm.
Recently revealed to be re-joining Chenoweth in the musical are Melody Butiu (Here Lies Love) as Sofia, Stephen DeRosa (BOOP! The Musical) as John, Greg Hildreth (Company) as Gary, Tatum Grace Hopkins (Meek) as Jonquil, Isabel Keating (The Boy From Oz) as Debbie, and Nina White (Kimberly Akimbo) as Victoria, all also reprising their performances from the pre-Broadway run. The company will also include Yeman Brown, David Aron Damane, Drew Elhamalawy, Christopher Gurr, KJ Hippensteel, Cassondra James, Andrew Kober, Jesse Kovarsky, Pablo David Laucerica, Travis Murad Leland, Ryah Nixon, Shea Renne, Michael McCorry Rose, Grace Slear, Anne Fraser Thomas, and Jake Bentley Young. Casting is by Stephen Kopel and Carrie Gardner of C12 Casting.
The production also features choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant (Parade), music supervision by Mary-Mitchell Campbell (Some Like It Hot), scenic and video design by Dane Laffrey (Maybe Happy Ending), costume design by fashion designer Christian Cowan, lighting design by Natasha Katz (Sweeney Todd), sound design by Peter Hylenski (Beetlejuice), hair and wig design by Cookie Jordan, and orchestrations by John Clancy. Clarissa Marie Ligon will be production stage manager.
The Queen of Versailles is being produced by Bill Damaschke, Seaview, and Chenoweth.
Visit QueenOfVersaillesMusical.com.
