Kristin Chenoweth Tony Matula/MA2LA This is not the Kristin Chenoweth we think we know - all Glinda bubbles and giggles and good times. This is a different Chenoweth, perhaps closer to the woman that exists offstage, the one that fought her way to the top of the showbiz heap. It's a steelier Chenoweth, more determined and, yes, maybe a little exhausted. Mounting a new musical will do that to a person - especially when that person is not just its producer but its star and main box-office draw. And this time, her character is far from a good witch. She's playing shopaholic one-percenter Jackie Siegal - wife of time-share king David Siegel, played by F. Murray Abraham - in a lavish musical adaptation of the 2012 documentary The Queen of Versailles. The music and lyrics are by Stephen Schwartz, the man behind Wicked. Related Stories Lifestyle The Latest 'Wicked' Brand Collabs Flying in Ahead of November's 'Wicked: For Good' Release Movies 'Wicked: For Good' Tracking to Open to Bewitching $115M-$120M at Thanksgiving Box Office To call this Trumpian satire unusual material for a Broadway showcase is an understatement. That it comes in the wake of a rare P.R. headache for the beloved Wicked star only ratchets pre-opening tensions even higher. After right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University, Chenowith commented beneath Kirk's final Instagram post, "I'm. So. Upset. Didn't always agree but appreciated some perspectives. What a heartbreak.." She signed off with a broken-heart emoji. The statement infuriated some members of the LGBTQ+ community - a sizable segment of her fanbase - for whom Kirk was a loathsome and dangerous figure. An emotional Chenoweth later addressed the backlash on NY1, saying, "I saw what happened [to Kirk] online with my own eyes, and I had a human moment of reflection. ... It's no secret that I'm an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community." The 4-foot-11 diva, 57, recently joined The Hollywood Reporter via Zoom from her home in Manhattan for a wide-ranging conversation as she prepares to unveil the most challenging project of her career - and just weeks ahead of Wicked: For Good taking flight in cinemas. And while she declines to address the Kirk controversy any further beyond acknowledging that it "almost broke" her, Chenoweth does prove candid about every other aspect of her life, from famous former lovers like Prince and Aaron Sorkin to those whispers of a feud with Wicked co-star Idina Menzel. Kristin Chenoweth in The Queen of Versailles Julieta Cervantes/DKC O&M How many more days to opening night, Kristin? I wish it was tomorrow. It's Nov. 9, next Sunday. We've finally frozen the show, so no more changes. And that's been a relief. I always say to people, "Just know that [mounting a new musical] is the hardest thing to do, period." We have the music and it's so wonderful - Stephen Schwartz has outdone himself. But the plot has to work with the music. Otherwise why sing it? I always tell the young kids that I mentor, "Only sing it if you can't speak it." That's why we sing. But when musical theater is done poorly - and you've seen it - it's all of a sudden the song from nowhere and we're doing jazz hands. But when it's done well, just know how hard it was to get to that point. Wasn't this like a five-year journey for you? Yes. During COVID, Stephen Schwartz called me. He'd been threatening to write another show for me. And I thought, "Sure, that's sweet. Let's see if it ever happens." I was at my mom's and I think I'd just wrapped [Apple TVs musical satire show] Schmigadoon. I was really tired from the masks and COVID. Remember that? So he and [director] Michael Arden called me and said, "We have your next show: The Queen of Versailles." I was like, "Oh, French! It's a period piece." And they said, "No, it's about Jackie Siegel. The documentary." Then they told me the conceit of it. And I thought, "Oh, this is so interesting." So he played me one of the songs and that was it. What's the conceit? I will say that we have a French court that comes in and out of our piece. Like a Greek chorus commenting? Yes. And to dramatize how easily the past repeats itself. And what do we do when we have more than enough? It's easy to fall prey to things where you think, "I would never become that cliche." The very first time I got a paycheck worth anything, I signed with Paramount for a sitcom, Kristin. And I thought, "I'm going to get me a new car." And I really wanted a Mercedes. I did not grow up anything near that. My dad went through hard times. It wasn't a rich kid's life. This was in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Yeah. But with the very first paycheck, I went and got a new two-door Mercedes coupe. I just fell right into the trap. And about six months later, I looked at my daddy and I said, "I thought it would be better. I just thought I'd like it better to have this car." And he goes, "It's because money fades. It's an instant gratification. And then then you wa