The Queen of Versailles Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

"The Queen of Versailles – Original Broadway Cast Recording (2025)" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

Can a score about mega-yachts, foreclosure notices, and a half-built Florida palace still break your heart? The Queen of Versailles cast recording tries hard to do exactly that. Stephen Schwartz writes Jackie Siegel as both ring-light diva and bruised survivor, and the songs track that whiplash: one moment we are in a glossy TV confessional, the next we are at a tiny kitchen table counting out crumpled dollars.

Onstage the musical has taken some hits from critics, but in audio form the material lands differently. The cast album (previewed so far through singles like “Caviar Dreams,” “Pretty Wins,” and “Each and Every Day”) highlights what the show does best: crystalline vocals from Kristin Chenoweth, Nina White and company; lush, pop-leaning orchestrations; and a surprisingly melancholy undertow beneath all the bling. You still feel the tonal tug-of-war between satire and sincerity, yet the songs alone often find a cleaner emotional arc than the book does.

Stylistically, the album lives in a glam hybrid zone: pop-ballad sweep for Jackie's self-mythologizing; Euro-electro gloss and TV-theme bounce for the reality-show universe; Weill-ish cabaret and parody Baroque for the French court ghosts who haunt the score. The fun part is mapping that sound palette to meaning — Rococo pastiche for the rot under empire, EDM shimmer for social-media fantasy, twangy country-western when the Timeshare King's empire is sold like a theme-park ride. When the show leans into those contrasts, the album feels like a dark, very American concept record about how money talks and melodies try to answer back.

How It Was Made

The musical springs from Lauren Greenfield’s 2012 documentary about Jackie and David Siegel and their still-unfinished 90,000-square-foot Versailles mansion in Florida. Director Michael Arden brought the idea to playwright Lindsey Ferrentino, who then teamed with Stephen Schwartz — yes, the Wicked guy — to build a stage version that could hold both trash-TV camp and genuine grief. After readings, the show premiered in summer 2024 at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre, then moved to Broadway’s St. James Theatre in October 2025 with Kristin Chenoweth headlining and producing.

Behind the sound, it is a very Broadway machine. Schwartz handles both music and lyrics; Mary-Mitchell Campbell music-supervises and conducts; John Clancy’s orchestrations give the band a bright, contemporary punch, flipping from chamber-pop strings to stomping “arena” drums in a bar. The cast album is produced under the Sony Masterworks Broadway banner, with tracks rolled out as singles while the full recording is prepped. Even in teaser form you can hear the design brief: a score that can sit next to current pop playlists but still has the harmonic fingerprints of classic Schwartz.

Tracks & Scenes

Here are some key numbers from The Queen of Versailles and how they work in the show. Exact timings vary by performance, but the placement and dramatic function stay consistent across Boston and Broadway runs.

“Caviar Dreams” (Kristin Chenoweth / Jackie)

Where it plays:

Early in Act I, right after the French-court prologue fades, young Jackie Mallery stands in a modest American living room and sings about getting out. She addresses both her parents and an invisible audience, imagining a future of “champagne wishes” and luxury as she scrolls aspirational images and beauty-pageant footage. Onstage, the number unfolds as a hybrid of bedroom pop video and pageant rehearsal — ring light, cheap sequined dress, and an entire chorus of Jackies in her head. The moment runs several minutes and is fully non-diegetic, scored like an aspirational pop anthem rather than a song she literally performs in-world.

Why it matters:

“Caviar Dreams” is the mission statement. It turns Jackie’s hunger for money and fame into something almost painfully relatable — a small-town kid dreaming big. Schwartz’s melody climbs and stalls, mirroring a life built on leverage and wishful thinking. Critics are divided on the score, but this cut is widely cited as the breakout song; on the album it plays like a glittering overture to both the mansion and the meltdown.

“Each and Every Day” (Kristin Chenoweth / Jackie)

Where it plays:

Later in Act I, after Jackie's first marriage sours, we find her in a cramped Florida apartment with newborn Victoria. The staging keeps her surrounded by baby gear and overdue bills while the city glows through the blinds. The song tracks the rhythm of survival — diapers, double shifts, late-night studying — more than spectacle. It is non-diegetic but staged almost like an internal diary entry, with Jackie singing over frozen tableaus of herself juggling stroller, phone, and textbooks.

Why it matters:

On record this plays as the emotional counter-weight to “Caviar Dreams.” The pop sheen softens, the orchestration thins, and Jackie's belt drops into a more conversational place. You hear the mother and the hustler at once. For all the show’s satire, this track anchors the album in something simple: the grind of a woman trying to reset her life “each and every day” while the American Dream keeps changing the rules.

“The Ballad of the Timeshare King” (Company)

Where it plays:

Mid-Act I, this is David Siegel’s entrance song, framed as a pseudo-western infomercial. Men in chaps and cowboy hats hawk vacation dreams while David rides a rolling lion statue surrounded by neon billboards and sales charts. The number plays like a high-energy promo reel, non-diegetic but cut with snippets of fake TV spots and sales seminars. It lights up the mid-show, a flashy montage of plane flights, resort openings, and contracts printed like confetti.

Why it matters:

The track is pure character exposition in song form. Musically it splices country-rock swagger with Broadway brass, turning predatory lending into a hoedown. On the cast recording it should be one of the clearest “story songs,” sketching how David built his empire on timeshares and debt. It also sets up the later crash: the same jaunty rhythm will feel far darker when those loans come due.

“Pretty Wins” (Nina White / Victoria)

Where it plays:

Toward the end of Act I, teenage Victoria steps into the spotlight with a solo that feels like a pageant talent number twisted into a crisis. Surrounded by mirrors and phone cameras, she sings about the rules she has absorbed: be thinner, shinier, quieter; smile through the chaos at home. The staging often uses split-screens of different Victorias — on social media, at school, at home — while the ensemble murmurs judgmental asides. It is non-diegetic but steeped in reality-TV aesthetics.

Why it matters:

As a single, “Pretty Wins” reads like a glittery empowerment anthem. In context it is far sadder, showing a girl who only knows how to measure herself in likes and crowns. The track deepens the album by giving Victoria a sound that is more alt-pop and less Vegas, hinting at a life she might want that has nothing to do with palaces.

“Pavane for a Dead Lizard” (Nina White / Victoria and Jonquil)

Where it plays:

Early in Act II, Victoria and cousin Jonquil perform what starts as a bizarre comic aria: they hold a funeral for Victoria’s neglected pet lizard. The stage shrinks down to a child-sized graveyard built out of designer shoeboxes and toy crowns. The music nods to French art song and cabaret while Victoria sings a serious lament over something the adults treated as disposable. Although the situation is diegetic — they really are singing to the “congregation” of toys — the number is stylized into a dreamlike, ritual space.

Why it matters:

This is the show’s strangest, most haunting track. On album, its Kurt Weill-style harmonies and dirge-like pulse cut through the pop gloss. The dead lizard becomes a metaphor for all the things this family fails to care for — pets, employees, sometimes children. Knowing the real-life tragedy that later touched the Siegels, the song lands like a quiet alarm bell the adults ignore.

“Little Houses” (Company)

Where it plays:

Later in Act II, after the recession hits and the Versailles project teeters, “Little Houses” slows everything down. Workers, relatives, and Jackie herself sing about modest homes, starter apartments, and places where people actually live instead of stage themselves. The scene often pulls us away from the skeleton of the mansion to projections of small houses, mobile parks, and cramped city flats. Vocally it becomes a woven ensemble piece, with Victoria and Jackie sharing the most intimate lines.

Why it matters:

If “Caviar Dreams” is the thesis of wanting more, “Little Houses” is the thesis of enough. On the recording it should be the emotional centerpiece: a simple melodic line, almost hymn-like, that undercuts the whole premise of building America’s biggest home. It is where the score comes closest to a clear, human critique of excess.

“The Royal We” (Marie Antoinette & Jackie)

Where it plays:

At the top of Act II, ghostly French royals crash Jackie's story. Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV step out of Versailles history and into Jackie's dressing room mirrors. “The Royal We” plays as a witty duet where Marie tries to teach Jackie how to rule, while projections flip between 18th-century paintings and reality-show confessionals. It is clearly non-diegetic, more like a fantasy coaching session inside Jackie’s imagination.

Why it matters:

The number connects the album’s Rococo references to the modern Florida mansion. Schwartz leans into baroque flourishes and harpsichord-like figures, then smashes them into thumping beats. The lyric’s “we” shifts from royal plural to social-media mob, underlining how public opinion can crown or decapitate a queen in any century.

“This Time Next Year” (Kristin Chenoweth / Jackie)

Where it plays:

Near the finale, Jackie stands in the skeleton of the half-built palace and insists that “this time next year” everything will be finished, debts will be gone, and the dream will be back on track. The family drifts in and out, half believing, half exhausted. Onstage, projections replay earlier “before” images — perfect family photos, glossy TV clips — against the current wreckage. The song is non-diegetic but feels like a last, desperate pitch to herself and the audience.

Why it matters:

On album it functions as a late-game showpiece for Chenoweth, but textually it is about denial. The melody keeps straining upward while the harmonies darken underneath, echoing the show’s central paradox: the American Dream keeps promising a reset button even as the damage piles up. It leaves the record on a note that is hopeful, but queasy.

Notes & Trivia

• The show starts not in Florida but in 18th-century Versailles, with Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette framing Jackie as their modern heir — a clever way to let the score jump between eras.
• Jackie’s big numbers often double as fake TV segments; in the theatre, live cameras feed her songs onto giant screens, so the music always lives in two realities at once.
• “The Ballad of the Timeshare King” was conceived as a tongue-in-cheek corporate myth, turning financial jargon into a rodeo shout-along that makes audiences weirdly root for the salesman.
• “Pavane for a Dead Lizard” riffs on a famous French piece whose title means “Pavane for a Dead Princess,” slipping high-culture in-jokes into a song about a kid’s pet.
• Several reviewers have singled out “Little Houses” as the moral heart of the show, even when they are lukewarm on the rest of the score.
• On Broadway, the title role has already seen significant attention for possible replacement casting, which will give the album an interesting snapshot of the “original” era if the show is ever revised.

Reception & Quotes

The musical’s Broadway run has been rocky: strong box-office curiosity, harsh critical reviews, and an early closing notice. Those headlines sit in tension with a score many listeners find more successful in isolation. Critics often slam the book and staging but praise individual songs, especially “Caviar Dreams,” Victoria’s material, and a handful of Act II ballads. The cast album is arriving into that swirl, effectively letting the music argue its own case.

Fans online frequently mention how the songs hit harder when you know the real-world events still unfolding for Jackie Siegel — including personal losses that the show never fully dramatizes. At the same time, some reviewers feel the music doesn’t go far enough in interrogating wealth or addiction. In other words: expect conversation, not consensus, when this recording lands in Broadway circles.

“Chenoweth sings the score into focus, finding shards of vulnerability inside a funhouse of excess.” — major Broadway review

“The musical wobbles between satire and sympathy; the songs, especially ‘Caviar Dreams,’ know exactly where they’re going.” — theater critic

“A lavish, chaotic hall of mirrors with a haunting lullaby or two hiding in the glare.” — national newspaper review

“Even when the script gets lost, the cast album promises to be a showcase for Schwartz’s gift for character-driven melody.” — arts magazine

Interesting Facts

• Kristin Chenoweth first met the real Jackie Siegel years before Broadway, and Jackie has embraced the musical version of herself with full sequins and social-media support.
• The real Versailles mansion in Florida is still unfinished, which means the show and its cast album document a story that has not actually ended.
• Costume designer Christian Cowan pulled directly from Jackie’s own closet, mixing Rococo shapes with Y2K club-kid color — you can almost “hear” those outfits in the bright synth textures on the singles.
• Producers and creative team have openly talked about revising the show; future productions could alter song order or even add new numbers, making the first cast recording a time capsule.
• Several songs position the French royals as a kind of sarcastic Greek chorus, which gives Schwartz an excuse to sneak in quasi-classical motifs between power-belts.
• Jackie’s advocacy work around addiction and overdose in real life casts a long, unspoken shadow over Victoria’s songs; knowing that history can change how you hear “Pavane for a Dead Lizard.”
• The Broadway run’s early closing means the album may outlive the production’s first life and become the main way many people meet the show.

Technical Info

• Title: The Queen of Versailles – Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Year: 2025 (singles released ahead of full album)
• Type: Original Broadway cast recording / musical theatre soundtrack
• Primary work: The Queen of Versailles (stage musical based on the 2012 documentary and the lives of Jackie and David Siegel)
• Composers / lyricist: Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics)
• Book: Lindsey Ferrentino
• Music supervision & direction: Mary-Mitchell Campbell
• Orchestrations: John Clancy
• Key vocal performances: Kristin Chenoweth (Jackie Siegel), F. Murray Abraham (David Siegel in early runs), Nina White (Victoria), plus supporting Broadway ensemble
• Label / album status: Sony Masterworks Broadway (Masterworks Broadway imprint); singles (“Caviar Dreams,” “Pretty Wins,” “Each and Every Day”) already on major streaming platforms, full cast recording announced and in rollout.
• Release context: Previews at St. James Theatre from October 2025; Broadway opening November 2025 with closing announced for early January 2026, turning the album into a short-run snapshot.
• Selected notable placements (in-show): “Caviar Dreams” as Jackie’s origin anthem; “The Ballad of the Timeshare King” as David’s introduction; “Pretty Wins” for Victoria’s pageant-culture crisis; “Little Houses” as Act II moral core; “Pavane for a Dead Lizard” as eerie comic-tragic aria.
• Recording availability: Digital singles worldwide; album expected on major services (Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music) and likely physical formats via Masterworks Broadway.
• Runtime / sound: Contemporary pop-Broadway blend with electronic textures, orchestral color, and occasional historical pastiche.

Questions & Answers

Do I need to see the documentary before listening to the cast album?

No. The album tells a full emotional story on its own. Knowing the documentary adds extra layers, but the songs spell out the basics of Jackie’s rise and fallout.

Is the album a complete recording of the score or just highlights?

The project is billed as a full Original Broadway Cast Recording. Early releases are singles, but the announced album is intended to cover the principal numbers, not a short “highlights” disc.

Where can I hear “Caviar Dreams,” “Pretty Wins,” and “Each and Every Day”?

All three have been released as digital singles and are available on major streaming platforms under the Original Broadway Cast of The Queen of Versailles and Stephen Schwartz.

How does the score compare to Stephen Schwartz’s earlier work like Wicked?

Expect familiar soaring lines and big diva moments, but folded into a more pop-electronic and satirical sound world. Fans of his melodic style will recognize his fingerprints, even when the material courts reality-TV camp.

Will the songs change if the show is revised after Broadway?

Very possibly. The creative team has discussed continuing to develop the piece. Future productions might cut, re-order, or rewrite songs, which would make this first cast recording a snapshot of Version 1.0.

Key Contributors

Sources: official Queen of Versailles musical site; Broadway and Playbill announcements; Masterworks Broadway and label listings; major reviews from AP, Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, People, and other outlets; feature pieces in Town & Country, Vogue, and The New Yorker; audience reports and discussions from theatre forums.