Today on Broadway: Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025

Host: Matt Tamineni (BroadwayRadio)
Date: November 11, 2025

Episode Overview

On this episode of Today on Broadway, host Matt Tamineni returns from a brief hiatus due to personal travel and the wedding of co-host Grace Aki to F. Michael Haney. The main focus is a review roundup for the new Broadway musical Queen of Versailles, followed by a rundown of current theater news, premiere openings, show extensions, and Matt’s own packed schedule of theatergoing in New York this week.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Personal Update and Co-Host Wedding

• Matt opens explaining the show’s absence the previous day due to needing to wait for the Queen of Versailles review embargo and travel for Grace Aki and F. Michael Haney’s wedding.
• “I wanted to apologize for not having an episode on Monday... Grace had lots of stuff to do to get ready for the wedding and I was out of town so we weren’t able to make that happen. But we’ll be back with regular episodes this week.” (00:21)

2. 'Queen of Versailles' Review Roundup

• Background: The show is a new musical based on the 2012 documentary and the real-life story of Jackie and David Siegel. Kristin Chenoweth stars as Jackie Siegel.
• Creative Team: Score by Stephen Schwartz, book by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by Michael Arden, choreography by Joran Yolango Grant and Christopher Cree Grant.
• Plot: Chronicles the Siegels’ rise and fall while building the USA’s largest private home during the 2008 recession.
• Breakdown of initial reviews (via Did They Like It?):
  • 3 Positive, 8 Mixed, 6 Negative (01:43)
• Highlighted Reviews:
  • New York Times (Laura Collins-Hughes, Critics Pick) – Positive
    “The Queen of Versailles is more than an entertaining bio musical with a hummable score directed by Michael Arden. It’s also a sociological fairy tale, the kind in which flawed people lose their way and something terribly sad happens. Irreversibly.” (02:14)
    • Praises Chenoweth’s performance, the exploration of capitalism, and the show’s lush musical variety.
  • Vulture (Sara Holdren) – Negative
    “Wow, this is a doozy. There is a two hour and 40 minute luxury car crash happening at the St. James Theatre. If you’re morbidly curious... you could try for tickets... Or you could save the money and have someone slap you back and forth with a large salmon.” (03:12)
  • Time Out New York (Adam Feldman) – Negative
    “Like the $100 million palace that the Siegels... sought to build... The Queen of Versailles is nothing if not ambitious. But like that palace, it also feels misguided and very much still under construction.” (03:50)
  • Variety (Aramide Tinubu) – Mixed
    “The performances, including a mega talented ensemble, are also excellent. As expected, Chenoweth is a force... glimmers of sympathy for this toxically positive billionaire woman.” (04:11)
  • Washington Post (Naveen Kumar) – Negative
    “Stephen Schwartz and Lindsey Ferrentino’s musical is both overdone and undercooked... ventures a gaudy and confused mix of both [romance and satire] without a coherent point of view.” (04:31)
  • NY Daily News (Chris Jones) – Positive
    “Chenoweth drives the new musical from Schwartz and Ferrentino with raw determination and a beguiling, empathetic commitment... she just plays her as a complex human like the rest of us.” (04:54)
• Matt provides a link to the full “Did They Like It?” review roundup in the show notes.

3. Upcoming & Current Theater Openings (05:32 onward)

• The Baker’s Wife at Classic Stage Company (extended to Dec 21)
  • Scott Bakula and Ariana DeBose headline.
  • Matt: “This is going to be a show that I’m going to see later this week, so very much looking forward to this one.” (05:33)
• Archduke by Rajiv Joseph at Roundabout Off-Broadway (opens Wednesday)
• Oedipus at Studio 54, Robert Icke’s modern adaptation (opens Thursday)
  • Mark Strong (Oedipus), Leslie Manville (Broadway debut as Jocasta).
  • Matt: “This one... puts a modern political spin onto it that apparently feels very appropriate for today’s day and age.” (06:38)
• The Seat of Our Pants (musical adaptation of The Skin of Our Teeth) at Public Theater (opens Wednesday)
  • Features Ruthie Ann Miles and a starry cast.
  • Matt: “An absolutely phenomenal cast... this is just a wildly inventive and magical play. So I’m excited to see what it looks like in musical form.” (07:08)
• Chess at the Imperial Theatre (first Broadway revival; opens Sunday)
  • Nicholas Christopher, Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, Hannah Cruz; new book by Danny Strong, directed by Michael Mayer.
  • Matt speculates on likely extensions and possible future casting: “If I had to guess, I would think this show will extend again past the Tony’s date... or there will be a major announcement as to who will at least take over as Florence when Lea leaves.” (08:39)

4. Upcoming Closings (09:36)

• Caroline at MCC (closing Sunday)
• Did You Eat? at Public Theater downtown (closing Sunday)
• Nothing Can Take You From the Hand of God at Playwrights Horizons (closing Sunday)

5. Show and Casting News (09:47)

• Gruesome Playground Injuries (Lucille Lortel) starring Nicholas Braun & Carrie Young extends to Dec 28.
• Red Bull Theater’s Richard II starring Michael Urie at Astor Place extends to Dec 14.
• Les Misérables: The Arena Concert Spectacular at Radio City adds an extra week (now through Aug 9).
• Jesse Eisenberg’s Ziegfeld Files at Studio Seaview adds three more performances, now running through Dec 8.
• The New Group announces a new permanent home at St. Clements Church after signing a 30-year lease.

6. Matt’s Broadway & Off-Broadway Week (11:49)

• Matt shares the shows he’s attending this week, expressing excitement for each:
  • Caroline at MCC (Tuesday)
  • Oedipus at Studio 54 (Wednesday)
  • Kyoto at Lincoln Center Off-Broadway (Thursday)
  • Bo the Musical (Friday), followed by Chess
  • The Baker’s Wife at CSC (Saturday)
  • Mary Lou Henner at the Green Room 42 (Saturday night)
    • Matt teases a special guest connected to his own college days at Ohio State.
  • Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York (Sunday afternoon)
  • The Seat of Our Pants at Public Theater (Sunday night)
  • Trying to squeeze in Ariel Satchel’s Other, Little Bear, Little Bear, Ridge Road, or Liberation if time allows.
• Encourages listening to his theater reviews on patreon.com/broadwayradio.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Queen of Versailles review embargo:

  • “Queen of Versailles did not release their review embargo until midnight, which usually tells you things aren’t exactly going according to plan.” (00:56)

• On Queen of Versailles as viewed by Laura Collins Hughes:

  • “The Queen of Versailles is a luxuriously appointed critique of winner-take-all and crush-the-rest capitalism.” (02:28)

• On the mixed/negative reception (Vulture):

  • “If you’re morbidly curious about the experience... you could save the money and have someone slap you back and forth with a large salmon.” (03:18)

• On the anticipation for Chess:

  • “I have heard some wild rumors about what could happen after [May 13]. If I had to guess, I would think this show will extend again past the Tony’s date...” (08:56)

• On Mary Lou Henner’s show:

  • “There is nothing like a Mary Lou Henner show and if you have an opportunity to check that, I think you really should. I have been told that there will be at least a special guest on one of the nights... a fellow Ohio State alum nonetheless.” (12:55)

Important Timestamps

• 00:21 – Personal update, co-host wedding, hiatus explanation
• 01:43 – Queen of Versailles review roundup begins
• 02:14 – 04:54 – Review highlights (positive and negative)
• 05:32 – Upcoming show openings rundown starts
• 09:36 – Upcoming Off-Broadway/Broadway show closings
• 09:47 – 11:49 – Show extensions, new theater home, and casting news
• 11:49 – 13:23 – Matt’s week in NYC theatergoing

Summary & Tone

Matt delivers his signature friendly, informed, and slightly self-deprecating updates, emphasizing both the highs and lows of the current Broadway scene. The central focus is the divisive critical reception to the splashy new musical Queen of Versailles, which divides opinion even amidst stand-out performances. On a personal note, he celebrates colleagues’ weddings and shares the palpable excitement of being back in New York, eyeing a week packed with top-ticket theater from classics (Oedipus, Chess) to world premieres.

For more reviews and in-depth commentary, listeners are encouraged to visit patreon.com/broadwayradio or check the show notes for links.