Photo by Joan Marcus, Courtesy of CAPA
SIX: The Musical. Broadway performance
Broadway’s award-winning SIX: The Musical comes to Columbus in an unstoppable show of force and energy.
The show follows the six wives of Henry VIII in a modern day pop-band battle for the position of lead singer. Over the course of an hour and half, the six women out-riff each other as they vie for who faced the worst at the hands of their harried husband.
Each of the queens were modernized versions of the historic wives inspired by pop icons: Catherine of Aragon by Beyonce and Shakira, Anne Boleyn by Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne, Jane Seymour by Adele and Sia, Anna of Cleves by Nicki Minaj and Rihanna, Katherine Howard by Ariana Grande and Britney Spears and Catherine Parr by Alicia Keys and Emeli Sande.
Catherine of Aragon (Khaila Wilcoxin) opens the show by dominating the stage with her pitch-perfect vocals and larger-than-life stage presence. Anne Boleyn (Cassie Silva) embodied the energy of a carefree young woman with her physical characterization, bringing moments of impeccably-timed gold-star comedy to the show. Jane Seymour (Jasmine Forsberg) brought the audience to a weepy hush with her rendition of “Heart of Stone,” a power-ballad that would bring Adele to her knees.
Katherine Howard’s (Didi Romero) light-hearted and peppy “All You Wanna Do” depicted a life of sexual violence that began in laughter and ended in heart-breaking silence as the theatre went black with only a spotlight shining on her soon-to-be-lost head. Anna of Cleves’ (Olivia Donalson) “Get Down,” is a whiplash of vocal skill and physical comedy that sheds a humorous light on being deemed unworthy due to beauty standards. Towards the end of the show, Catherine Parr (Gabriela Carrillo) enters the spotlight. Carillos delivery of “I Don’t Need Your Love” brought the show from a comedic remix of history to a state of desperate loss as she catches her breath on stage and unapologetically recounts her story.
The success of this production, however, lies in its pace. The songs leap from moments of weighty despair to belly-aching laughter, buoyed by the cast’s adaptability and vocal range. As the songs propel the show forward, they are split up only by brief moments of self-aware dialogue that clarifies the finer points of the plot while introducing the queens not only as pop divas, but as lovable and holistic individuals. Every moment is a spectacle of their musicality and connection to the audience.
The queens were each their own vocal powerhouse, but the subtle choreography executed in perfect synchronization took the production into a zone of hilarity that can only be achieved on a theatrical stage. Each song and moment of dialogue was illustrated by a snappy head turn or a subtle hand roll; instead of kitschy, the effect was charming as the cast evoked images of rap battles from movies like Pitch Perfect.
The lighting and set design supported this electric change of pace – every scene was lit like a pop show dream with spot lights, smoke and a full band set behind the queens. The all-female four-piece band, named the “Ladies-in-Waiting” solidified this show as a vehicle for the women to reclaim their space in history – not as wives, but as queens with stories separate from their fated nuptials.
Littered throughout the whole show were contemporary pop culture references that brought a relatable charm to the production resulting in the show being fully-situated in the modern day. While the pop culture references made the content palatable to a modern audience, the references also subtly signaled to the continued presence of the issues presented in the story in modern day society.
The show’s smart parody of modern media, combined with the queen’s absurd vocal skills and dedicated connection to the audience, resulted in a show that redefines these women’s place in history while connecting their experiences to the reality of being a woman today.
Katie Giffin is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
