Through Sun 9/10
Part rock concert, part feminist revenge, SIX at Playhouse Square combines today’s pop and yesteryear’s British history. Last Wednesday’s performance lit up the Connor Palace stage with bouncy, ear-shaking dance and music that reflected the spirit of our times.
Nothing is dull (and much is likely true) in this Tony Award-winning show (Best Original Score & Music and Lyrics), written and co-directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. It runs in Cleveland until September 10.
Everybody knows (maybe?) Tudor King Henry the Eighth’s problematic marital history. Ambition, family interests and lust brought about Henry Tudor’s royal marriages. (Of course, royals are now past that, perhaps.) School children memorize his wives’ various fates in chronological order: “Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.”
Depending on your personal and political take, either the poor guy couldn’t catch a break (wives failed to produce healthy male heirs, ran around on him, were ugly, were unfaithful — yadayadayada) or Henry was a difficult mate. At any rate, until now, so the musical argues, all we knew was Henry’s side of things. His Story.
Six shouts out what she said (maybe). Her Story.
The show’s gifted and energetic performers turn King Henry’s history on its veritable ear. Each wife gets a turn (and a sexy Las Vegas look) as she lays out her own sassy viewpoint in an extended sketch. The six wives also support and comment on each other’s “truth” during the show.
The introduction, “Ex-Wives,” frequently reprised throughout the show, set the tone. It was followed by “No Way” (Catherine of Aragon), “Don’t Lose Ur Head” (Anne Boleyn), “Heart of Stone” (Jane Seymour), “Haus of Holbein” and “Get Down” ( Anna of Cleves), “All You Wanna Do” (Katherine Howard), and “I Don’t Need Your Love” (Catherine Parr). The mostly true story behind each song might send the curious to history books (or Wiki).
The six queens — Catherine of Aragon (Gerianne Pérez), Anne Boleyn (Zan Berube), Jane Seymour (Amina Faye), Anna of Cleves (Terica Marie), Katherine Howard (Aline Mayagoitia) and Catherine Parr (Sydney Parra) — were nonstop fabulous for the whole 80-minute production.
Snappy choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille and glittery outfits by Gabriella Slade highlighted each queen’s personality. The queens cavorted on the functional set designed by Emma Bailey. Paul Gatehouse (sound), and Tim Deiling (lighting) added to the “rock concert” experience.
The lively onstage band, dubbed “The Ladies in Waiting,” was conducted by Lena Gabrille (who also played keyboard). The ensemble also included Sterlyn Termine (bass), Liz Faure (guitars) and Caroline Moore (drums). The score featured orchestration by Tom Curran with music supervision and vocal arrangements by Joe Beighton and music supervision by Roberta Duchak.
Bottom Line: A light look at Tudor history through today’s eyes. (Rock newbies might want to bring ear plugs — it got loud.) I only wish Henry could have been there to see the show.
2 Responses to “THEATER REVIEW: “Six: The Musical” @ Playhouse Square by Laura Kennelly”
EDWARD MYCUE
My professor under- and graduate in North Texas in the latter 1950’s the uberalles specialist in Tudor philosophy, literature, criticism and it seems everything else and my favorite teacher in all those years since these now most 65 years (I am 86) was Laura Kennelly’s dad E Garrett Ballard at North Texas (now U of) which is in Denton 40 mi north of Dallas in the North Texas grasslands. So Dr. Kennelly has a history for her comments.
EDWARD MYCUE
Lawrence Fixel: “We live in a time when flight and quest bear the closest resemblance.”