By ANNE SIEGEL
MILWAUKEE, WI – As England prepares for its royal coronation in May, Milwaukee audiences have gotten a glimpse of the upcoming festivities with the arrival of the Six national tour. As Six continues its dominance on Broadway, the West End and elsewhere, the U.S. tour is still attracting audiences around the country. This is especially true in Milwaukee, as the entire run was sold out before opening night. Local audiences couldn’t wait to see these long-deceased queens rule the stage. On opening night, they responded accordingly, with thunderous applause following every musical number, and a standing ovation for the finale.
If Hamilton could ignite euphoria over the early days of America’s independence, why couldn’t a couple of young Brits do the same for a famous chapter of Tudor history? Whether that was in the minds of Six creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss remains unclear, it is certain that the success of Hamilton paved the way for the unbridled girl power extravaganza of Six.
Although the original Henry VIII “queens” were an all-white ensemble, the Six line-up has included Black and Asian actors in these roles. And since the concept of Six is so outlandish anyway, this seems to make perfect sense.
For those who haven’t previously seen this show on Broadway, in London or in its touring version, the queens of Six initially decide to put on a concert together. Each queen presents her case (in song) about what happened to her during her reign, and the woman most wronged will become the undisputed queen bee of the castle.
To be fair, the queens who were beheaded (Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard) do have an edge here (no pun intended). True, Catherine of Aragon was married to Henry VIII the longest (divorced), and that got the whole cycle started. And Jane Seymour died shortly after giving birth to Henry’s only son. Not fun. The other two queens have far lesser claims. In fact, Anna of Cleeves (divorced) ended up with her own kingdom and more cash than she could spend in a lifetime. She also escaped having a man to boss her around. And Catherine Parr, the final queen, outlived Henry. (Since this is where the show ends, it is not mentioned that Catherine only outlived Henry by a year. After Henry’s death, she remarried and died in childbirth.)
With the aid of an onstage, all-female rock band, each queen steps forward to deliver her signature number. The other queens pitch in and perform back-up duties. Each of the songs is loosely tied to a pop music genre and a well-known contemporary female artist. There’s Beyonce’s strut in Catherine of Aragon (Gerianne Pérez), and a bit of “Spice Girl” frivolity in Anne Boleyn (Zan Berube). One senses Ariana Grande’s sound (and ponytail) in Katherine Howard (Aline Mayagoitiaas), and some Alicia Keys’ soulfulness in Catherine Parr (Sydney Parra). Jane Seymour (Amina Faye) sings a powerful ballad, while Anna of Cleves (Terica Marie) joyfully delivers her song in r&b mode.
(In this reviewer’s opinion, the opening song, ‘Ex-Wives,’ which is sung by all of the queens, rates as the top tune. The final production number, “Six,” also ranks right up there). But all of the tunes are incredibly catchy, with perhaps the best choreography (by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille) displayed by Anna of Cleves in “Get Down.”
Poor Henry VIII is never seen in this show, but he receives more than a few ego-deflating references from his ex’s. Six is definitely girl-power on steroids. One of the show’s turning points is when Catherine Parr (not a top contender to win) encourages her queenly sisters to stop the competition and claim their power as one of the main reasons people still remember Henry VIII some 500 years after his death.
Performances are excellent across the board. All of the actors display the proper attitude, vocals and sass of their respective characters. The show is directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, with considerable help from scenic design by Emma Bailey.
The musical also benefits enormously from its pop-princess outfits (by Gabriella Slade), which link contemporary fashion with traces of 15th century design. Likewise, Tim Deiling’s lighting ranges from eye-popping flashes of color to a backdrop that conforms to the outlines of English court architecture.
Despite its nonsensical premise, Six does a surprisingly good job of sticking to the facts associated with each of Henry’s wives. It wouldn’t hurt theatergoers preparing to attend a performance of Six to brush up beforehand on this historical period. In any event, the goal of Six is to ensure that everyone has a great time. There’s no need for them to worry, but just to make sure, the girls don quirky day-glo ruffs and sunglasses to give everyone a laugh in “Haus of Holbein.” If that doesn’t at least have you grinning, you are probably as stiff as the historical characters on which this musical is based.
Six continues at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, 929 North Water Street, Milwaukee, through March 12. Tickets are $45-$149. Running time is 80 minutes, with no intermission. Masks are not required, but recommended. For more information, see www.marcuscenter.org.
