SIX at the Peace Center
In a time when reimagined-history musicals are becoming the norm, SIX sets itself apart with a simple question from writers Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow: "What if the six wives of King Henry VII were pop stars?" Potential pitfalls abound, but Moss and Marlow (who also co-directs with Jamie Armitage) don't fall into a single one of them.
On a spare but beautiful set by Emma Bailey, the titular six announce themselves in a big way, performing the song “Ex-Wives” together and establishing their fates: “Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.” Even performing as a cohesive girl group, each actress is able to distinguish themselves as their character with some subtle and fun cues from the costumes by Gavriella Slade. From there, the wives vie for the chance to be portrayed as the most tragic Queen by telling their stories in a series of solos.
Although some songs (and performances) are better than others, the opening night cast — which included understudies in four of the six lead parts — was solid. Playing Catherine of Aragon, Jana Larell Glover is as grandiose as Beyoncé with “No Way,” decrying the treatment she got from Henry and his court, and Zan Berube follows in similarly striking fashion with the ironic “Don’t Lose Your Head.”
The third of the wives, Jane Seymour (Aryn Bohannon), takes a more Adele-like tack, belting out the touching and dynamic “Heart of Stone.” The song slows SIX’s rapid pace without killing it, and the extended ovation Bohannon received from the July 18 crowd was well deserved.
The group reassembles to bring us some German EDM to describe the courting of Anna of Cleves. This number, “House of Holbein,” is a wild song-and-dance, peppered with some fun puns and a take on Anna as a perceived modern internet “catfish.” Portraying Anna, Marilyn Castera isn’t as masterful as some of the other performers, but got the audience riled with her “Get Down” nonetheless.
The actors playing the last two queens — the often forgotten Katherine Howard (Taylor Perlstein) and Catherine Parr (Sydney Parra) — showed off their particular skill sets, but, due to repetition, their songs aren’t as or memorable as those that came before. However, “Six” brings them all back together in solidarity, no longer in competition, to close the show in rousing fashion, making this encore that much more welcome.
From a historical perspective, SIX won’t educate any attending Anglophiles, but casual viewers will likely gain some insight into England’s Tudor past. From the side of show and performance, however, the commitment to the central premise is exciting and amusing.
One star of the evening is lighting designer Tim Deiling, whose attention to detail, using LEDs and spotlights, showcases the proceedings better than most touring rock shows without grabbing attention from the talent on display. Additionally, Paul Gatehouse’s sound design absolutely fills the Peace Center’s confines without ever becoming overbearing or losing the lyrics among the monstrous strains of the onstage band.
That band, referred to in the program as “The Ladies in Waiting,” is one of the tightest ensembles you might find on any stage. They’re led by Lena Gabrielle on keyboard, with Sterlyn Termine on bass and Liz Faure playing guitars. The drummer is also phenomenal and, although they are listed in the program as Caroline Moore, was called Maria onstage by the actors, and may have been yet another talented replacement.
SIX doesn’t try to be life-changing like a lot of the recent slate of self-important musicals (Hadestown, anyone?). But one would be hard-pressed to say they’ve had more fun at either a Broadway show or a concert in a long time.
Yaaaaas, Queens!
SIX runs through July 30 at the Peace Center. For details and tickets, visit peacecenter.org.
(Photo by Joan Marcus)
