By Colin Douglas
“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” This is the rhyme taught to history students to help them remember Henry VIII’s six wives and the order in which they came. But it turns out these women want to be known for more than that mnemonic. That’s the premise of Six, an 80-minute musical tsunami of her-storical power. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s little show that could has conquered the world from Edinburgh Fringe Festival, to London, to Broadway, and even the high seas. Now, Six kicks off its so-called Aragon Tour right here in Chicago. The six wives aren’t just coming into town to shake the rafters, but each one is vying to be the lead singer of this anachronistic supergroup. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr each share what made them special and plead their case; whoever had it worst as King Henry’s wife will take the crown.
Electrified by sharp direction (by Moss and veteran English director Jamie Armitage) and athletic choreography (by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille), each of the six queens is a dazzling jewel. Khaila Wilcoxon is bold and beautifully brazen as the first-spurned Catherine of Aragon (think Jennifer Hudson/Beyoncé); petite Storm Lever is an impish wrecking ball as Anne Boleyn (Miley Cyrus); as Jane Seymour (Adele), demure Jasmine Forsberg tearfully reminds everyone that she’s the queen that Henry loved best, if not the longest; Olivia Donalson puts across a steely and cool Anna of Cleves (Nicky Minaj), the second-spurned when Henry finds she doesn’t live up to her portrait; Didi Romero‘s Katherine Howard (Britney Spears) wins sympathy as a teenybopper doomed from the start; and Gabriella Carrillo is a majestic voice of reason as Catherine Parr (Alicia Keys). Done up in Gabriella Slade’s re-imagined Renaissance raiments, each queen’s sequins and spangles catch the light and add visual punch and power. Emma Bailey’s scenic design and Tim Deiling’s intense, incandescent lighting is a colorful melding of Tudor style and 21st-century rock concert chic.
Although it tried, and it’s still lurking in the shadows, the pandemic (coronavirus, not bubonic plague) didn’t succeed in killing this show. Six is short, but both sweet and spicy—everything audiences want nowadays that theaters have finally been reopened. This colorful concert of catchy, contagious songs, featuring great performances by six talented actresses backed by their musically accomplished Ladies in Waiting, may even spark a renewed interest in British history. Just be prepared when you attend this wonderful production, because history is getting over-throne. Six runs through July 3rd at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W Monroe St. For tickets or more information, please call (800) 775-2000 or visit broadwayinchicago.com.
Photos by Joan Marcus.
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