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Sixth in a series
NEW WORK –“Six” perhaps exists because of its half-a-dozen traits that intertwine into a bouncy, beautiful show. The musical, co-directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage from Toby Marlowe and Moss’ script, is crisp, entertaining and relatable, about the six wives of King Henry VIII.
Doesn’t quite matter if it’s wholly authentic, or if you don’t adore British queens of the past; it’s casual fun, with six capable belters, who share viewpoints about their ex, and the format is like an I-can-do-better-than-you competition. Could this have been, perhaps a pilot for “Britain’s Got Talent”?
The show, running a tidy 80 minutes without an intermission at the Lena Horne Theatre, can be deemed:
* Sexy – The all-woman cast looks good, dances well, and could logically become an all-girl group.
* Saucy—This is a lively ensemble, unafraid to speak out.
* Silly—Oh, they’re not serious all the time, allowing moments to be goofy.
* Slick—One or two contemplate being the last one standing.
* Sentimental—Not every ex-queen survived the king.
* Swonderful—The glimpse at this empire of women who have a story to share might have historical implications, and hey, if you get some knowledge out of this, ain’t that ‘swonderful?
The show is a concert and a competition, and in the Broadway lexicon, a contender; an earlier cast enabled the production to land a Tony in 2022, for Best Original Score.
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The cast, in historical order, are:
- Khaila Wilcoxon is Catherine of Aragon.
- Storm Lever is Anne Boleyn.
- Jasmine Forsberg is Jane Seymour.
- Olivia Donaldson is Anna of Cleves.
- Didi Romero is Katherine Howard.
- Gabriela Carrillo is Catherine Parr.
So why are these Henry VIII wives relevant and worthy of a musical? Youngsters in Britain popularized this mantra, “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived,” and the gals in the production repeat this phase often, which easily could be a takeaway for this show.
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Wikcoxon has a dominating presence with a brooding voice, echoing the style of Beyonce. And she claims the No.1 spot early on. The melodies are high-level pop stuff, and with occasional disco-style of flashing bright lights, in blinding tempos and hues, competing with the splendor of costumer Carrie Ann Ingrouille.
Katie Pope’s costumes reflect and project glamor as its very best, in the spotlights, and a four-member all-girl band, conducted by Julia Schade, hits all the right notes. This is a show produced by Hawaii’s Kevin McCollum.
And that’s Show Biz…