By Sandi Masori
SAN DIEGO — Electric! That is the first word that comes to my mind when I think about the SIX, the Broadway in San Diego show currently playing at the Civic Theatre. It’s the shortest Broadway musical I have ever seen, being only one act and clocking in at about an hour and twenty minutes, but every single one of those minutes is jam-packed with energy and earworm-worthy tunes.
I have to admit, before I saw the show, when I heard it was about the six wives of King Henry VIII, I thought, what can they do with that? Will it be a tragedy? How can they make that fun? Well luckily for us all, creators Toby Marlow (who is Jewish) and Lucy Moss know more than I do about entertainment.
The set itself is simple, making use of a backdrop that looks like Tudor windows, with clever light LEDs that change color to fit the mood/ queen. But, from the moment the women take the stage in their sparkly holographic costumes the audience is mesmerized. Staged as a sort of rock opera, where the fourth wall is routinely broken, the story of each of the women is told through song. Each song has a different queenspiration, that is the female musicians whose style was borrowed for the music. With pop music inspiration and well-timed pop culture references, the queens in this all-female cast captivate our attention and sing to us about their hardships in a competition of misery.
Right from the get-go, we learn that the wives were “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, and survived.” We learn that Catherine of Aragon, (who was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain- you know the ones who kicked out all the Jews), was supposed to be married to King Arthur, but he died, so after she was sent away, she had to marry womanizing King Henry VIII. While they were married he brought in Ann Boleyn as a lady in waiting and more. She became his next wife and was subsequently beheaded. He then married Jane Seymour who died in childbirth, then Anna of Cleves, whom he got rid of because she didn’t look like her portrait, then Katherine Howard, who was also beheaded and was finally survived by Catherine Parr.
As we get to the end of the “competition,” Catherine Parr points out that they are fighting over abuse and trauma, and that all of them are victims. Furthermore, they are all only famous because they married the same man. What about their own accomplishments and personalities? They then explore the idea that Henry VIII is only famous because he had six wives, after all, who remembers King Henry VII, VI, V, or their wives? While keeping up the tempo, the ladies successfully drove home their point and gave the audience something to remember while the songs go through their head the next day.
The ensemble cast all equally stood out. The queens are played by Khaila Wilcoxon (Catherine of Aragon), Storm Lever (Anne Boyleyn), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Olivia Donalson (Anna of Cleves), Courtney Mack (Katherine Howard), and Erin Ramirez (Catherine Parr). On press night Kelsee Kimmel took the part of Catherine Parr.
The queens are joined onstage by an all-female band to help them rock out. Judging by the audience response, the quick ovation, and the roar of applause for each actor and musician, the audience heartily agreed with me.
I really liked this show. Beyond the catchy tunes and fast pace, I really loved the casting choices. The cast was multi-cultural and multi-sized. To my delight, there was a chat-back after the show. That’s a semi-regular tradition at Broadway San Diego for the first Wednesday show- where some of the cast and crew come out after the show to talk to the audience. I was curious about the casting choices, so asked about it at the chat back. We were lucky enough to have a stage manager, Olivia Donalson (Anna of Cleves), and one of the sound engineers (all women). They all agreed that the casting was very intentional, and while every group is mixed ethnicity and body-type, each character could be cast with any actress- the part went to whoever embodied the queen the best. So, while our Anna of Cleves and Catherine of Aragon were played by African American actresses, in another company they could have been Latino or white or Asian or pick a flavor. The only requirement was that they are female or “female-presenting.”
The show plays through July 9, and if you have a chance, I highly recommend that you catch this one.
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Sandi Masori is a food and theatre reviewer for San Diego Jewish World. When she’s not covering food or theatre, she helps authors self-publish, hangs out with her kids, and searches for the best sushi in town.