They all shared a husband, and now they are sharing the stage! From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over!
Henry VIII was married six times. — The SIX wives fates is what makes up the short rhyme most British school children learn. “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived”. Henry divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn was beheaded, Jane Seymour died during childbirth, he divorced Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard was beheaded, and Henry’s last wife, Catherine Parr, was the only wife who didn’t die while married to the king or divorce. SIX opens with a catchy informative number titled “Ex-Wives” for the Queens to introduce themselves and re-tell and re-claim their spots in history. Find out which ones were divorced, beheaded, died, or survived.
I promise this show isn’t a boring history lesson, it’s more of a high energy pop concert with killer costumes. These Queens have just formed a girl group, and they host a contest to choose their frontwoman: they feel that whoever had it worst as Henry's wife should be the lead. This contest plays out throughout SIX, featuring a unique solo for each Queen to tell her story from her own perspective and point of view. Anne Boleyn Henry’s 2nd wife (who was beheaded) sings about her affair with the king and her downfall in “Don’t Lose Ur Head.”
I had the pleasure of speaking with Zan Berube a 2020 graduate of The University of Michigan who is making her North American Tour debut as ANN Boleyn in SIX! She told me about her character Ann Boleyn, “Ann is rooted in some serious pop- rock, punk- princess vibes. I get a lot of inspiration for her from Avril Lavigne and Miley Cyrus. Anne is outspoken and stands on her own ground, she speaks her own mind all while having fun with the other 5 Queens on stage.”
Yes, there are 6 queens on stage sharing the spotlight for this show, but I must mention the 7th queen who deserves some attention- The costumes! Gabriella Slade is the brilliant costume designer behind SIX. The Tony Award winning costume designed marries the Tudor style of dresses and corsets and mixed them with current day fabrics, metals, plastics to bring these silhouettes to life, they are stunning, sparkly, and gorgeous. Zan told me a fun fact that Catherine of Aragon’s costume weighs 15 pounds, the actress portraying her had to rehearse with a weighted vest to get used to it.
I asked Zan if her character Ann Boleyn has taught her anything? “Yes, Ann has shown me how to stand in my own power and use my own voice when something needs to be brought up. I think that’s a universal message across the entire Queendom and everyone that is a part of this incredible SIX journey” she said.
Zan said how incredibly supportive the entire cast was and how travelling together and doing over 230 shows to date, they have all become great friends and “that the message in the musical is really about support- people supporting people and listening to each other 's stories and supporting them when they need it.”
There is a ton of female power on this stage, the cast consists of 10 women. Six Queens and (4 alternates who cover 3 Queens each) and the killer band referred to as “The Ladies in Waiting” is made-up of women and non-binary musicians. The band is onstage for the duration of the show, wearing tight, studded costumes that complement the looks of the actors. You can’t have a concert without an awesome band and this one rocks! SIX has won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.
The Tony Award®-Winning electrifying new musical phenomenon SIX by Tony Award®-winners Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss will play Detroit’s Fisher Theatre from May 23 – June 11 to kick off the 2023-24 Broadway In Detroit Subscription Season. Tickets for SIX the musical are on sale now at Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.com and in person at the Fisher Theatre box office.
SIX is STARRING:
Gerianne Pérez as Catherine of Aragon
Zan Berube as Anne Boleyn
Amina Faye as Jane Seymour
Terica Marie as Anna of Cleves
Aline Mayagoitia as Katherine Howard
Sydney Parra as Catherine Parr
The cast also includes Aryn Bohannon, Jana Larell Glover, Taylor Pearlstein and Cecilia Snow.
For more information visit www.sixonbroadway.com or www.broadwayinDetroit.com
