Borne from the minds of creative duo Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, SIX has since taken the world by storm; playing to audiences across the globe in various countries such as the West End in London, Broadway in New York, and the Shinhan Card Artium in Seoul, South Korea.
What began as a humble performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 soon became a femininomenon when it transitioned to sold-out shows in theatres that led to numerous award nominations and wins, including the Tony Award for Best Original Score.
Set to open in Singapore on 14 November 2024, SIX tells the story of Henry VIII’s six wives — Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr — in a reimagined way where they reclaim their own narratives on stage as fierce and influential pop stars.
Ahead of their opening night, we got to speak with the cast to find out more about their preparation process and how the musical has become a representation of female empowerment.
Hi Queens! How excited are you to be bringing SIX to Singapore?
Liberty Stottor (portrays Jane Seymour): “Singapore has been a dream place for me to visit for such a long time, and the fact that I’m able to travel whilst doing what I love is such an incredible opportunity. I can’t wait for the Singaporean audience to experience the beauty of the show.”
Hannah Victoria (portrays Anna of Cleves): “We are over the moon to bring it to Singapore. The show has a lot of moments for audience participation so I’m hoping that the audiences are vocal as it helps us to keep the show alive and fresh!”
Eloise Lord (portrays Catherine Parr): “We cannot wait to be in Singapore! I feel so lucky to be able to be a part of a show that is so popular worldwide. As much as the show is about the six wives of Henry VIII, it is about so much more than that. So, I am excited to bring this show across the world and for people to feel inspired, empowered, and for people to have an hour and twenty minutes to indulge in a fun and uplifting musical.”
What was it about SIX that made you want to be a part of it?
Billie Kerr (portrays Catherine of Aragon): “SIX was the first show I’ve seen where I felt represented on stage. Being a mid-size actress, I didn’t always feel that this industry was accessible. However, seeing a group of women on stage, who are all so different in their own right, gave me the confidence I needed to keep pursuing my dreams of being a successful musical theatre performer.
The industry is becoming more inclusive in so many ways and I truly believe that SIX has played a pivotal part in that. I also love that it allows us to use our regional accents as an extension of our characters. I am so proud to be Scottish and the opportunity to represent my country on such a huge scale is so special.”
Yna Tresvalles (portrays Anne Boleyn): “The show’s mission is to challenge the audience to rethink the history that they’ve learned and how they can become champions of their own lives. Who wouldn’t want to share such an empowering message? So, it is a privilege and honor to get to do it every night!”
Hannah: “There are so many elements that drew me to SIX such as the songs, the fact that it’s an all female cast, the costumes… But, most importantly, the message it tells. We get to see history through the lens of the female perspective. Each queen also has a different educational story to tell and we get to perform it live every night!”
Eloise: “I love how it is a stage full of women telling the stories of women in history. The message is so special as we’ve only known the queens and their lives through learning it in school from Henry VIII’s perspective but they were so much more than that. Not forgetting the songs, makeup and costumes — which are just a perfect cherry on top.”
How would you describe the preparation for the queens that you each portray?
Billie: “Our director said from day one of the rehearsals that our characters have to be met with both 50% of us and 50% of our queens. With that in mind, I made sure to gain as much knowledge about Catherine of Aragon’s life both before and during her reign. I then began to merge this with my own sense of h our and personality traits to create my own spin on the role.”
Yna: “Our version of each queen is meant to be a perfect marriage between the historical queen and ourselves, which makes every one of them different. It was so fun to explore the real Anne Boleyn and in turn, myself, and who I am in the story.”
Hannah: “During the period of our rehearsal, we had a session on each queen where we learned about their upbringing, family tree, and personality traits. We used that research to help us portray our respective queens.”
Lizzy Emery (portrays Katherine Howard): “There were a lot of history lessons and delving into the actual lives of the queens throughout our rehearsal process which I loved. We were encouraged to make our queens 50% the real person and 50% us, and it’s wonderful that no two people ever play them the same way. Blending myself with Howie was pretty easy as I feel like we both have the same sense of humor.”
Have you gained a deeper understanding of the queen that you’re portraying since stepping into their shoes? How so?
Yna: “I have learned that Anne Boleyn was actually not just a gold digging mistress but a calculated and brilliant thinker. She challenged the traditions of the Church and was also incredibly talented.”
Liberty: “I’ve gained a deeper understanding about Jane Seymour through playing her in the sense that there is a lot more depth and complexity to her than history depicts (as the show explores). I’ve also learnt a lot about myself through delving into her experiences of love and loss.”
Lizzy: “I’ll admit that I only knew the basics of K Howard’s story which were the stuff they teach in school that is unfortunately told through the perspective of Henry and how he wanted her to be portrayed.
After learning how young she was and how many people took advantage of her, I felt genuine burning anger and sadness for her. It’s heartbreaking to think of how wasted her life was and how lonely she must have felt, but I’m so happy that people are learning the truth through SIX and to love her just as much as I do.”
What would you say were the most empowering moments from the show for each of you?
Yna: “The verse at the end of ‘Six’ always moves me because at the end of the day, we can’t go back in time to change their stories but now, after the show, we have done just a tiny part in changing their reputations and their impact on history forever.”
Hannah: “There were a few times where I’d feel empowered during the show such as when all six queens are singing and looking into the audience and there’s a moment of stillness which spoke volumes.”
Eloise: “My favorite most empowering moments in the show is always ‘The Remix’ because it’s the first time the queens all unite and tell Henry how they really feel; something they never got to do.”
What do you hope for audiences, especially women and girls, to take away from the show?
Billie: “I hope that anybody who comes to watch our show leaves feeling seen to some capacity. I want people to feel inspired to live their lives by being authentically themselves without any fear of judgement. I also hope it encourages audiences to appreciate the women in their life and to keep fighting for gender equality across the board.”
Liberty: “SIX is all about celebrating identity — using your voice and taking pride in your story. It’s a powerful reminder that everyone deserves to be heard and valued. I hope that people will leave feeling empowered and inspired to embrace their narrative.”
Hannah: “SIX is not only fun but educational. History is normally seen through a male’s perspective but in SIX, we see history through the eyes of females. We get to hear their stories, what they were put through, and how it has made them strong individuals! Each queen brings different qualities and attributes which is what keeps the show fresh and alive.”
Lizzy: “That comparing yourself to others is never productive and we should all celebrate our individuality, and lift each other up. Our voices are always important because women are so powerful.”
Finally, how do you think the queens would have reacted to Henry VIII’s advances now?
Yna: I think that it is tough to say how any woman would have reacted to the oppression and misogyny that they would have endured during Tudor times, but I would hope that the queens would have defended each other, and maybe banded together against him.”
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