Six is the first show of this theatre season. It’s all about the six wives of King Henry VIII and what they went through. The cast includes the 6 wives, as well as the ensemble, called the seven ladies in waiting. The musical talks about how the only reason anybody cares who these women were is because they were married to the king. They had no choice in the matter due to the lack of rights that women had throughout history.
After interviewing Mrs. Fadoul, the high school theatre director, she explained that the musical allows each one of these women to tell their story from their own point of view. In her words, “each one of these songs in the show is a complete story of accurate depictions and historical fact, as to what each woman went through.” Through the musical, they are taking back the microphone to tell their stories, when they were previously only part of his story.
Katherine of Aragon, the first wife, is played by Addyson Pollzzie. Who “brings just such a wonderful sense of comedy to the show.” Henry had divorced Aragon because, according to him, she couldn’t produce an heir. In reality, they had multiple miscarriages and stillbirths, given that they were married for 24 years. He then divorced her because he knew he needed a male heir.
Everybody was vying for power at this time, so a new person was put in front of Henry for his attention: Anne Boleyn. Played by Ava Curtis, who is “just hysterical.” Anne Boleyn, the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, didn’t produce a male heir, either. And so Henry, with the help of his lords and his chamber, was able to create a completely new church, the Church of England, with the help of Anne Boleyn. But then also because of that creation, he was able to behead her.
Jane Seymour was his next wife. Played by Elliot Davidoff, whose “vocal technique is remarkable,” Seymour was married immediately after the beheading. With Seymour, Henry finally had a son, but she died in childbirth.
From there, he married Anne of Cleves, played by Gabriela Juron, who “just leaves everything on the stage.” They were married by proxy, but upon meeting Cleves, Henry didn’t want to be married to her anymore, and their marriage was annulled.
Then he moved on to Catherine Howard, played by Alexa Stewart, who “tells the most amazing story” through her acting and “kind of makes me cry each time,” in Mrs. Fadoul’s words. Catherine Howard was very young, and Henry was an old, ulcer-riddled man at this point, with a horrible leg wound. Howard had a confirmed affair while married to him, but she was also extremely young, to emphasize how she didn’t have a say.
None of these women had any say in who they were with, and that is the big point at the end with the character of Catherine Parr, played by Sarah Jordan, who “brings a level of maturity to the stage that is outstanding.”
A fun fact about the queens is that each one of them is actually based on a particular pop artist. Catherine of Aragon is Shakira, Anne Boleyn is Lily Allen (and a little mix of K-pop), Jane Seymour is Adele, Anne of Cleves is Nicki Minaj, Catherine Howard is Britney Spears, and Catherine Parr is Alicia Keys. When the writers originally wrote the show, they did so with this in mind. It is seen when looking at each piece individually. In each song, the choreographic style, instrumentation, and vocal quality are completely different. So no one queen is the same.
One specific highlight in the show is the song “Get Down,” a solo performed by Gabriella Juron as Anne of Cleves. The choreography for this song was done by the student Elliot Davidoff, and the lighting design by Riley McKenzie. Furthermore, the show is entirely run by the students, with Amelia Lusk as the stage manager. As Mrs. Fadoul said, “as of tomorrow [October 2nd], at 6:50, I hand the show over to her, and she’s responsible for anything and everything that happens on the stage.”
Additionally, this show is an adjudicated performance. At every performance, there are adjudicators from the Dr. Phillips Center, with 50 shows in central Florida competing. Students are allowed to compete in a variety of categories. Such as best musical, best ensemble, and individual recognition as well. This can lead to The Applause Awards and then The Jimmy’s, which are The National High School Musical Theatre Awards.
Cast
The Queens
- Addyson Pollzzie (Catherine of Aragon)
- Ava Curtis (Anne Boleyn)
- Elliott Davidoff (Jane Seymour)
- Gabriela Juron (Anne of Cleves)
- Alexa Stewart (Katherine Howard)
- Sarah Jordan (Catherine Parr)
Ladies in Waiting
- Carrington Meyer
- Sophia Birchenall
- Isabella Bakker
- Teagan MacKenzie
- Elea Ghantous
- Avni Patil
- Rachel Dowling
Crew
- Stage Manager: Amelia Lusk
- Assistant Stage Manager: Riya Patel
- Lighting Operator: Riley McKenzie
- Lighting Assistant/Projections: Nayibe Marlowe-Dao
- Mic Operator: Taylor Salamon
- Mic Assistant: Sophia Yu
- Stage Tracks: Leticia Menezes
- Spotlight Operators: MJ McSorley, Caden Plegge
- Deck/Prop Crew: Mason Crocetti, Caio Hipolito, Ryan Souza
- Costume/Wigs/Makeup Crew: Danica Damon, Julianna Fouche, Nicole Lima, Ana Padon, Ivy Pitman
