SIX at the Eccles

My first live theatre production of 2024 was SIX at the Eccles last night.  I had the chance to see this show with my sister Kristine in Las Vegas in 2022 and we both loved it so I was really excited to see it again!  The former wives of King Henry VIII, including Catherine of Aragon (Gerianne Perez), Anne Boleyn (Zan Berube), Jane Seymour (Amina Faye), Anna of Cleves  (Terica Marie), Katherine Howard (Aline Mayagoitia), and Catherine Parr (Adriana Scalice), get together to perform a concert with their band, The Ladies in Waiting (Jane Cardona on Keyboard, Sterlyn Termine on Bass, Rose Laguana on Guitars, and Kami Lujan on Drums).  They decide to have a competition to see which one of them has suffered the most heartache to determine the leader of the group and then each Queen proceeds to tell her story.  Catherine of Aragon (Divorced) agreed to leave her homeland at age 15, come to a country where she didn't speak the language, marry a man she had never met, spend seven years in a nunnery after he died, and then marry his brother but she did not agree to be replaced in "No Way."  Anne Boleyn (Beheaded) is sorry not sorry because she was just trying to have a little fun (what was she meant to do?) in "Don't Lose Ur Head."  Jane Seymour (Died) loved Henry but she knows that his love for her was only because of her son in "Heart of Stone."  Anna of Cleves (Divorced) was rejected by Henry for not looking like her profile picture but she ended up with a castle and more money than she can spend with no one to tell her what to do in "Get Down."  Katherine Howard (Beheaded) says her only crime was to be irresistible to men who used her in "All You Wanna Do."  Catherine Parr (Survived) argues that, even though she survived her marriage, she had to sacrifice true love in order to marry Henry in "I Don't Need Your Love."  The Queens eventually realize that they don't want to be defined by Henry and decide to lead the group together in the ultimate ode to girl power, "Six."  What I love so much about this musical is how clever it is!  Each Queen's song embodies her history so well and each performance is inspired by a real life pop star (Aragon by Beyonce, Boleyn by Avril Levigne, Seymour by Adele, Cleves by Nicki Minaj, Howard by Ariana Grande, and Parr by Alicia Keyes).  I also love how the costumes are inspired by Tudor silhouettes but feature the fabrics and bling of contemporary pop queens and how the set design mimics Tudor architecture but uses flashing LED lights.  All of the actresses give really fun performances (I think the crowd last night was the loudest I've ever heard at the Eccles) but my favorite was Faye (she was the same actress I saw in Las Vegas and she was also my favorite then) because she is incredibly powerful in "Heart of Stone."  I have been talking this show up to the friends I sit by ever since this season was announced and (luckily) they loved it just as much as I do so I can confidently talk it up here, too!  It runs at the Eccles Theatre through January 24 and tickets may be purchased here.

Note:  I love it so much I will be seeing it again Sunday night with both my sisters, my brother-in-law, and my nephew!