Six.American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, MA
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Review of Six
September 2019
By Alyssa Krimsky Clossey
"Six" is a show depicting six wives of Henry VIII who were divorced, beheaded, died or survived in their marriages. These women characters - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr "battle" in song and attitude to determine who is the most important wife by holding a singing competition determining who had the hardest marriage. In the end, the women realize that they are all important, their lives matter, and they are true influencers and strong women.
This show has been performed at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater prior to coming to the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.). The six talented actors (all Broadway stars/off-Broadway stars with extensive resumes) are representing these women with strong voices and musical abilities--similarly to an all-woman pop band, like the Spice Girls. The six women are backed by an all female band that resides on the stage throughout the performance. It is fantastic to see an all female production on stage. Well done on this part! Here's my challenge...this particular show's audience may be meant for young teenagers who enjoy watching pop icons walk back and forth on stage holding a microphone. It is not meant for audience members who were expecting leave the theater feeling connections to the characters and learn in greater detail about who these women were in our history.
There are no major set changes for this show. It is a simple stage with lighting and some jazzy "Six" sign. The lighting is the main element to the "excitement" of the show--like a concert spot light/displays. Immediately you feel like this is going to be solely a concert, this is not a play. There is not a major story line with a beginning middle and end. This is a show about 6 women, and each one will sing their song, defending why they are "the best".
Despite the show being 75 minutes long with no intermission, there were times I wondered how much longer will this go on. There was absolutely no character development in this production. Zero. This was because there was no emotional elements or means to connect with them. There's so much potential for the audience to understand who these women really are, what they stood for, what their personalities are, who they were as mothers. Instead, each one was put in a category for me as "the annoying one with the high squeaky speaking voice" or "the tall one who has flat energy and...is she really considered a dancer?"
The microphones were an element that became a distraction. They were often blocking the women as they held them throughout the entire show. I began looking at these huge hand held microphones instead of focusing on the women's messages and the lyrics. My guess is this decision was made as a means to emphasize that we are at a pop concert show. And that it represented women holding power in their hands--their voices.
The costumes were "poppy", edgy and hip -- similar to Cyndi Lauper's 80's album cover of "She's so Unusual"-- but with a leather and plastic twist. The women had on platform shoes and boots with purple and colorful skirts and corset like tops. I recall they stayed in the same outfits with some scarves or hats that may be added towards the show's end.
The singing was overall very good -- again if you were interested in strictly seeing a pop show. The best song of the show by far was "No Way" performed by Catherine of Aragon (Adrianna Hicks). The womens' voices were all strong and beautiful but with very bland dance moves. The yelling to the audience on numerous occasions saying "Come on Cambridge, make some noise!", continued to remind us, this is a concert, this is not a play performance. If you are interested in all the "Six" hype, the show is still playing at the A.R.T. until September 29.
September 2019
By Alyssa Krimsky Clossey
"Six" is a show depicting six wives of Henry VIII who were divorced, beheaded, died or survived in their marriages. These women characters - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr "battle" in song and attitude to determine who is the most important wife by holding a singing competition determining who had the hardest marriage. In the end, the women realize that they are all important, their lives matter, and they are true influencers and strong women.
This show has been performed at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater prior to coming to the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.). The six talented actors (all Broadway stars/off-Broadway stars with extensive resumes) are representing these women with strong voices and musical abilities--similarly to an all-woman pop band, like the Spice Girls. The six women are backed by an all female band that resides on the stage throughout the performance. It is fantastic to see an all female production on stage. Well done on this part! Here's my challenge...this particular show's audience may be meant for young teenagers who enjoy watching pop icons walk back and forth on stage holding a microphone. It is not meant for audience members who were expecting leave the theater feeling connections to the characters and learn in greater detail about who these women were in our history.
There are no major set changes for this show. It is a simple stage with lighting and some jazzy "Six" sign. The lighting is the main element to the "excitement" of the show--like a concert spot light/displays. Immediately you feel like this is going to be solely a concert, this is not a play. There is not a major story line with a beginning middle and end. This is a show about 6 women, and each one will sing their song, defending why they are "the best".
Despite the show being 75 minutes long with no intermission, there were times I wondered how much longer will this go on. There was absolutely no character development in this production. Zero. This was because there was no emotional elements or means to connect with them. There's so much potential for the audience to understand who these women really are, what they stood for, what their personalities are, who they were as mothers. Instead, each one was put in a category for me as "the annoying one with the high squeaky speaking voice" or "the tall one who has flat energy and...is she really considered a dancer?"
The microphones were an element that became a distraction. They were often blocking the women as they held them throughout the entire show. I began looking at these huge hand held microphones instead of focusing on the women's messages and the lyrics. My guess is this decision was made as a means to emphasize that we are at a pop concert show. And that it represented women holding power in their hands--their voices.
The costumes were "poppy", edgy and hip -- similar to Cyndi Lauper's 80's album cover of "She's so Unusual"-- but with a leather and plastic twist. The women had on platform shoes and boots with purple and colorful skirts and corset like tops. I recall they stayed in the same outfits with some scarves or hats that may be added towards the show's end.
The singing was overall very good -- again if you were interested in strictly seeing a pop show. The best song of the show by far was "No Way" performed by Catherine of Aragon (Adrianna Hicks). The womens' voices were all strong and beautiful but with very bland dance moves. The yelling to the audience on numerous occasions saying "Come on Cambridge, make some noise!", continued to remind us, this is a concert, this is not a play performance. If you are interested in all the "Six" hype, the show is still playing at the A.R.T. until September 29.
