Reviews: Six: Teen Edition at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School
Written by Ashley Kennedy of Lake Braddock Secondary School
The 1500s may have belonged to men - but this 21st-century pop musical is exclusively a woman's world. Georgetown Visitation's "Six the Musical: Teen Edition" transformed history into "herstory" with six sparkling microphones and a record to set straight.
Premiering in 2017 and later going on to perform on the West End and Broadway, the award-winning pop musical by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss takes on the untold stories of the six wives of Henry VIII. Tired of existing only in the context of the other wives, the group takes it upon themselves to determine who suffered the worst fate from Henry, and the truth of each is unveiled in a whirlwind of societal and personal confrontation.
A flash of gold sparked the beginning of the historical rewrite as Addison Johnson (Catherine of Aragon) introduced the notorious wives of Henry VIII. Her rich voice drove the dazzling opening number with a ferocity that made audiences eager to hear each queen's tale. Throughout the production, isolated performances blended seamlessly with ensemble work in solo songs like "I Don't Need Your Love" and "No Way" as well as larger group numbers like the eye-catching "Ex-Wives" and the rave-esque "Haus of Holbein." Amidst brief bouts of dialogue that occurred between musical numbers, the six maintained impressive characterization, differentiating themselves from one another through varied posture and purposeful line delivery. As much as each queen strived to be history's most prominent, their combined uniqueness is what allowed them to thrive unequivocally as a unified front.
One might argue that the most brutal fate of any queen was endured by the two who lost their heads - and the pair would most certainly agree. Katherine Howard (Lena Johnston) and Anne Boleyn's (Elisabeth Frantz) internal competition made them standout characters as they sarcastically sniped at one another and fought for the title of most tragic. Frantz took the more outwardly feisty route, her large, mocking gestures and piercing voice evoking laughter from the audience with every line. Johnston remained more grounded, her uptight posture giving her the illusion of innocence until she snapped back against her scene partners with quick, confident retorts. Sweeping the audience off their feet was Johnston's passionate belt in her song "All You Wanna Do" as she grew increasingly exasperated and hurt by the attention of men. She contrasted Boleyn's careless personality with a previously unseen devastation that tugged at viewers' hearts.
A pop musical wouldn't be complete without pop star attire, which was diligently crafted by costume designers Lexi Ingrassia, Meredith Lee, Penny Rohan, and Margaret Stoll. Each queen's style remained true to the West End design, with looks centered on textured jewel tones and black bedazzled leather. The team worked to display a variety of elements that aligned with both modern and Renaissance-inspired clothing trends, making the characters easily distinguishable and transforming the musical's setting while still acknowledging its original time period.
Collaboration between departments was crucial to the cohesiveness of the production, with all designers utilizing the colors that were assigned to each queen's costume. Rounding out this clever detail were props designers Molly Hurley, Allison Bogley, Lexi Ingrassia, and Penny Rohan, who provided each queen with a custom-bedazzled, colored microphone and water bottle, completing the illusion of a musical-turned-concert.
What began as a competition fueled by false narratives and ended as a restoration of individuality and sisterhood, Georgetown Visitation's "Six" reminded us that it is never too late to rewrite your story.
Written by Sydney Treon of Lake Braddock Secondary School
To crown their lead singer, the former wives of Henry VIII go head-to-severed-head over who had the worst time: pop-concert style. With their energetic performance of Six the Musical: Teen Edition, Georgetown Visitation flipped the historical script.
Written by then-students Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss of Cambridge University, Six: The Musical made its world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017 and moved to Broadway just four years later in 2021. This musical sensation proved instantly popular and absolutely revolutionary through its impressive concert-like performances and takedown of patriarchal norms in just one act. The story centers around each queen hoping to gain the crowd's favor by performing solo numbers that attempt to prove that their life was the most tragic. But, after deciding that they shouldn't let themselves be defined by their marriage to one man, the girls become empowered and ultimately unite, encouraging their audience to do the same.
Strutting onto the stage with the essence of a true pop star was Lena Johnston's Katherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII. Johnston's performance stood out with her impressive vocal riffs and bright vocal timbre, showcased in her song "All You Wanna Do." Portraying the frustration of being taken advantage of by men throughout one's life in such an upbeat and catchy song is a difficult task, but with her vocal versatility and ability to convey stark emotions through her engaged physicality, Johnston gave an exceptional performance. Coming in hot with a bounce to her step and comedic timing that could make you lose your head, Elisabeth Frantz's portrayal of Anne Boleyn, the second and first to be beheaded, wife of Henry VIII, was positively radiant. Frantz delivered every iconic quip with a snarky intonation and magnificently embodied the chaotic and ditzy nature of her character through exaggerated movements and engaged acting in scenes where she took selfies or played rock, paper, scissors on the floor with Anna of Cleves.
While the musical is traditionally a six-woman show, Georgetown Visitation utilized an ensemble to amplify the voices of the leading ladies. Despite a few brief instances where the overall roof-raising energy of the production wavered, the ensemble kept the audience connected with striking tableaus at the ends of songs and their sustained focus during difficult songs, such as "All You Wanna Do," which utilized chairs in its choreography.
Glittering costumes fit for these dueling divas were designed by Lexi Ingrassia, Meredith Lee, Penny Rohan, and Margaret Stoll. They created stunning products by altering and adding to corsets, a crop top, and a leotard, as well as wrapping heels in shiny fabric to fit the unique color scheme and style of each queen, and they successfully overcame the challenge of weather-related school closures by modifying some of their original designs to fit time constraints. Equally sparkling were props made by Molly Hurley, Allison Bogley, Lexi Ingrassia, and Penny Rohan, who ensured that the queens had customized bedazzled microphones and gemmed water bottles that lived onstage. Props also created a large Instagram post frame and procured fun light-up glasses for the actresses to wear during the spontaneous electronic song "Haus of Holbein," which narrates Henry VIII's beauty-biased process for selecting his fourth wife.
Finished fighting over their history with Henry and ready to reclaim their narratives, these six ex-wives wearing glammed pop-star costumes and holding rhinestoned microphones brought the audience to their feet and dealt a resounding blow to the patriarchy.