Divorced.
Beheaded.
Died.
Divorced.
Beheaded.
Survived.
And tonight, Kinver, we are
Live.
First time out for me seeing anything from Kinver Light Operatic Society, but it was an easy choice with a fantastic show I first tasted last year in the West End.
Six. A simple concept. Roughly 75 minutes, no break. A tale of the six wives of wheezing, wrinkled, ulcer-ridden Henry VIII through the medium of a concert to decide which queen was dealt the cruellest blow and who is the most important. Each tell their story, in order, via songs mixed with good humour, excellent lyrics and an incredible soundtrack courtesy of Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow.
Having not long completed a production of 9 to 5, I am guessing Six was a side project to feature the younger cast members because (A) they could, and (B) you only need six women. Plus, it’s only available for amateur licence in its teen edition. But I have to say, having seen the adult version, I, for the life of me, could not think of anything which was omitted. Opening with Ex-Wives, this show grabs you from the start and does not have any in the audience checking watches for the time. It just flows. But you do need a strong cast, equally divided, which was what we got on opening night.
In order – Aragon. Izzy Pitt delivered an amazing and powerful performance of No Way with great vocals, showing all the frustration and anger, having done nothing wrong to the King apart from getting old.
Boleyn. Great characterisation. I was amazed to learn that Sophie-Rose Hodgetts is only 14, because you would never have thought so during the wonderful Don’t Lose Your Head. I still have “Sorry, not sorry,” going round my head.
Seymour. Robyn Harding continued proceedings as the humble Jane with the power ballad Heart of Stone. This is an extremely emotional number and wow! That note. Excellent. Goosebumps throughout.
Halfway through we get an onstage musical interlude in House of Holbein, a disco-trance number from all six which leaves you gasping for breath. And that’s just the audience.
Cleves. Jasmine Ward gave it all with sass and energy during Get Down. So strong in commanding the stage. “Get DOWN, you dirty rascal.” It really showed in Ward’s performance that her character was the only one who enjoyed her lifestyle.
Howard. The second Catherine’s story is one of tragedy and exploitation and Libby Currell did amazing justice during All You Wanna Do. This is such a tale of trauma for anyone to enact, but Currell certainly got the point across.
Parr. The survivor. However, the message here was that sometimes, especially when the King decrees it, you do not have freedom of choice. Summer Bloom was magnificent in I Don’t Need Your Love, a number which rounds off the contest perfectly.
But who was the winner? Nobody, because you don’t need one. And they did not need the fact of being married to a disgusting tyrant to confirm their place in history. And like the metaphor, no one song was the winner either. I certainly can never choose one. Therefore, they get together and rewrite their own history. The show concludes after I Don’t Need Your Love (Remix) with the amazing Six and Megasix. This really is a top show, and I enjoyed this production as much as the West End. Therefore, well done to Ricky Houlston-Dowell (Director), Attiye Passey (Choreography), then Nina Best and Kate Cox (Co-Musical Directors). Costumes were great too, replicating those worn in the West End and on tour.
I’m rush publishing this (so forgive any typos) because although Six is sold out today, there are still tickets for tomorrow. This show deserves a sell-out. Go follow the link HERE and see it.
Cheers.
Antony N Britt
*Photos taken from social media.
Antony N Britt - Author 