Melody Lane Theatre will perform “Six the Musical” at Ter-Tini’s in Fort Myers through Dec. 8. While Cypress Lake, Canterbury, North Fort Myers High and Naples Performing Arts Center have all produced the musical in the past year, the inclusion of an ensemble of “Ladies in Waiting” coupled with Sami Doherty’s trademark choreography distinguishes Melody Lane’s production.
The Queens’ Ladies in Waiting are played by Addison Smith (who also played Anne Boleyn during Thursday’s performance), Eleanor Bonds, Karrington Kennelly, Luciana Mendez and Tatiana Robinson. Collectively, they amplify the solos and harmonies sang by their Queens and enhance the dance sequences that Doherty has specially choreographed for the show.
“Six” is a modern retelling of the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr. They have come together in the afterlife to stage a pop concert, but they cannot decide who should be the lead singer. To settle the matter, they initiate a singing battle, with the winner to be the queen who suffered the most during her tenure as Henry's wife.
Each Queen believes she had it toughest and they belittle each other’s attempts to prove their hardship. However, they become frustrated that their place in history is defined by one man. Ultimately, they decide to re-write their own stories. They are more than a rhyme, more than a wife, and much more than one king could handle.
They’re also emblematic of female empowerment.
The show opens with the musical’s signature number, “Ex-Wives,” which gives voice to the Queens' ability to showcase their unique personalities while harmonizing as if with one voice. But following that number, each queen gets her turn to prove that she had it worse than the other five.
Bishop Verot senior Hannah Cruz plays the part of Catherine of Aragon. She leads off the competition with the song “No Way.” When they wrote the music for the show, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss modeled each Queen’s number after the musical stylings of various real-life pop stars. For “No Way,” their influences were Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson. Cruz slays the number and makes a convincing case that she suffered most as a result of the portly king’s roving eye.
Up next is Anne Boleyn, played on Thursday by Addison Smith and Friday through Sunday by Emma Kane. While both are terrific in the role, Kane is especially effervescent as “The Temptress,” whose courtside flirtations to make Henry “jell” backfired when, instead, he had her beheaded. The events leading up to her demise are revealed to the audience in her number, appropriately titled “Don’t Lose UR Head,” which was "queenspired” by Avril Lavigne and Lily Allen (although in an Instagram story, Toby Marlow stated that if “Six” were to be made into a movie, he would like either Billie Eilish or Jessie J to play Anne Boleyn).
The audience learns in “Don’t Lose UR Head” that Anne wound up in bed with Henry and his first wife, Catherine. If that's true, it’s ironic because Anne was Catherine’s maid of honor. It really was a family affair in Henry’s court as Anne was also Katherine Howard’s first cousin and a second cousin of Jane Seymour.
Marlow and Moss wove a considerable amount of "herstory" into each queen’s song. But some of the references are more than abstruse. For instance, Anne sings "My sleeves may be green, but my lipstick's red,” a reference to the legend that Henry VIII wrote the traditional English folk song “Greensleeves” about Anne Boleyn.
Kaity Reich is perfect in the part of sensitive Jane Seymour, the only one of Henry’s wives who actually loved the monarch. Reich’s portrayal will tug at the audience’s heartstrings, which is somewhat poetic in that Jane Seymour was known for being skilled with needlework and household management. Oddly, Seymour was never officially crowned as queen, yet she was the only one to actually receive a queen’s funeral. And when Henry died, he was buried next to Jane in accordance with his wishes.
Jane’s song is “Heart of Stone.” While it was “queenspired” by Adele and Sia, “Heart of Stone” references The Rolling Stones, which also have a song called “Heart of Stone.” But the reference to the Stones wasn’t based on that song, but rather “Lady Jane,” which was named for Jane Seymour.
Bishop Verot freshman Alexa Careccia scores the musical’s most rousing number, “Get Down.” It follows a memorable techno sequence, “House of Holbein,” that features strobe lights and lighted eyeglasses.
Hans Holbein the Younger was a German-Swiss artist who painted Henry’s fourth wife. In “Get Down,” Anna sings ““Ich bin Anna of Cleves – when he saw my portrait he was like Ja! But I didn’t look as good as I did in my pic…”
But it really wasn’t Anna’s appearance that repelled the king. When Henry first met Anna, he came in disguise. Not realizing he was her betrothed, she pushed him away, repulsed by his obese and aging appearance. That earned Anna the King’s enduring hatred. No worries, Anna consoled herself with the generous divorce settlement she ultimately received from the King, which included multiple castles, land and a substantial income. She was also given the title "The King’s Beloved Sister," giving her precedence over every woman in court, apart from the reigning queen and princesses.
Of the six wives, Anna concedes that she suffered least at Henry’s hands.
“I’m the queen of the castle, get down you dirty rascal," Anna taunts. "No one tells me I need a rich man, doin’ my thing in my palace in Richmond,” sings Anna in a song “queenspired” by Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.
North Fort Myers High junior theater major Georgia Rainero shines in the part of Katherine Howard, whose song, “All You Wanna Do,” was “queenspired” by Britney Spears and Ariana Grande. In fact, the high ponytail worn by actresses who play Katherine is inspired by Ariana Grande's signature high ponytail hairstyle.
Rainero channels both Spears and Grande in her rendition of “All You Wanna Do,” demonstrating vulnerability and a sadness born of betrayal. While all of the actors in this musical have strong, powerful vocals and considerable vocal range (with Kaity Reich hitting and holding the evening’s highest notes), Rainero’s vocals blend perfectly with the song’s haunting lyrics, painting a picture of a girl seduced then discarded. But in Henry’s case, once playtime’s over, it’s off with her head, which is signaled in the show by the “K” choker she wears (similar to Anne Boleyn’s “B” choker), which is also a reference to the fact that she calls herself “K Howard” in the musical’s opening number, “Ex-Wives.”
Last is Lia Jaquez in the role of Catherine Parr, the only wife to survive and outlive the king. Jaquez is as distinguished in the role as her character is in the singing competition. Jaquez demonstrates the refinement and elegance of a woman who understands position and duty - and who willingly, albeit remorsefully, sacrifices true love in deference to both.
Her song is titled “I Don’t Need Your Love,” which was inspired by Alicia Keys and Emeli Sande. In it, she comes to the realization that by engaging in the competition, she and the other Queens are buying into the paternalistic premise that women are defined by their husbands. “'Cause in history, I'm fixed as one of six,” she sings. “And without him, I disappear. We all disappear.”
These six songs (along with “Ex-Wives” and “House of Holbein”) represent a quick-paced musical lead-up to the satisfying denouement of the show. So it’s to be expected that audiences will clap and dance their way through the company’s closing numbers, “Six” and “the Megasix (Encore).”
Melody Lane Theatre’s production of “Six the Musical” opened at Ter-Tini’s on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. with performances on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 8 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., which marks the closing performance.
Ter-Tini’s is located 1901 Crystal Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33907.
MORE INFORMATION:
“Six” originated as a school assignment when Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society tasked Toby Marlow with creating and writing a musical for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. At the time, Marlow was in their final year at Cambridge. They partnered with fellow student, Lucy Moss, and the musical they produced premiered in 2017 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
“Six” premiered in the West End at the Arts Theatre in January of 2019, and has since embarked on a UK tour.
The musical premiered in North America in May of 2019 and debuted on Broadway in February 2020. Following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it officially opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on October 3, 2021, and has since launched additional touring companies.
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss won the 2022 Tony for Best Original Score and Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Music and for Outstanding Lyrics, as well as Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding Score and Outstanding Costume Design.
Hannah Cruz plays the part of Catherine of Aragon in “Six,” which marks her 57th stage show. Previous credits include work in the ensemble of “Elf the Musical” (Fort Myers Theatre), Carmen Diaz in “Fame” (Fort Myers Theatre), Crystal in “Little Shop of Horrors” and Katherine in “Newsies Jr.” (Florida Repertory Theatre), Little Gloria in “On Your Feet” (Broadway Palm), Anna and Middle Anna (two productions) in “Frozen Jr.,” Ms. Andrew in “Mary Poppins Jr.,” Duffy in “Annie Jr.,” Young Nala in “The Lion King Jr.,” Young Fiona in “Shrek,” Beatrice in “Miracle Worker,” and Simon and Tart in “Big River.” At Bishop Verot, she played the titular role in “Mary Poppins," Amy in “Little Women” and Miss Jones in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” She also participated in the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta twice.
Emma Kane plays Anne Boleyn in the Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances of “Six the Musical.” Kane is a junior at North Fort Myers High School, where she is in the theater and choir programs. Some of her favorite previous roles include dance ensemble in “All Shook Up” at NFMHS, Paulette in “Legally Blonde” at Melody Lane Performing Arts Center and work in the ensemble in “Newsies” also at MLPAC. “Anne Boleyn is now definitely my favorite role,” said Kane, who thanks Directors Dana Angeloro Alvarez and Amber Andeloro for casting her in the role.
Addison Smith plays Anne Boleyn in the Thursday performance of “Six the Musical” and a Lady in Waiting in the other four shows. A recent graduate of Gulf Coast High School, Addison is currently taking a gap year to be a preschool teaching assistant. Her favorite shows include “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Spelling Bee,” and “Chicago.”
Kaity Reich, who portrays Jane Seymour, is an upcoming freshman at Belmont University, where she will be majoring in theatre. A few of her favorite credits include Cady Heron in “Mean Girls,” Marcy Park in “Putnam County Spelling Bee” and Lady Savage in “Jekyll and Hyde.”
Alexa Careccia, who plays Anna of Cleves, is a freshman at Bishop Verot Catholic High School. Some of her previous roles include a silly girl in “Beauty and the Beast,” Summer in “School of Rock,” Little Red in “Into the Woods” and Molly u/s in “13 the Musical.”
Georgia Rainero plays the part of Katherine Howard in "Six the Musical" for Melody Lane Theatre. Georgia's prior stage credits include Velma Kelly in "Chicago" (Melody Lane Theatre), Belle in "Beauty and the Beast" (Florida Repertory Theatre), Demeter in "Cats" (Melody Lane Theatre), Karen Smith in "Mean Girls High School Version" (Melody Lane Theatre), Judy in "A Chorus Line" (Melody Lane Theatre), work in the ensembles of "Spring Awakening" (Arts Bonita Center for the Performing Arts) and "Les Miserables" (Melody Lane Theatre in both 2023 and 2021), Elmer in "Newsies" (The Belle Theatre) and one of the Venus-A-Go-Go-Girls in "Rock of Ages" (Melody Lane Theatre).
Lia Jaquez, who plays Catherine Parr, is a senior at Ida Baker High School.
Lady in Waiting Eleanor Bonds is a senior at Bishop Verot Catholic High School.
Lady in Waiting Karrington Kennelly is a freshman at Cypress Lake High School, where she enjoys all aspects of the theatre program. Her previous performances include “Honk Jr.,” “Game of Tiaras,” “Mean Girls Jr.” and “A Christmas Carol Jr.”
Luciana Mendez, who is a Lady in Waiting, is a freshman at North Fort Myers High School and a member of the vocal department.
Tatiana Robinson, who is a Lady in Waiting, has had a love for the stage from a very early age, but it was portraying the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz” that truly solidified her passion for musical theater. A dedicated student of both theater and choir at North Fort Myers High School, she continues to hone her craft at Melody Lane Performing Arts Center. Tatiana has previously performed in “A Chorus Line” and “Mean Girls” at Melody Lane.