Review: SIX at Keller Auditorium

The smash hit musical SIX landed in Portland this week for a sold-out run at Keller Auditorium, and I could not have been more excited. Written by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow while they were at Cambridge (both are still in their 20s), SIX is a musical / pop concert in which the six wives of Henry VIII vie to see who was treated the worst by England's most famous king.

Blending 16th century history with modern pop culture and music, it’s a super-smart, high-energy celebration of women reclaiming the narrative of their own lives. Most of all it’s just really fun.

[Quick history lesson: Catherine of Aragon was first – she was married to Henry’s brother Arthur at age 15, and then to Henry after Arther died. Henry’s desire to divorce Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn led him to break with the Catholic Church and found the Church of England. Henry had Anne Boleyn beheaded for adultery and other crimes (which historians believe were false) so that he could marry Jane Seymour (“the only one he truly loved”). She died the next year, and soon after Henry married Anna of Cleves, only to seek divorce within six months. Then came Katherine Howard, who was also beheaded for adultery (could you blame her? she was 19, Henry was 50), and finally Catherine Parr, known as “the queen who survived” because she was Henry’s wife until he died.]

The queens take turns singing a song about their life, inspired by the musical styles of today’s hottest pop stars. The performers all hit it out of the park in their own ways.

Khaila Wilcoxon is magnetic and extremely funny as Catherine of Aragon (inspired by Beyoncé and Shakira). Storm Lever plays Anne Boleyn (inspired by Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne) as a sassy Millennial valley girl. A highlight of this tour is Natalie Paris as Jane Seymour (inspired by Adele and Sia) – Paris was one of the OG West End cast members, and it’s just not that often we in PDX get to see a role performed by the person from the cast album. Her solo gave me chills.

I’m personally partial to Anna of Cleves (inspired by Nicki Minaj and Rihanna), a role that Olivia Donalson totally slays. Courtney Mack hits the perfect emotional intensity for Katherine Howard (inspired by Ariana Grande and Britney Spears), while Gabriela Carrillo’s Catherine Parr (inspired by Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé) is a grounding den mother of sorts to the rest of them.

SIX is a visual and aural feast -- great music, great choreography, a great message about how we define ourselves, lots of flashy lights. This is my third time seeing it and I will happily sit in the audience as many times as I get the chance. If you didn’t score tickets ahead of time, you might still want to try the box office – this glorious disco ball of a show is worth it!

SIX runs through July 30 at Keller Auditorium. Details and tickets here.

Photo credit: Patrick Gray

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