Book, Music and
Lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
Directed by Lucy Moss
& Jamie Armitage
Australian Associate
Director: Sharon Millerchip
Originally Produced
by Kenny Wax, Wendy & Andy Barnes, and George Stiles
Produced in Australia
by Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Linda Bewick
Canberra Theatre,
Canberra Theatre Centre to 15 May
Reviewed by Len Power
27 April 2022
It’s a good thing when a show that’s been given so much
pre-season hype actually delivers what it promised. Six, the musical, is a bright, sassy, colourful
show with good singing, a powerful production design and attractive, skilful performers.
This is not a serious history lesson. The stories of the six wives of England’s King Henry The Eighth are given a very modern, light-hearted treatment. You can see the influence of Broadway’s ‘Hamilton’ and Baz Luhrman movies like ‘Moulin Rouge’ on the show.
In a rock concert format, the performers sing and talk directly to the audience with witty asides to each other. You can’t always hear the lyrics clearly and there’s an awkward attempt at an empowerment message at the end, but it doesn’t matter. It’s the overall effect that entertains here.
The six performers quickly endear themselves to the audience and look like they’re having the best time up there on stage. That feeling spills over into the audience who were quickly rocking along rapturously with the cast.
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| From left: Phoenix Jackson Mendoza, Kala Gare, Loren Hunter, Kiana Daniele, Chelsea Dawson and Vidya Makan |
The performers are a great playing ensemble and each of them are extraordinary singers. They also have complex choreography to perform while singing and they never miss a beat of it. They make it all look spontaneous and easy.
The colourful set design of Emma Bailey and the highly complex lighting design by Tim Deiling work together to create a sense of the period but in a modern, abstract way with all the elements you’d expect in a high-energy rock concert.
The musicians are onstage behind the cast and play the rock score very well. There was nothing particularly distinctive about the music but it served the production well. The high volume sound design by Paul Gatehouse adds another pleasing dimension and was well-balanced between the singers and musicians.
The costumes worn by the cast were delightfully witty and attractive. With a nod to the 16th century period of the story, the space-age clothes complemented the individual performers and their characters in a modern sense as well.
The whole producing team have done excellent work, delivering a show calculated to meet a modern audience’s expectations. It’s great fun!
Len Power's reviews
are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’
programs and published in his blog 'Just Power Writing' at https://justpowerwriting.blogspot.com/.
