Review: SIX, The Musical Isn't a History Lesson and That's Okay

(SPOT.ph) If there's one piece of European history that has stuck with me throughout the years, it's the scandalous romantic life of England's King Henry VIII. Imagine marrying your brother's wife, creating a whole new religion to marry your mistress, and remarrying six times to secure the Tudor succession—and this doesn't even begin to cover how many paramours he had during his reign. And that's exactly why it's the perfect kindling for an overly dramatized treatment. Which is why it's been made into books, movies, and pieces of theater.

An example of this last one is SIX, the Musical, the British comedy by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. It is a modern retelling of the stories of Henry VIII's six wives so don't expect a full, faithful reenactment based on historical accounts underscored by dramatic dialogue. SIX, the Musical is more like a concert.

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Her-story unfolds in SIX, the Musical Manila:

For the uninitiated, SIX, the Musical isn't your typical two-act play set to music. The 80-minute, no-intermission performance reimagines Catherine of Aragon (Milly Willows), Anne Boleyn (Yna Tresvalles), Jane Seymour (Liberty Stottor), Anne of Cleves (Hannah Victoria), Katherine Howard (Lizzie Emery), and Catherine Parr (Eloise Lord) as a girl group in this pop-music-meets-history lesson mashup. The Queens engage with the audience the same way artists would during tours. Which means there's your occasional question-and-answer with the crowd, encouraging the audience to get hyped up to the beats, and the crowd cheering out loud for a favorite "bandmember."

I was shocked at how much participation was expected of the audience during the show. In other musicals, the audience must observe proper theater etiquette, keep quiet and show appreciation only with polite applause. Imagine this writer's surprise when, as soon as the curtain rose, woos and shouts echoed throughout the theater, to which the performers responded with the standard concert opener, "Are you ready, Manila?"

The show features a mix of group and solo performances. Each queen gets a solo number employing a different music genre, so they get to cover everything from power ballad to hip-hop to punk-pop to girly pop. All of these attempt to identify who had the most tragic fate, whose pain trumps all— a sad thing to compete for but we'll get to that later. 

There's no denying each queen can perform. Every number features a combination of riffs, high notes, and accompanying choreography that will leave even the most senior entertainers needing to catch a breath. But one thing's for sure, talent was overflowing on that stage.

While each wife had her "wow" moment, there were several standouts. The first to come to mind is Victoria's performance of "Get Down," Anne of Cleves' hip-hop and rap-inspired flex of the freedom and independence she enjoyed despite being a "short-lived queen." Despite the song itself not being as vocally demanding as the others, the performance was a showstopper. It bore the burden of being the middle performance, which is usually when audience attention and the show's novelty are dwindling, but Victoria took this challenge and said she ain't having any of that. Of all the six solo performances, this was the most visually entertaining. Lots of things were happening onstage, but Victoria's presence and vocal prowess, which proved to be perfect for her song, really kept audiences hooked. Safe to say, even if Anne of Cleves wasn't the king's favorite, Victoria's performance is one of ours. 

On the other hand, Stottor's performance proved that less is sometimes more. Where Victoria's had a lot of things holding it up, Stottor's only had one thing going for it: her voice. True to Jane Seymour's reputation of being the kind and sweet-natured wife, her power ballad was the simplest number. There were no flashing lights or mind-blowing choreography but Stottor's singing was enough to give audiences chills.

But both Stottor and Victoria can't hold a candle to our favorite queen and performer, Yna Tresvalles, who plays Anne Boleyn. 

No, this isn't a case of Pinoy pride taking over. Tresvalles' take on Boleyn is far from the savvy vixen she's often portrayed as. I would characterize her take as a chaos gremlin. Sorry, not sorry about what I said, as Boleyn says.

Tresvalles' Anne Boleyn was entertaining. Her quips and comedic timing were spot-on and her vocals were amazing. Unlike the others, whose presence dwindled after their solos, Tresvalles' energy was unmatched even as a backup performer and a side character. She stood out every time. I found myself looking for her onstage, waiting for some tiny detail in her expression or body language to make me laugh and keep me hooked. Despite being the smallest of the six physically, Tresvalles was the night's biggest star.

A production fit for a—no, six— queen(s):

But what was most mesmerizing , aside from the performances of the six leads, was the lighting design. Instead of investing in different sets that moved in and out between performances, this production used light to convey a character's emotions and journey. It's so beautifully timed with the beats that I occasionally tune out of the performances just to watch the lights dance and bring the songs to life. Tim Deiling's lighting design perfectly synced with Carrie-Anne Ingrouille's choreography, resulting in a hypnotic theater experience.

The best example of this synergy is during the Haus of Holbein number. Here, the queens sing about the extreme lengths women went through to be deemed beautiful, a prelude to the story of Anne of Cleves. This EDM-inspired number features beautifully timed lighting, the kind you would see in a rave or music festival. The stage lights also take on, well, a new light as they mimic the interface of dating apps when it's time for Henry VIII to "swipe left or right" for his next wife based on their portraits. Does this sound familiar? Here, lighting was its own character and deserves its time in the spotlight. 

So why would you watch SIX, the Musical?

SIX is entertaining, but as with any material, it's not always everyone's cup of tea. Detractors would say SIX doesn't really do much to educate its audiences about the actual six women and that it simply takes what people already know (or worse, incorrectly know) and adds a bit of rhyme and tune. But who wants to go to the theater for a full history lesson?

SIX is entertaining. SIX is fun. SIX doesn't necessarily dive deep into history but educates in another way. It introduces a brand of feminism that more people need to know about which is taking charge of the narrative.

History is often dictated by the winners, and let's face it, in Tudor England, men were the only ones playing the game. SIX is a her-story lesson. It's about flipping the script and not pitting women against each other. It's about humanizing six women— nay, Queens— showing they were more than just pawns in their family's Game of Thrones. And that alone already makes it worth watching. 

SIX runs from October 4 to 20 at The Theatre at Solaire, Aseana Avenue, Entertainment City, Parañaque City. For more information, visit GMG Production's Facebook page.

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