Australia your Queens are ready – as the West End hit SIX The Musical is set to make its Australian Premiere at the Sydney Opera House from 4 January, before heading to Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from 23 April and Adelaide’s Her Majesty’s Theatre from 11 June 2020.
A witty, pop-fueled musical drenched in satire and sass, SIX remixes the history of the six wives of Henry VIII – Britain’s notorious Tudor King – as they take the microphone to tell their stories: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
“SIX is fast becoming a phenomenon across the world and we are overjoyed to have Australian audiences be some of the first international audiences to experience this fresh, clever, uplifting and intoxicating musical production,” said Producer Louise Withers.
The six powerful women transform from Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses as they tell their rebellious tales in this original pop musical, accompanied by a phenomenal all-female band and inspired by the canon of music divas like Adele, Lily Allen and Ariana Grande.
Established musical theatre performer Chloé Zuel, fresh from lead roles in The Production Company’s Ragtime and the Australian tour of West Side Story, takes on the role of Henry VIII’s first wife the sassy Catherine of Aragon.
The rule-breaking second wife Anne Boleyn will be played by accomplished newcomer Kala Gare having recently starred in Bright Star at Melbourne’s Chapel off Chapel.
Loren Hunter stars as the loyal third wife Jane Seymour adding to her unfaltering musical theatre career including roles in Strictly Ballroom the Musical and King Kong the Musical.
The independent Anna of Cleves will be played by VCA graduate Kiana Daniele who made her professional debut only last year in The Production Company’s The Boy from Oz.
Taking on the role of playful fifth wife Katherine Howard is Courtney Monsma having made her professional debut in the recent Australian tour of Mamma Mia the Musical before joining the cast of Disney’s Aladdin.
Musical maven Vidya Makan stars as the empowering Catherine Parr, a graduate of Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Vidya’s previous roles include the Australian tour of Green Day’s American Idiot and Australian Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet.
Joining the SIX Australian Queens will also be the extremely talented swings Ella Burns, Karis Oka and Shannen Alyce Quan.
SIX The Musical features a book, lyrics and music by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. It is directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage and choreographed by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. The production features Set Design by Emma Bailey, Costume Design by Gabriella Slade, Sound Design by Paul Gatehouse and Lighting Design by Tim Deiling. The Orchestrator is Tom Curran and Musical Supervisor is Joe Beighton.
It has been a meteoric rise for the creators, 24-year-old Cambridge graduates Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss who co-wrote the book, lyrics and music. The first original musical from the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society, SIX blew away audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe and is now selling out an extended run on London’s West End, for which it received five Olivier Award nominations.
Since its Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut in 2017, SIX’s electrifying soundtrack has continued to capture audiences around the world, garnering more than 300,000 streams each day making it the second highest streaming cast recording in the world, second only to the Hamilton original cast recording.
“Queens are wild and wonderful in a masterful SIX! A powerhouse score that offers everyone on stage a shot at mastering her own story.” – Chicago Sun Times
SIX The Musical
Studio – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney
Season: 9 January – 5 March 2020 (previews: 4 – 8 January)
Bookings: www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne
Season: 23 April – 7 June 2020
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au
Her Majesty’s Theatre, 58 Grote Street, Adelaide
Season: 11 – 28 June 2020
Bookings: www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au
For more information, visit: www.sixthemusical.com.au for details.
Image: Chloe Zuel, Kala Gare, Loren Hunter, Kiana Daniele, Courtney Monsma and Vidya Makan to star in SIX The Musical – photo by James D. Morgan