‘Six Teaches An Entertaining History At The Fisher Theatre

3 minute read

‘Six Teaches An Entertaining History At The Fisher Theatre

At the beginning of The Six, Henry VIII's six wives promise that "history is about to change" and can dance to the end.

Oh, and make it her story too.

The Tony Award-winning production – at the Fisher Theater in Detroit through June 11 – subtly shakes and twists the legends of the 16th century king and queen, putting the proverbial glove in a modern, post-#Metow context and causing many laughs Sarcasm and more. Unlike traditional music created and experimented with in Britain ("natch"), 'Six' is part pop concert, part history lesson - with the Spice Girls or your favorite KPop group as teachers. It's a lot more interesting (and probably more memorable) than studying it all on Wikipedia, that's for sure.

He is the most powerful of the six. Running 80 minutes continuously and taking place in one set, the show roars from start to finish (despite an encore called "Megasics") and never stops. The six are a "team" and a show, and the queens compete to decide who has had the worst experience with Henry and should be the leader of the group - until the last woman, Catherine Parr, "The Survivor" (yes , there's an excerpt from the Destiny's Child beat) speaking the truth One who finds their collective power by uniting their royal ancestors in a brotherhood.

The message is honest and relevant to our times, but intelligently and intelligently delivered by writers Toby Marlowe and Lucy Moss, it never comes across as overbearing or sacrilegious.

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Of course, the Sixers' success hinges heavily on the musicians, and the Fisher Touring Company doesn't have a weak link, from the Sixers themselves running the show to the four-piece band playing onstage. Each queen is an icon of today's pop heroes—Catherine Aragon combined Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, Anne Boleyn, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Lily Allen, and more—each has a signature song, but the actors involved make it own . Special characters. Umm alum Alexandra "Zan" Berube plays Pauline with the tricky valley girl, for instance, while Wolverine Alan Mayagotia gives his co-star Kathryn Howard plenty of cheeky faces. (BTW, both characters' necks were cut because the director said he might be an Ohio State fan.)

In particular, Terika-Maria as Anne of Cleves, the woman Henry rejects because the image he first saw was more interesting than her. With nods to Rihanna and Nicki Minaj, Marie's performance of 'Get Down' is a staple, her performance a mix of bravado and vulnerability, channeling Anna's pain and anger at all the queens' angst in the moment by Minaj.

Nonetheless, the ten songs are solid pieces and the chemistry of the cast is evident in all of them. Of particular note is the techno-flavored 'Holbein House', which traces Henry's journey to the paintings of Hans Holbein (the Younger), where he ultimately chooses Anna. The show is a brilliantly choreographed quick turnaround mid-show, an "interval" show within the show.

"Six" stands for Henry VIII's queens

As any good pop act should, "Six" ends with the eponymous chorus and a small blast of confetti. How much of a modern day queen or misogynist I am all - definitely out there, if you will - but at least know that fun is guaranteed.

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"Six" runs through June 11 at the Fisher Theater, 3011 W. Grand Boulevard, Detroit. 313-872-1000 or Broadwayindetroit.com.