‘Six The Musical’

“Six” is a Tony Award winning broadway musical brought to Anchorage by the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts – referred to as the PAC – and the Nederlander Organization. 

“Six” is a retelling of the story of King Henry VIII and his wives, from the perspective of his wives, giving them the power to speak for themselves. This musical is extremely energetic and fun, with a relatively short run-time of only 80 minutes with no intermission. 

Each of the six Queens are modeled after a unique pair of female singers – for example Beyonce, Avril Lavigne, Adele, Rihanna, Ariana Grande and Alecia Keys. This is the perfect entry level broadway show for younger audiences who have no prior experience with watching live theater because it uses familiar music styles that many grew up listening to.

With the amount of different singers that influenced each of these characters, you are able to get a unique amalgamation of genres. The dynamic contrast from rock to soft pop portrays the emotional depth and gives context to what these women went through. At times, the vocals enter a soft dulcet signifying the intensity of the situation, allowing for a much more empathetic feel to be conveyed onto the audience. At other times, the music  blasts out into the audience and the Six  have every member of the audience clapping in rhythm along with the song. 

The story of the Six is not one that could necessarily be considered a happy one – however, the cast does an amazing job of bringing humor to such a dark topic, all while returning the power to the women, allowing them to tell their own stories in their own ways. 

Each of the Six share the stage the whole performance, allowing each actress to bounce off of each other – which allows for genuinely funny interactions. 

In the beginning of the play, it brands itself as a competition to see which of the Queens had it worse when dealing with King Henry. Throughout the play however, we begin to see that this is a story of independence and shared trauma. What else do you remember about the wives of King Henry VIII, except that they were his pawns? This returns the power and importance to the women who suffered at his hands, and had lives of their own which were valid and important. 

In an interview with The Northern Light, Terica Marie – who plays Anna of Cleves – said that if she could convey one thing to her audience, it would be: “Being yourself and finding power in who you are and standing in that power. There is something powerful and beautiful about that.” 

Toward the end of the show, the energy in the audience was electric. They were clapping, cheering and dancing all the way to the upper levels – all while the Six were being showered with confetti during their final moments on stage. The encore was rewarded with thunderous cheers and applause from a happy crowd. 

Six will be showing at the PAC until Feb. 25, and there are advance student rush tickets available for $29 at CenterTix.com with the code DIVAISSANCE. UAA students are required to show their ID at ticket claim, while younger students simply undergo an age check. Only tickets marked yellow or red on the website may be purchased at the discounted price.

“Six” is 80 minutes of fun and energy, and is the perfect event for a date night or time out with friends.You do not want to miss “Six,” live at the PAC!