The Lowell High School Class of ’25 contains some of the most talented theater students that director Amanita Fahrni has seen. So, she wanted to give them one more chance to shine.
“When you’ve got the talent, you have to showcase it,” she says.
To do that, Fahrni has pulled together a production of Six in just five weeks. A teen edition of the popular British musical, this version of Six features three LHS juniors and three LHS seniors who tell the stories of the six wives of King Henry VIII.
“(Fahrni) describes it as our championship game,” says Aysha VandenBosch who plays Jane Seymour. And no, that’s not the same Jane as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman but rather Henry’s third wife and the mother to his only legitimate male heir.
Local theater fans will have only three days to catch Six: The Musical Teen Edition. It will be on stage at the Lowell Performing Arts Center at the following times:
- Friday, May 30, at 7pm
- Saturday, May 31, at 7pm
- Sunday, June 1, at 2pm
Tickets can be purchased online for $17 plus a $2.15 fee charged by the ticketing provider.
Not His Story – HERstory
Fahrni describes Six as a 70-minute pop concert. There is no intermission, and while there is some dialogue, it is mainly a series of songs as each of Henry VIII’s wives tells her story.
“It’s a musical about women empowerment,” says Ania Fleszar, who has the role of queen No. 6: Catherine Parr. A fan of history, the recent LHS graduate says the music in Six is amazing as are the stories behind each queen. “It opens your eyes to history. It’s a good lesson about strength and individuality.”
The six cast members and the queens they portray are:
- Vivyenne Skinner as Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife and the mother of Mary, who would go on to become England’s first female monarch.
- Marley De Jong as Anne Boylen, Henry’s second wife and the one he most famously had beheaded to pave the way for his next marriage.
- Aysha VandenBosch as Jane Seymour, queen No. 3 who died shortly after giving birth to Henry’s one legitimate male heir: Edward VI.
- Elyse Veldman as Anne of Cleves, who was queen for about half a year before Henry divorced her.
- Gracen Simmons is Katherine Howard, Henry’s fifth wife and the second one he had beheaded.
- Ania Fleszar is Catherine Parr, Henry’s sixth wife and the one who “survived” by outliving her husband.
Of course, all these women had experiences and interests apart from their husband, and Six: The Musical provides audiences with some “herstory” on each one. During the course of the musical, each queen has a solo with the other queens backing her up.
“I just love being able to able to tell (about) the queens and their powerful stories,” says Gracen Simmons.
Catchy Tunes, Lasting Friendships
To tell their stories, each queen sings in a style that is fashioned after a contemporary pop artist. Just as Hamilton put history to rap, Six pairs up history with pop music. The songs are reminiscent of Beyonce, Averil Levigne, Adele and Alicia Keys among other artists.
“It’s pretty obvious that we all make the characters our own,” says Marley De Jong. She adds that one of her favorite parts of performing is the chance to step into someone else’s shoes. “It gives us the opportunity to play someone who is not ourselves.”
As a small cast, the performers in Six say they have bonded over the experiences of bringing the lives of six queens to the stage. “I really like the friendships and the relationships we built outside the musical,” shares Elyse Veldman.
Being a teen version of the production, Six: The Musical Teen Edition has had some lyrics adjusted for a younger audience although there is still some mild innuendo at times.
“It’s a teen edition so it’s good for a teen audience,” Fahrni says.
Parents of younger children may want to keep in mind that Henry VIII’s reign was marked by adultery, beheadings and abuse. That said, the original non-teen version of Six: The Musical has an age rating of 10+.
The LHS production of Six: The Musical Teen Edition is an all-volunteer effort with 11 crew members. Parent Cori Oosting is the talent behind the costumes, which were all made from scratch. “She researched every queen, and every costume has a hidden message,” Fahrni says.
For tickets to Six: The Musical Teen Edition, visit the Cur8 website. You can also follow the LPAC Facebook page for the latest updates and news from the LHS theater department.
All photos courtesy of the Amanita Fahrni.
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