Theatre Review: SIX at Hollywood Pantages

YAAAAS QUEEN! SIX, now playing at the Hollywood Pantages, is always a triumph. The HERstorical retelling of the individual stories and fates of the six wives of King Henry VIII brings with it amazing costumes, delightfully, catchy songs, and a phenomenal cast of talented women. Set up as a vocal competition to see which wife actually had it the worst, the audience experience felt more like that of a rock concert than a musical.

This is the first performance at Pantages I have been to where I noted the usher‘s held up signs that asked patrons to not sing along during the performance. This is understandable, as every single song is so catchy and good.

In terms of performance, Emma Elizabeth Smith (Catherine of Aragon) was a fantastic singer doing an amazing job to kick off the competition with a high energy performance of “No Way”. And Nella Cole’s (Anne Boleyn) rendition of “Don’t Lose Ur Head” was certainly a showstopper, with its comedy and innuendo and her joy was felt through her performance. “Heart of Stone” performed by Kelly Denice Taylor (Jane Seymour) was hauntingly beautiful with riffs that got cheers. “Haus of Holbein” brought the hausdown as a hilarious pallet cleanser that had everyone dancing along.

Hailey Alexis Lewis (Anne of Cleves) performed “Get Down” with such strong feminine energy that the audience was screaming and applauding. With vocal ability, they certainly saved the best for last. Tasia Jungbauer (Catherine Parr) brought insane riffs and strength to “I Don’t Need Your Love”. Her stage presence was notably powerful, and she was the stand out by far. This entire cast is just phenomenal and I want to go back to this tour again before it’s gone.

Song by song, the music of SIX is very diverse in style, and the wonderfully talented four-piece all-female band was amazing. The band is on stage with the queens, which creates a playful opportunity for interaction between the musicians and the queens. Music Director, and Keyboardist Valerie Maze delighted the audience with the range from rock piano, to techno, to traditional Tudor harpsichord.

Divorced, Beheaded, BUY tickets to see SIX before it splits and heads to its next city, you will never forget your time spent with the queens.

– Advertisement –