'Cross between a Britney Spears concert and a history lesson,' musical 'Six' comes to OKC
The six wives of Henry VIII seize the stage and take back their stories in the smash Broadway show "Six."
"It warrants such a big following because it is very much replicating the pop icon leading role when it comes to these women, these characters. The whole show is set as a pop concert, so it's kind of like watching Ariana Grande or like watching Beyonce," said Aryn Bohannon, an Oklahoma native who is an alternate performer for the Boleyn Company of the North American tour of "Six."
A bona fide Broadway sensation, "Six" is making its eagerly awaited Oklahoma City bow Sept. 26-Oct. 1 at Civic Center Music Hall as part of OKC Broadway's 2023-2024 season.
"Six" closed in March 2020 on what was supposed to be its opening night due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but made a stunning comeback 18 months later. The show, which won 23 awards during the 2021-2022 theatrical season, including the Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics), is continuing to play to big crowds at the Lena Horne Theatre on Broadway.
"One of the reasons why the Civic Center Foundation partnered with The Nederlander Organization is because of their reputation in New York, on Broadway, and their ability to bring these shows to Oklahoma City as fast as possible," said Elizabeth Gray, general manager of OKC Broadway.
"I tell people it's a cross between a Britney Spears concert and a history lesson. ... The way they've done the musical is pretty brilliant, having the flashy costumes and the really great music mixed with the history of King Henry and his six wives. It's just really unique."
With music, book and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, "Six" allows the six ill-fated Tudor queens who married Henry VIII — Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr — to take their turns at the microphone, channel contemporary pop stars and remix their historical heartbreak.
Ahead of the show's OKC debut, Bohannon, 24, who was born in Shawnee and grew up mostly in St. Louis, Missouri, talked with The Oklahoman about her Oklahoma roots, her first national touring experience and her true love for "Six":
Q: How has your first national tour experience been so far?
Bohannon: Incredible. We've been on the road for just a little over a year now, and already, I've learned so much. I've gotten to see so many wonderful places and get to know so many different communities in all the places that we've been. It's just been so fun. ... I was a big fan of the show before I got cast in it. That makes this whole thing seem even less real to me, that I was jamming out with the songs in college — like in my car blasting them — and now I get to sing them on stage. It's unreal.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your Oklahoma background?
Bohannon: Shawnee, Oklahoma, is where most of my family lives now, actually. ... I don't really remember growing up there because I moved when I was 3. ... But I visited a few times since, and I always just thought it was such a great community, like everybody knew each other. You would walk down the street and you'd see like five people you know, which I love. I love a strong community like that.
Q: You graduated from the Boston Conservatory at the Berklee College of Music in 2021. How did that prepare you for your first national tour?
Bohannon: It was a great preparation, honestly, because since it's a conservatory, the program and the training is a bit more intense. So, all of my classes surrounded musical theater and building up my repertoire and my singing, dancing and acting abilities, along with some other special skills. Getting used to that intense schedule, and really pushing myself when it comes to growing in that way, really helped me with this tour. You always have to be on your game, you always have to be ready, and you always have to have a plan. ... So, I felt very ready and well-equipped to start this tour.
Q: How does your job as an alternate on the tour work?
Bohannon: All the alternates, there's four of us, and we each cover three roles. So, I cover Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour and Katherine Howard.
Q: Which one of those is your favorite?
Bohannon: Definitely Boleyn. She's the one inspired by a more pop-punky girl, like Avril Lavigne, and Avril Lavigne was my favorite artist growing up. So, I just already felt that initial attachment to her, and her song and her attitude is just so fun and carefree. She's like a chaos gremlin, so you just get to go crazy on stage, which is always fun.
Q: The depiction of each of the historical characters in the show is inspired by specific contemporary pop stars, right?
Bohannon: Yeah, absolutely. So, speaking for the roles I cover, like I said, Boleyn is definitely like an Avril Lavigne type of inspiration. She has the the gloves on her arms, which not only represent her ‘Greensleeves’ from the poem that Henry wrote about her, but also that pop-punky style. She's got the big shoulder pads.
And Jane Seymour is definitely inspired by more of an Adele persona, so she has the big soulful ballad of the show. She has a little bit of a longer skirt, just to like represent the motherly attitude and essence that she had as a person.
Katherine Howard is definitely inspired by Ariana Grande; you can see by the ponytail that she wears and the outfit that she wears. Her song is very almost like Britney Spears as well; I would definitely say that's an inspiration. So, she's a bit more on the pop side, too.
Q: This show combines British history and pop music: Why do you think that combination has worked so well?
Bohannon: I think it's because they're so polar opposite, and I think that the 'spoonful of sugar' type of narrative really works with this show. ... Learning this historic tale of these real people who are actual historical figures through (the type of) songs ... that we hear every day on the radio and in our everyday lives just makes it so much more tangible for us as a modern society.
I think that that really bodes well for these women, especially because the whole point of the show, from my perspective, is giving these women a narrative that isn't just surrounding their husband. So, it's about them, it's about their stories, about what they went through, so to have these empowering women that are inspired by other powerful women that we know in real life is just really wonderful to see on stage. ...
It's very telling of the way that we're taught history growing up, because the more you learn about these women, the more you find out how intricate and well-rounded they were. Catherine Parr fought for women's rights ... to learn how to read, and she even wrote her own books, which was basically unheard of at the time.
Q: Apart from the unusual format, the show also is rare in that it is a cast that is dominated by women. How is it to be in a show like that?
Bohannon: It is all women and nonbinary people on stage — band included. It's incredible. The women and nonbinary people I've met throughout this show have been so impactful on my life. We have learned to not only love each other, but continue to lift each other up, because unfortunately, the way that our world is built, it is inherent that women are competitive against each other. ...
That's a looming presence throughout the show, that women are told to compete against each other for the man and for the prize. We are built to root against each other. But in spite of that, to encourage each other, to make sure that we are all growing, and we are all loved and supported, it feels incredible to be surrounded by these women and nonbinary people every day to remind me that it is powerful to be a woman. It is lovely to be a woman. It's feminine, it's masculine, it's all of these things combined.
And the fact that we're lifting each other up to realize all of that and to be our best selves is just something that I am eternally grateful for.
'SIX'
When: Sept. 26-Oct. 1.
Where: Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker.
Tickets: https://www.okcbroadway.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Broadway musical 'Six' coming to OKC Civic Center Music Hall
