Queens Rule the Stage!

Six is a stylish new musical that puts the wives of Henry VIII firmly centre stage. The show is a modern telling of the lives of these six famous queens whose lives are usually overshadowed by their rather more famous spouse. The premise of the show is an audition to be the lead singer of a new girl band aptly called the Ex-Wives. Each of the former Queens takes to the stage and shares her life story via the medium of a catchy pop song.

and puts the plight of this vibrant French queen into the foreground. Tania gives a confident performance but she also manages to convey Anne Boleyn’s vulnerability equally well, which takes real talent.

as the only queen to enjoy a slightly happy ending.

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced beheaded, survived! Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced beheaded,live!

The show starts with a dazzling opener ‘Exwives’ introducing each queen and letting the audience know exactly what’s in store. The lead actors all have excellent voices and along with the ensemble, who provide backing vocals and choreography, and our wonderful live band, they give the audience a pop concert experience with a historical twist. Ketsia Makondele then takes her moment in the spotlight singing Catherine of Aragon’s powerful anthem ‘No Way’ describing her loyalty to Henry and his treacherous treatment of her, even trying to force her to move to a convent and become a nun! Ketsia has a great stillness and stage presence and gave a stunning vocal performance.

Tania Kasigwa plays Anne Boleyn, a maligned and misunderstood figure, her song ‘Don’t Lose your Head’ sets the record straight

After Anne Boleyn’s sassy turn the show then moves to the sad tale of Jane Seymour, rumoured to be a genuine love match with Henry, she sadly died and her ballad ‘Heart of Stone’ was so beautifully performed by Rhianna Lock that it made this reviewers nose fizz with feelings. Rhianna’s voice is exquisite and she controls the notes so well that she has the audience in the palm of her hand with her heartfelt performance.

Elizabeth Osifo’s Katherine Howard sings ‘All You Wanna Do’ to explain how she came to be executed for treason, it’s an upbeat song for a queen who went through such a lot and Elizabeth plays her with great humour and style, capturing an essence of resistance and strength that shines through.

Finally it’s the turn of Deborah Oladapo’s to sing a ballad for Catherine Parr, she sings ‘I Don’t Need Your Love’ sounding very much like Jorja Smith and sharing the frustrations of a life of great personal achievement overshadowed by her husband. Deborah’s vocals are incredible and she conveys the powerful emotions with great control, it’s a real triumph.

Once all of the queens have performed solo they realise that their stories sound stronger together and they all perform the title track ‘Six’ which gets everyone clapping along as all six queens imagine what a life without Henry VIII would’ve been like.

No time to feel sad for too long though as Marianna Binga steps up to perform the showstopping ‘Haus of Holbein’ with bags of charisma and a ton of stage presence. The story of ‘Anna’ of Cleaves offers so much fun and the chance for the audience to have a cheeky shimmy. Marianna really gets the brief and brings the crowd along on her joyful turn

QUEENS RULE THE STAGE!

Although we say this every year, the expressive arts department really excelled themselves, Mr Grenier, Head of Drama gave us the north west premiere of this excellent production which we were so proud to host. We even were lucky enough to get a video message from Maiya Quansha-Breed who played Catherine Parr professionally in the original west end show, she sent our queens her good wishes which was such a special surprise. Thank you to all of the Our Lady’s community who came along to support.

A huge thank you to Aaron at MSL Hire, the staging company based in Oldham who we hired the stage and lighting from for Six the Musical. The company were so impressed with our school they decided to donate 16 of their theatre lights to us to keep for future productions! What a fantastic and kind gesture and we are hugely grateful.

Ketsia Makondele as Catherine of Aragon

Married to the king for 24 years, Catherine of Aragon is remembered as the unwavering queen who fought hard to keep her marriage intact. She died battling for her rights as queen and those of her daughter, Mary.

Tania Kasigwa as Anne Boleyn

Known as the woman who Henry abandoned the Roman Catholic Church for and ultimately got her head chopped off, This smart, aggressive woman stirred passionate emotions in all who knew herno less so, Henry VIII, who first begged for her love and then condemned her to death.

Rhianna Lock as Jane Seymour

Jane’s sweet and charming demeaner captured Henry’s heart. Married just days after her predecessor’s death, she was to become Henry’s favourite wife. Jane, unlike any of Henry’s other wives, gave Henry the one thing he wanted most - a son, an act that would lead to her death.

Though Henry decided to break their marriage after just six months, Anne of Cleves arguably had the best life out of all six queens. The King granted her a hefty allowance along with manors and palaces, and she ended up outliving his other wives, Henry himself, and his son.

After 18 months of marriage to the king and getting convicted for adultery, Katherine Howard met the same fate as her cousin Anne Boleyn: she lost her head. Wedding the 49-year-old Henry when she was just a teenager.

Though in love with Thomas Seymour, Catherine felt obligated to say yes when the king proposed. She was an attentive stepmother, a caring nurse, a faithful companion. But underneath her calm exterior deep passions flowed - for learning, religious reform and the man she had left to marry the king.