"SIX" - Teen Edition

There’s a line in this show in which the audience are asked what they know about the wives of various of Henry VIII’s predecessors. Unless you’re something of a historian, the answer for most of us is probably very little.  On the other hand, we all know about the six wives of the later Henry and, no doubt, the old rhyme about the respective fate of each.  This show seeks to fill a few more gaps as it imagines a meeting between all six of them. 

Initially, they see it as some sort of competition, in the style of a pop concert, to determine which of them suffered most at the hands of their suitor and each in turn has a song to describe her experience. We never meet the man himself since, as we are told, this is her-story not his-story and, apart from a few seconds, the six are on stage throughout.  Equally importantly, perhaps, is the fact that it is only the six of them who appear and so there is no support from an ensemble or chorus. It is essential that each of them has the confidence, experience and, indeed, the concentration not only to put over her own song but also to be part of the backing group which supports almost all of the numbers, each with its own choreographed moves. No breaks back in the dressing room; at least it’s only one act.   

So well do all six of the girls succeed that it is impossible to single out any one of them. Martha Stoner as Catherine of Aragon is the first to recount her tale, brought from Spain, initially to marry Henry’s brother, with what she finds the rather unappealing name of Arthur, and then, on his death, “transferred”, as it were, to his younger brother. Her frustration at her subsequent rejection in favour of Anne Boleyn is clear from Martha’s performance.  Anne herself is at pains to tell us how she lost her head (in more ways than one) and this brought a suitably feisty performance from Natasha Hubbert.  In the eyes of the others, Jane Seymour had a fairly easy time, having the comparative luxury of a natural death, albeit only a few weeks after producing the necessary male heir.  Izzy Ripley gave a good performance in this role and in her song “Heart of Stone”.  There follows a sort of beauty contest set in the studio of the portrait painter Hans Holbein in which Anne of Cleves is chosen as the next of Henry’s Queens, only to be rejected later on the grounds of failing to come up to the expectations which her portrait had stimulated.  Madison Chapman gave an appropriately Germanic feel to her own portrayal of the character, who lacks sympathy from the others because her life after Henry had been fairly comfortable with a palace in Richmond.  Next in line is Catherine Howard, nicely played by Chiara Shipway, perhaps the most tragic of the six, another to be beheaded. Finally, we meet Catherine Parr, forced to reject her lover, Tom (really Thomas Seymour) in favour of the King.  Lydia Smithson succeeded in arousing our sympathy with her somewhat plaintive song (“I don’t need your love”), her letter of explanation to what we would today call her “ex”. 

There are occasions when the six sing together, first in the opening number (“Ex-Wives”) and then especially in the finale (“Six”), by which time, having abandoned the competitive element, they choose to sing as a group. Their voices always combined beautifully to make a great sound.  What is called a Megasix, in which we are invited to clap and dance, provides an exuberant ending to a thoroughly entertaining production.  As is often the case with this youth group, the unseen tasks of putting it all together are undertaken by some younger members of the wider Ripon family. In this case we were able to appreciate some very effective sound and lighting in the hands of Tom Whitelegg and, most of all, a very capable debut as director from Molly Aikman, clearly enjoying the experience after building a great rapport with her excellent cast.  It’s got to be 10 out of 10, not 6.                                    

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