SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 14, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — If you’re searching for something to brighten up your spirits post-Christmas, one of the hottest theatrical events in the world is coming to Salt Lake City for the first time next month in the form of the smash-hit musical “SIX.”
In the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over, going from Tudor Queens to pop icons, the six wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to reclaim their identities out of the shadow of their infamous spouse — remixing 500 years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st Century girl power.
The show, which is the winner of 23 awards, including the 2022 Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, is coming to the Eccles Theater at 131 S. Main St. from Jan. 9 to Jan. 21. Tickets are available here; the best availability is for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 16, 17 and 18, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m.
The show, with music, book and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, is a modern retelling of the lives of the wives, presented in the form of a pop concert. Each of them: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr, take turns telling their story to determine who suffered the most at the hands of their common husband. Although each woman was Queen at some point, the audience is invited to decide which one should don that evening’s crown. The ex with the best sob story wins.
Marlow, who was in his final year at Cambridge University, created the concept for the musical and partnered with another student, Moss, to work on the piece together. Their inspiration was a tiny poem that goes: “Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.” The musical premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017, performed by students from Cambridge University. It then premiered in the West End in January 2019, and on Broadway in March 2020. Following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “SIX” officially opened at New York City’s Lena Horne Theatre in October 2021.
“SIX” is currently still on stage on Broadway, at the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End, at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre and is touring in the U.K. and the Netherlands. Two North American tours, dubbed the “Aragon” and “Boleyn” tours, began in 2022; it’s the “Boleyn” tour that will be coming to Salt Lake City.
Gephardt Daily chatted with Adriana Scalice, who plays Parr, over the phone from the Queens’ current tour stop in Denver, where the show plays until Christmas Eve. In developing the characters, Marlow and Moss were inspired by several real-life pop stars who were used as a composite and musical inspiration. Parr is a blend of Alicia Keys and Emili Sandé. Scalice was most recently seen in the first national tour of “Mean Girls” as the standby for Cady, Regina, and Janis. The actress, who is from upstate New York, grew up in a Peruvian/Italian household and says in her bio she learned to sing with the “Les Misérables” 25th anniversary concert playing on repeat. She graduated summa cum laude from Texas State University with a BFA in musical theater in May 2022, also obtaining a minor in Spanish language studies. Scalice joined the tour, which is now in its second year, on Nov. 21.
We asked Scalice when “SIX” was first on her radar and if Parr has been a bucket list role for her.
“My story with ‘SIX’ is kind of funny,” she said. “I went to Texas State University for musical theater and actually the girl that originated Catherine Parr on Broadway, Anna Uzele, also went to Texas State. So funnily enough, I met her when I was just a little baby coming in to tour the college and then she went off I think. It was about two years later when she was opening ‘SIX’ on Broadway, so it’s always been a dream show of mine. I’ve always wanted to be a pop star. I think for me a lot of my niche is singing pop vocals, or, you know, R&B type of music, and mixing that and my love for pop music with my love for musical theater has always been a dream. So being able to do this show has been really, really cool. I actually sent them a tape for it a while ago, right before I went on the ‘Mean Girls’ tour. So when I was out on tour for ‘Mean Girls,’ they had asked for me to come back and audition and I was like, not now, I gotta, I gotta be out on ‘Mean Girls’ for a second. Then once I was back in the city after ‘Mean Girls’ had ended, I was going right back in to audition for ‘SIX.’ So yeah, I guess it was kind of meant to be.”
Scalice also talked about what the audition process was like.
“I guess it depends on who you ask because I think the other five girls who auditioned to be starting the Boleyn tour, their audition process was pretty lengthy,” she said. “I think it spanned over like the course of multiple months. Mine was a bit quicker than that just because I was a replacement cast member, so they were looking specifically to fill this role. So I think because of that it was a speedy process. I think I went in for about four rounds of auditions. Within the span of like, a month-and-a-half. Kind of like an audition per week.”
We also asked Scalice what it was like to join the tour partway through.
“Luckily, I had had some practice with that on ‘Mean Girls’ as well,” she said. “I came into that tour as a replacement; as a standby replacement,” she said. “So in that process I had to know three different roles. I had left school a little bit early, so that process felt really wild whereas this one was like, I only had one role to learn. You know, they made sure that I knew everything I needed to know before going in, and all of the onstage and offstage Queens and alternates were so supportive and just the kindest to me. So it made it a really smooth transition honestly.”
Scalice also spoke about what it’s like to be in a show that is so popular and widely-loved.
“It is wild,” she said. “Sometimes I have these moments where I kind of black out on stage, and I’m like, so into what I’m doing, obviously, but then I have a moment where like, I kind of come back to life and I look around and all the girls are wearing the iconic costumes. I’m like, wait, I’m in the show right now. You spend so many years like looking at videos and you’re seeing their performances on award shows. So it is kind of surreal to think that I’m actually doing this show now. But yeah, I don’t know; once you kind of learn the show and it’s in your body, it just kind of feels like any other show really, but we have the most amazing fan base. And so many sweet people come to see the show and they’re so excited. Yeah, I will say this show for sure is so different from other shows just because of the audience participation aspect. The crowds just go crazy for the show in a way that I have never seen before. And you truly do feel like you’re a pop star.”
She added that “SIX” is a show that all the family will enjoy, it’s specifically recommended for ages 10 and up.
“You can come from any walk of life and you’ll get something out of ‘SIX,’ I think,” Scalice said. “I think it was created purposely to be a universal story, something that everyone can enjoy, and it’s really just a celebration of femininity and female friendships. I just think the overall message is so uplifting and I think it’s really important for young generations to see that, and older generations. I’ve recently seen some of our older audience members, so you can kind of see people when you’re on the stage a little bit in a few songs and depending on the lighting, you can kind of see people’s reactions. Recently, I saw a few older people like tearing up at the sight of you know, having these strong female stories represented on stage and it’s just something that they maybe didn’t grow up with and it’s equally as important for them to see it as well.”
The “SIX” tour also includes a live, on-stage band. Everyone on stage identifies as either female or nonbinary.
“We do tour with our band members as well, who are all extraordinary, and the most kind, amazing people ever,” Scalice added.
We asked her what her tips are for successful touring life and keeping her voice in shape.
“It is definitely something that is just trial and error,” she said. “I mean, going into ‘Mean Girls,’ the first tour that I did, I had like a good idea of what it would be like, just from you know, we did masterclasses at school and we learned about tour life and what it would look like, but I think actually getting out on the road, like what to do with your other like 22 hours of the day when you’re not on stage? You have to drink so much water; if you think you’re hydrated, you’re probably not; keep drinking more water. I think the hardest part is probably the changing of the weather. You know, you’ll be in one area that’s warm and then you’ll touch down in Denver and all of a sudden it’s super dry and it kind of shocks your system. Try and get ahead of everything and really learn how to take care of your body. And also know like, OK, when you need to take a break and maybe you need to take a show off to recuperate, and just really getting in touch with your body, I’d say that’s the biggest tip in living this life.”
We also asked Scalice if she will make it home for Christmas; the last date in Denver is Dec. 24, then the next tour stop begins in Boise, Idaho, on Dec. 27.
“Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a flight back to upstate New York; if I were from, I don’t know, Texas or something, maybe it’d be easier,” she said. “No, I’m gonna stay here [in Colorado]. I actually have a close friend that spends Christmas in Edwards, Colorado. So if the weather is OK and the roads are fine, I’ll make the drive over there to spend Christmas with his family, which is really nice. But if not, I’ll be spending it with the Queens and I’m sure we’ll do something. We have a holiday party coming up which will be very fun.”
Finally, I asked Scalice what roles are still on her bucket list.
“Really, I will do anything that will push me out of my comfort zone,” she said. “I am constantly just looking to change and grow as an artist and I really would love the chance to get into a room and originate something. That’s definitely a bucket list for me. As for like current shows, I’d say, recently I’ve been listening to a lot of ‘Hadestown.’ Yeah, I don’t know. I’d say the new work. I’m excited to get into a room and start working on new things.”
To learn more about Scalice, click here, and for more information about the “SIX” tour, click here.
