Six is one of those shows that I am sad about – because it’s a fantastic show, with excellent songs with great musical backing, but it’s also a show that (quite rightly) is deliberate and open about promoting the voices of women, minorities and other voices that are most certainly not me. But I love the show and am more than happy to go watch it multiple times and support those who should be the ones sharing these stories.
And so, with a packed and excited Wanneroo Secondary College Performing Arts Centre, I got to see this latest version of the story in the Six: Teen edition for their opening night performance. And what a fantastic version of the story it was as well.
First off, and for Pit Reviews Perth the most important part, I was so happy to see that it was a live band – and not only a live band but a band consisting of almost completely Wanneroo SC students. Miss Maddison Moulin, taking the role of Music Director and Keys 1, led a team of students that tackled the professional level score adeptly. The wind section of Kate Wolsoncroft (Flute), Athie McNichol (Alto Sax / Flute), Emmanuelle Webber (Trumpet) and Josiah Lupton (Euphonium) created a beautiful, blended tone that supported the songs in beautiful melodies, powerful pops, and additional hand clapping when required. Hamish Hulston (Electric Guitar), Sourish Mondal (Bass Guitar) and Avalon Armstrong (Keys 2) all played pivotal roles in keeping the power of the songs going, but for me the absolute stand out was Charlie Copeland on drums. This show needs the drums on point from go to whoa, and Charlie demonstrated that he was more than capable of that. Even when the crowd got enthusiastic with their participating and their claps were wanting to push the tempo, Charlie was strong, held to his guns and kept that beat exactly where it needed to be.
The hard work by Miss Moulin was also demonstrated in the quality of the vocals throughout the show. Harmonies were excellent throughout and show a care from both students and music director to ensure this production was at a high level in every area.
Having seen Six performed professionally, I was interested to see how it would translate to a larger cast with not only the queens, but ladies in waiting and an ensemble as well. This was a very well-designed adaptation, as the ladies in waiting served as logical and practical supports for the queens that allowed their young voices to survive an 80-minute show with barely any breaks. But when they got the chance to shine – did they ever shine. Every solo that the ladies in waiting had was sung with power and accuracy, and their group number – ‘Haus of Holbein’ was powerful and so much fun. My one criticism was that their vocal levels seemed to have been set for their majority backing roles, which meant that in this number it got lost a bit in the band and made it hard to accurately hear the lyrics.
The choreography was also outstanding. The ensemble takes on a mostly dancing role, with some vocal support in some numbers, but the choreography was outstanding. Director and Choreographer Alysha Cheetham Taylor masterfully created sequences that were reflective of the story, the characters and (I assume) the students’ own personalities and abilities. The result was an ensemble cast that was high energy, tight with their movements and added a huge amount to the show. I specifically want to highlight the featured dancers Kayleigh Spence, Sienna Singleton, Isla, and particularly Tommy Pham. I was entranced by many of Tommy’s sequences and solos which had a very mature level of elegance and power that made him stand out.
But the show is not Six without the queens – and what an outstanding collection of queens we had, with each one bringing something different to the role that made them all rise. Emily Tadros (Catherine of Aragon) kicked us off with a strong and powerful rendition of No Way, before Aleisha Mizen (Anne Boleyn) brought her comedy chops to the fore, absolutely eating up every innuendo opportunity. Taylor Bokas (Jane Seymour) took us in with a powerfully emotional version of Heart of Stone, before Vivica Laver (Anna of Cleves) brought her vocal and dance chops in Get Down. All you Wanna Do is a catchy yet heartbreaking painful look at Katherine Howard’s story and Abigail Leeks demonstrated her confidence and vulnerability with poise. Finally, Claudia Moir (Catherine Parr) finished the tale with a sensitive yet powerful rendition of I Don’t Need Your Love.
Every queen performed beautifully, with amazing melismatic runs performed with as much accuracy and flexibility as their dancing. They are young voices, and while their performances sometimes lacked the vocal power needed, where every single one of them excelled was in the level of emotion that they put into every single note. As their voices develop, there is no doubt that they will become powerhouses – and with that level of emotion now, I can’t wait to see what they produce.
Wanneroo Secondary College have an excellent performing arts program that is clearly producing talent at a very high level. As of writing this review, there were two seats left – so make sure you get in quickly to see whatever their next show is!
Ben Clapton 