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Calgary Herald

Review: SIX stellar reasons to see the musical based on Henry VIII's wives

Article content The musical SIX is an ode to sisterhood. Article content Call it the Tudor version of The Eurythmics' Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves or Sister Sledge's We Are Family, as the six wives of Henry VIII discover they are strongest when they are singing with each other, and not against each other. Article content The thin plot line of this rock concert disguised as a musical is that Henry's six wives are forming a band, and the lead singer will be the wife who suffered the most at the hands of the controversial monarch. Article content Article content Henry tried to annul his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, so he could marry one of her ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. However, the Catholic Church didn't recognize divorce. Henry threatened to send Catherine to a convent, but instead formed his own church that would give him the divorce he wanted. Catherine sings No Way, a big, brassy number, that lets Henry and the audience know she is a formidable woman, but, alas, Henry got his way, so her protest is in vain. Article content Article content Chani Maisonet, who plays Catherine, uses Beyonce as her diva inspiration, which means she exudes confidence and style. There is a sense that she knows she's special and that her stature is earned. As is the case with most of the songs in the show, Maisonet is supported by the other wives in what becomes a wild, frenzied number, but Maisonet is always front and centre. Article content Article content As Anne Boleyn, Hailey Lewis is pretty certain she will win the contest. After all, Henry had her beheaded. Her overconfidence is not only on display in the lyrics of her song, Don't Lose Ur Head, but in her quips to the other wives. She's a little vixen, always ready with a wisecrack, and always ready to play the headless card. Article content After Ex-Wives, which is the opening number, and Maisonet and Lewis's fully supported songs, it's a treat to have Kelly Denice Taylor's beautiful solo torch song, Heart of Stone. She literally takes the spotlight and brings as much heart as soul to the number. Article content Henry's fourth wife, Anna of Cleves, jokes that when Henry had run out of English women, he looked to Germany for her and she has the other wives join her in two techno-inspired numbers, Haus of Holbein and Get Down. The strong thing about SIX is that the songs are very specific to the wives. They use different styles and influences. There is a real cheekiness in the way Danielle Mendoza attacks these numbers as Anna.