The national tour of the musical "Six" has taken the nation by storm, bringing the electrifying energy of the six wives of Henry VIII to audiences across the country. This modern retelling of history, infused with a pop concert vibe, has captivated theatergoers with its powerful performances and catchy songs. The tour showcases a diverse and talented cast, delivering a fresh perspective on the lives of these historical queens. With dazzling costumes, vibrant choreography, and an empowering message, "Six" has become a must-see sensation, celebrating the resilience and strength of these iconic women.
With roots in Chicago, the show made its North American debut at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2019. After the pandemic, the show kicked off its national tour at Broadway in Chicago's CIBC Theater in 2022. The groundbreakinng musical won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics).
SIX is currently playing at the James M. Nederlander Theatre for six weeks from June 4 to July 14.
We chatted with Adriana Scalice, most recently seen in the first national tour of Mean Girls, who plays the tour's Catherin Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII. Scalice talks about the show, the score, the costumes and her journey to SIX.
MI: (Matt Inawat, GoPride) Hi Adriana! Give us a rundown about the amazing musical SIX.
AS: (Adriana Scalice) Six is basically a reclaiming of herstory. It's about the six wives of Henry VIII. And most people kind of know them through the rhyme that's taught in your history classes. But people don't really know the female perspective of the story. All we really hear is that King Henry VIII had these six wives. And he was crazy and did some crazy things for them. You don't really get to hear any part of the female side of the story. So it's a lively pop concert that has a lot of heart and you hear from these six women about their encounters with the king.
It's really a story about female empowerment and coming together as one and reminding people that there's always more to the story from a different perspective.
MI: What was your first impression of the script and the score? And then can you tell us a little bit about your journey to taking the role of Catherine Parr on stage?
The North American Tour Boleyn Company of SIX; credit: Joan Marcus
AS: I went to the same school as the original Broadway's Catherine Parr, Anna Uzele. I met her kind of coming into school and had seen her whole beginning of the sixth process and how she went to Chicago to do the out of town and brought it to Broadway. And then the pandemic shut it down for a second and then it came back to life and I got to see her live out her dream through Six, which is really inspiring to me. I always wanted to be a pop star. Growing up, I really idolized Ariana Grande. And my life has always been full of pop music. I'm always online trying to find these new songs to obsess over. So, Six was always on my radar and was something that I knew I would be really right for.
I sent in a tape to Six back in 2022 before I even had representation. I was a senior in college being like, "I'm just gonna send in tapes to shows that I think I'm right for!" So I sent it through to Tara Ruben's casting office.
Then I booked the Mean Girls national tour right out of college. Then Tara Ruben's office came back and were like, do you wanna audition for six? And we were like, "we're gonna have to pass on this right now because I'm gonna be out on tour for a year. But, you know, when the time is right, we will circle back around to this."
So then once I got off of the Mean Girls Tour we sure enough, circled back around to it. And I went in and auditioned. And I booked the role on October 3rd, funny enough, which is "Mean Girls Day." It's been a crazy ride. I started in November, so I came in as a replacement and was just welcomed with the most open arms. And it's been amazing; it's been an amazing process just getting to bring the story to different audiences across the US and fans are always so excited to see it!
MI: Sounds like it's been a perfect match ever since!
AS: It really has. I feel a lot like myself when I'm doing this role and I can bring a lot of my own personality to the role, which is really fun.
MI: You mentioned that Six is known for it's blend of history and modern pop. How did you prepare for this role that requires such a specific style?
AS: There's a whole rehearsal process that involves basically a big history lesson in the beginning. So I went into rehearsals in New York and I was rehearsing with some of the New Broadway alternates. We sat down and went through all of the history and broke it down - what exactly happened with each of these Queens. So I got a big history briefing on Catherine Parr and all the things she went through.
And a lot of people don't know or they forget that she's the first queen to be published under her real name. She was a writer and a really smart woman who was Henry's caretaker at the end of his life because at that point he was struggling with his health and she was really there. She also was a major part in creating Queen Elizabeth's Reign and influencing her. So you hear all of these things and you take all these history lessons and you say, "ok, well, knowing all of this, how can I then move forward and kind of create a modern approach to it?" The creatives help guide you through that. And it's a whole lot of rehearsal and a whole lot of repetition and figuring out how to map out the acting beats. It's the most fun process though. Whenever I join a new cast, I'm most excited to dive into the rehearsal process and get my hands dirty and figure out, "who is this character to me and how can I bring her to life in a way that is just remembering all of the history that's behind it."
MI: Along those lines, what's been the most challenging aspect of playing Catherine?
AS: I think the most challenging part is waiting until the very end of the show for me to sing my solo - and continue to have the energy left by the end of the show - because I am the sixth wife. My song, "I Don't Need Your Love" comes towards the end. And it's after a whole lot of cardio and a whole lot of jumping around and singing backup vocals. That's probably the most challenging part; is to just still stay grounded in it and remind myself we do the show eight times a week. So you really have to remind yourself this audience is seeing the show for the first time. I really have to make sure that I'm communicating the story and making them understand what's going on.
MI: And what part of yourself do you bring to the role?
AS: I think a big part of my personality these days is just empowering women. I'm really in my female empowerment era. She's such a strong woman and I aspire to be like that every day. I said to an interviewer the other day it really is like you're speaking, your manifestations out into the world. You're really saying these affirmations every day. And so you make it your reality. And I'm just having fun up there and pretending to live my pop star fantasy.
MI: So we definitely we need to talk about the other star in the show - the iconic costumes. How does that influence your performance every day?
The North American Tour Boleyn Company of SIX; credit: Joan Marcus
AS: Oh, my gosh. I just remember putting it on for the first time and doing my part in rehearsal and it completely changed the way I did the show.
You are kind of having to mold the costume to your body and the way that they make them, like they design them to move a little bit over time because you're doing the choreography, you're flexing the the plastic and it's moving and molding to your body. So it definitely is a learning curve. And I remember first putting on the costume being like, "oh God, here we go, we're diving right into it."
But I love the fact that my queen wears pants. I mean, it's like that saying "who wears the pants in the relationship." And I always think of that when I put those pants on - and it's just bad ass really. She's wearing a suit of armor, really. And it's powerful. And those costumes are so beautiful and I feel like I had seen them for years and always dreamt of one day wearing them; and now I get to do it every night. It's amazing!
MI: So you'll be in Chicago for most of June and early July. Is there anything on your to-do list while you're in the city?
AS: I'm so happy about it though. We're all so, so excited to be in Chicago. Not only is it during the summer and it's going be beautiful, but we have been traveling so frequently that we're excited to sit down somewhere for a little bit.
We have a few stage managers and cast members that live in Chicago when they're off of tour. So, one of our stage managers actually last night was giving me recommendations. She was saying to go do a boat tour. There's like a 90 minute. type of boat tour along the river. I've only ever been to Chicago in the winter; and my memories of that are being swept into a crazy wind vortex in the middle of the field and literally almost falling over. So I'm very excited for Hot Girl Summer in Chicago. Um We're all very excited to just explore everything, and find the best rooftop bars and restaurants.
MI: Is there a role in any musical that you dream of playing one day?
AS: My first thought is always I want to originate something, but that kind of goes without saying, I think everyone wants to originate a new musical. But I'm also really into songwriting and creating and writing in general. So that would be my first answer, but I guess, I really would love to revisit "In the Heights." I did Heights back when I was 16 and I was in the ensemble. But now that I've grown a little bit older, I need to play Nina or Vanessa someday. So that's what we're manifesting. That's a show that I hold really close to my heart.
MI: If you could perform a duet with any actor or singer, who would it be?
AS: This is such a good question. I just was thinking about this the other day and I feel like my first thought is Beyonce; but because that's probably like the most unattainable thing in the world. I think soul fulfilling, it would be Maggie Rogers. I love Maggie Rogers. Her first album "Heard it in a Past Life" changed my life!
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Performances are Tuesday through Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (with Wednesday matinees at 1:00 p.m.), Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 1:00 p.m. (with an additional performance on Sunday, July 7 at 6:30 p.m.). There will be no performance on Thursday, July 4.
TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets for SIX are on sale now and range from $39.00 - $134.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710. For more information, visit BroadwayInChicago.com.
ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 24 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.