October 10, 2024 | 4:38pm
MANILA, Philippines — The cast of the Philippine run of “Six” is fully embracing the musical’s campaign for women empowerment.
The production is a modern pop-inspired musical reimagining of the story of Britain’s King Henry VIII’s six wives — Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr — who are now given the platform to reclaim their own narratives.
Conceived by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the show portrays the wives as fierce and influential pop stars in their own right, taking inspiration from contemporary pop artists like Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Adele, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Britney Spears, and more.
The main cast in the Philippine run are Billie Kerr as Catherine of Aragon, Filipino-American Yna Tresvalles as Anne Boleyn, Liberty Stottor as Jane Seymour, Hannah Victoria as Anna of Cleves, Lizzie Emery as Katherine Howard, and Eloise Lord as Catherine Parr.
During a media conference ahead of the gala performance last October 9, the cast talked about their characters reclaiming narratives and making her-story through the use of pop or upbeat tunes.
“These women didn’t get the chance to tell their lives and show incredible each and every one of them are, so as much as they aren’t here to tell their stories, we’re trying our best to do them justice,” Lord said, noting that a lot of history is told by a male’s perspective.
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Stottor added that “Six” is a reminder everyone has a story worth telling and to use one’s voice because they’re worth listening to.
“The show makes me think about the women in my life, that we have the power to take care of ourselves and control our own narratives,” said Tresvalles. “We have the opportunity to choose that for ourselves.”
Emery added a saying the cast and crew of the production believes in, “Real queens always help fix each other’s crowns.”
Kerr praised the show creators for making “Six” relatable through pop music, especially as each cast member grew up listening to the artists featured in the musical, like Beyonce for her portrayal of Catherine of Aragon.
The rest of the cast added their characters’ inspirations and for their own: Adele for Stottor’s Seymour, Britney for Emery’s Howad, Rihanna and Nicki Minah for Victoriah’s Cleves, and Alicia Keys, Jazmine Sullivan, and Olivia Dean for Lord’s Parr.
Tresvalles acknowledged that Boleyn’s character was inspired by Lily Allen, but she also took inspiration from Paramore’s Hayley Williams, Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissete, and fellow Filipino-American Olivia Rodrigo.
“It’s such a great tool to tap into, it makes it more accessible to understand the narrative we’re trying to portray because people enjoy listening to pop music and they’ll [also] take away the knowledge that comes with it,” Billie ended.
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