Six: The Musical
Too soon to say best musical of the year? Saying it anyway!
This is the third day of torrential rain - wind gusting it sideways, trees down on the train lines, flooding on the roads - and somehow I made it out into the city, where brave tourists in plastic raincoats were taking photos of the mist enshrouded Harbour Bridge. The only reason I ventured outdoors was because I had tickets to Six, a pop musical about the six wives of Henry VIII, now playing at the Sydney Opera House.
Totally worth it.
Listen up, let me tell you a story
A story that you think you've heard before
I loved the opening song in the trailer. It gave me chills. I love the idea of women of history reclaiming their story, especially after how slandered and maligned some of them were. I love historical fusions that use modern vocab and anachronistic references.
At 75 minutes with no interval, made up of showcase songs, it felt like a concert or cabaret, rather than a traditional musical with a linear narrative. I loved how each of the six had a different style of song, from energetic dance number to emotional power ballad. (The program book and liner notes mention what musical artists inspired the style of each song, eg Catherine of Aragon's are Beyoncé and Shakira, Anne Boleyn's are Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne, etc.)
The Australian performers were awesome. (I wish there was an Australian cast recording! The singing and arrangement are a bit different on the studio cast recording.) I loved that the band was all women too. I loved that the costuming was a glorious fusion of medieval and futuristic.
My fave was Anna of Cleves - one of the divorced wives - living her best life in her great big palace, not giving a damn what anyone thought. She was hilarious.
You, you said that I tricked ya
Cos I didn't look like my profile picture
Too, too bad I don't agree
So I'm gonna hang it up for everyone to see
I loved that the six realise they should unite instead of compete. I loved how near the end, the six reflect on how people only remember them because they were the wives of Henry VIII. But then, as they retell their stories in the final song, they turn it on its head - people only remember Henry VIII because of his six wives. Because of them.
We're one of a kind, no category
Too many years lost in his story
We're free to take our crowning glory
For five more minutes
We're SIX
Crossposted from Dreamwidth, where there are
comments. Comment here or there.
This is the third day of torrential rain - wind gusting it sideways, trees down on the train lines, flooding on the roads - and somehow I made it out into the city, where brave tourists in plastic raincoats were taking photos of the mist enshrouded Harbour Bridge. The only reason I ventured outdoors was because I had tickets to Six, a pop musical about the six wives of Henry VIII, now playing at the Sydney Opera House.
Totally worth it.
Listen up, let me tell you a story
A story that you think you've heard before
I loved the opening song in the trailer. It gave me chills. I love the idea of women of history reclaiming their story, especially after how slandered and maligned some of them were. I love historical fusions that use modern vocab and anachronistic references.
At 75 minutes with no interval, made up of showcase songs, it felt like a concert or cabaret, rather than a traditional musical with a linear narrative. I loved how each of the six had a different style of song, from energetic dance number to emotional power ballad. (The program book and liner notes mention what musical artists inspired the style of each song, eg Catherine of Aragon's are Beyoncé and Shakira, Anne Boleyn's are Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne, etc.)
The Australian performers were awesome. (I wish there was an Australian cast recording! The singing and arrangement are a bit different on the studio cast recording.) I loved that the band was all women too. I loved that the costuming was a glorious fusion of medieval and futuristic.
My fave was Anna of Cleves - one of the divorced wives - living her best life in her great big palace, not giving a damn what anyone thought. She was hilarious.
You, you said that I tricked ya
Cos I didn't look like my profile picture
Too, too bad I don't agree
So I'm gonna hang it up for everyone to see
I loved that the six realise they should unite instead of compete. I loved how near the end, the six reflect on how people only remember them because they were the wives of Henry VIII. But then, as they retell their stories in the final song, they turn it on its head - people only remember Henry VIII because of his six wives. Because of them.
We're one of a kind, no category
Too many years lost in his story
We're free to take our crowning glory
For five more minutes
We're SIX
Crossposted from Dreamwidth, where there are
comments. Comment here or there.