The ‘Six’ Are Back in Rehearsals and Hoping to Return to Opening Night


The red velvet armchairs at the Brooks Atkinson Theater on West 47th Street were lined with technical tables of computers, cables, and consoles operated by designers, directors, and stage managers. The audience did not come until the first preview on Friday night.

However, anticipation was still high for the dress rehearsal of the British musical “Six.” dream of two college students She imagines Henry VIII’s wives as pop stars.

In one of the more stark examples of the pandemic’s damage to theater, the musical’s opening night became closing night instead: The show was scheduled to open on March 12, 2020, the day Broadway closed.

Now “Six” will find out if the 18-month loss has given the show any momentum; its original opening, pre-sales, multiple productions, a hugely popular soundtrack and backed by fans who have watched the show since its 2017 premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Hence, enthusiastic shouts and applause erupted from the crew as the curtain opened, with the show’s six queens fully adorned in glittering costumes, glittering boots, and – in some cases – tiaras.

“We’re finding ways to recalibrate the show to who these artists are now – who these queens are now, who their 2021 selves are, where these songs are coming from,” said Jamie Armitage, who directed the musical. Lucy Moss. “There is a depth and fire to some performances that I have not seen before.”

“The time has come to understand what theater means and what it means to come together,” Armitage continued, adding that the theme of the show had a new resonance: “The group is stronger than the individual.”

The production’s diverse, all-female cast and group — and its message of fraternity and self-empowerment — also resonates with the lessons of the quarantine period, particularly with a growing awareness of the importance of equal opportunities for women and people of color. The musical ends by addressing “patriarchal structures”.

The dress rehearsal went smoothly and lasted for an uninterrupted 85-minute run with no obvious technical disruptions. And after the confetti fell on the curtain call, the two directors rehearsed the bow again. Then they introduced a new idea: the actors took selfies from the stage.

“Six” will premiere on Friday, the same night that David Byrne’s “American Utopia” begins its comeback engagement, as the Broadway reopening gains momentum. A further 28 shows are scheduled to begin their performances before the end of the year.

Moss, who co-wrote the show with Toby Marlow, said he was cautiously optimistic as the “Six” actors dispersed for a dinner break—before returning to the theater for the notes.

“I’m not going to be like ‘We’re back’ until it’s clear and working, because who knows what will happen?” said. “It makes you so grateful for every moment in the room.”



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