By Megan Fitzgerald Dunn, Ph.D.
All hail the queen—or rather the queens.
SIX, the hit Broadway musical where the wives of Henry VIII reign supreme, brings the queendom to South Florida with runs at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on October 11-23, 2022 and the Adrienne Arsht Center on October 25-30, 2022.
Beyond beheadings, divorce, and one very angry Pope, the musical reframes the story from the wives’ perspective, using pop music to deliver a fiercely energetic remix to 500 years of history. The show, which won 23 awards during the 2021-2022 Broadway season, has won over critics and audiences with its lively exhibition of girl power- both on stage and behind the scenes.
Khaila Wilcoxon, who plays Henry VIII’s first wife Catherine of Aragon, said that it is truly special to have women, particularly so many women of color, represented on the production. She points out that the cast is even led by a woman, Stage Manager, Molly Meglegal.
“It’s the most powerful thing to walk on that stage and, not just be in a cast, but a band of women,” she said. “And, to also be led by a woman, it feels really good.”
The impact of the show not only resonates with the cast, but also with the audience.
“This show is different in a special way. We get to see those little girls in the audience that never saw themselves in a space like this, and it feels good to say, ‘Hey, girl you got this! You can do this, too. There is room in this space,’” she said. “This show is making space for every woman, every non binary, to be in a place and tell a story.”
While many may know Henry VIII from history textbooks and period pieces, SIX takes the crown with a unique spin on a story that has been told and retold for centuries.
“We get to empower these queens,” Wilcoxon said. “They didn’t really get a chance to tell their side of the story, and that’s my favorite part. We put a twist on it and you finally get to see what being a woman was like under that man.”
Wilcoxon, originally from Wisconsin, drew inspiration for Catherine from modern day pop queens such as the “Queen B,” Beyoncé, and rapper Cardi B.
“I had to ask myself how can I channel a Spanish rap queen and Cardi B was the first one that came to my head,” she said. “If we are going to pay homage to these great queens, we’ve got to also give some of these rap queens the praise and the power. It’s because of them that I can do this.”
The music from SIX has also ruled the charts. The album, not only debuted at number one on the Broadway Cast Album Chart, but saw over six million streams in the first month. While the album is a standout, the 90-minute show is a live-audience experience not to be missed.
“You will want to get up, dance, laugh, and clap your hands because this is such an interactive show,” she said. “There is no fourth wall. The audience is the seventh queen. We engage with the audience in such an incredible way that I don’t think most other shows ever do.”
Wilcoxon also promises surprises.
“I bring so much goofiness to this role and so much humor. People are not expecting that out of Catherine,” she said. “You’re going to laugh more than you think. You really need to come with an open heart and mind,” she said. “I don’t want to give away the show, but you will be surprised.”
Wilcoxon said that listening to the album or watching the musical from home someday just cannot compare to the live experience.
“When those curtains open at the top of the show, you will realize you can’t experience this anywhere else,” she said. “So, get up, put on some glitter, get some glitz and glam going and come to the queendom.”
For tickets and showtimes, visit www.BrowardCenter.org and www.ArshtCenter.org.
Megan Fitzgerald Dunn, Ph.D., is a writer and communication professor at Nova Southeastern University.
