Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome back to the Bright lights of Broadway. This is the Cosmic Curtain, the official podcast of Cosmic Circus Broadway. I'm Brian Kitson, head writer at the Cosmic Circus. And joining me as always is my co host and Fellow Boxy Babe, R.J. miller. Zelinko, are you ready, sir, to talk about six?
[00:00:19] Speaker B: I've got six whole minutes to talk about six. Just kidding. I have 60 minutes to talk about six.
[00:00:30] Speaker A: Oh, you were so close.
Yeah. Why in six? They actually don't say six minutes. They say five more minutes.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: They say five. Yeah.
[00:00:39] Speaker A: Which is sad now that I think about that. But of course we're going to be talking about six the musical, which is currently running. This is the current show for Broadway in Detroit. It runs from now being January 9, will be recorded all the way through the weekend.
And I'm super excited to talk about this, but obviously if you have not seen six, I am sorry we are going to spoil it. We're going to talk about everything. It's also history. We've been, these stories have been going on for hundreds of years. So we're not going to be too, it's not going to be too shocking. But anyways, by all means, please don't listen if you don't want to be spoiled. But if you are still here with us, let's get into it.
So RJBA start you off. We're gonna go back to, to history class. How familiar were you with the wives of Henry VII prior to six the musical?
[00:01:33] Speaker B: Not, I mean, I think totally in, in alignment with the whole premise of this musical. I remember that there were multiple wives.
[00:01:51] Speaker A: That's it. That's it. That's all their story is.
[00:01:53] Speaker B: That's it.
Yep.
[00:01:55] Speaker A: That was all I own.
[00:01:58] Speaker B: But also like I would have learned about this probably when I was pretty young.
And like, who can remember that unless you're a history major.
Like I, I was a music major. So I took like one history class in college and it wasn't even in. It was like ancient, ancient history. And it was, I went to religious school. So everything was done through a scope of Christianity. Sure.
Which some of this would tie into that at some point. But it was like, well before we're talking like ancient, ancient times.
[00:02:42] Speaker A: You're not sitting down learning about the formation of the Church of England.
[00:02:47] Speaker B: I mean, honestly, I probably like should have been, but my rebel self was like, I don't want to pay attention.
[00:02:56] Speaker A: I mean, that's valid. I was going to say that I don't actually know if I ever learned about the six wives of Henry VIII or, like, the Tudor family or, like, branch of the. The monarchy with the, like. If we're talking college. My only history class was I had the history of Traffic in Africa, which was very specific.
And I was like, this sounds like a class that I could probably ace. And so I took that class.
It was really difficult because there's a lot to the changing of traffic, which is why there's a whole class about it. But if you were going back, you know, living in America, living in Michigan, as we both have grown up here, the while there's sometimes the fascination with the. The world of the monarchy and like. Like, you know, I'm an Anglophile straight through, but there is not, like, a teaching of that. We learn about, like, American history and, like, I remember fourth grade learning about Michigan history, but there's not always this, like, deep dive into, like, what's going on politically across the pond.
So I feel like I miss out on, like, a huge chunk of, like, the history of the six wives of Henry vii.
I didn't even know about him until I went to the Tower of London in the uk And I learned about Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard being beheaded, and we got to stand around the stone and we all got to stare at it.
That was about it.
[00:04:28] Speaker B: Well, and that makes sense to me, though, too, right? Like, every country typically learns the most about their own country. And so even if we had vaguely brushed through this portion of history, like, you're gonna get maybe one paragraph in one chapter in one year, one year in, like, ninth grade, and then you never hear about it again. So thus there's history, though, because there's a gazillion years to learn about. So it's.
[00:05:00] Speaker A: It's never ending. It's literally keeps going. I'm just kidding.
[00:05:04] Speaker B: Like, it's high.
[00:05:06] Speaker A: I remember growing up the other bowling girl. I remember that being a movie. I've never seen it, but I remember that people were crazy about that. And I think that's the first time I actually heard the name Bolin.
So I think, like. I think it's interesting that, like, obviously, again, that. That fascination with the royal family, the monarchy, but I think that it's shows like Six the Musical that are really. Or shows like the Tudor, which I know was a big one, and there's a few other that like HBO and Starz and all of them have put out, but they're. But this is really kind of an interesting musical. Like, when you think of the shows, it's, like, what draws you to telling the story of the six wives of Henry vii. And for this show, they do it kind of interestingly.
So for the sake of time, I kind of want.
Can you tell us the show from your perspective, sir?
From my perspective, like, what is Six the Musical?
[00:06:06] Speaker B: Six the musical is, as we have been saying, literally about six wives of Henry VIII competing against each other in song format.
In regards to telling us who had it the worst.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:06:29] Speaker B: Ultimately saying, you know, whoever had it the worst wins.
The competition is the ultimate V, basically.
Yeah.
[00:06:38] Speaker A: They form a pop group, which is like so cool because you take this like very. When you think of the wives of Henry viii, you think of, you know, big dresses, you think of not pop music. You're thinking of the traditional, like green sleeves, which is how they kind of start the show. They start the show off with that traditional green sleeve song kind of playing and then we just jump in and it's a concert of these queens being a pop group and they're fighting over who is going to be the lead. Like, that's just such a.
It gives that Hamilton vibe, you know, of like teaching history, but in a cool way, you know, in a hip way.
[00:07:22] Speaker B: Yeah. In a new age engaging comedy that they knew people would pay attention to. Right. Because it's so different. And I would say I don't think there really is another musical right now that's equally in alignment with this one. Like, I think it's in a league of its own.
[00:07:50] Speaker A: Because of the way.
[00:07:52] Speaker B: Because it's just so. It's so specific. The only thing I can think of that might, in regards to like it being pop rockish would be maybe like Moulin Rouge or like Ian Juliet, but those are literal stories. Whereas this, like you said, like, basically we're watching six divas have a sing off and that's what's happening.
[00:08:16] Speaker A: And it's funny because I think that the way that they approach it with the.
The sing off, the competition, not only does it involve the audience, we're not actually voting. Spoiler alert. Anybody who hasn't seen it, we're not voting for who wins because there's a wrap up. But they do invite us into the show, but they do it in a way of being like the. We can all laugh at the fact that like, men suck, you know, and like relationships suck and people are horrible and we've all had a bad. And we've all. We've all kind of been there. And so it does make this like very topical commentary to. To an old conversation that has spanned hundreds of years. And so that's what kind of makes it so interesting, at least in my opinion. Like, it's interesting because it's something universal that we don't think people necessarily maybe were dealing with back then, but here they are. These six women were dealing with a horrible man who mistreated them and had power and let it go to his head, you know?
[00:09:15] Speaker B: Yeah. And I mean, yeah, there's no vote, but for sure, like, the, the fourth wall is dissipated for this show. Right? Like, there is a direct communication happening between the people on stage and the audience.
And that can get tricky with shows because you, you run the risk of having audiences who don't know when to stop and, or not participate at all. And as someone who's been on stage before, not even in a high amp show like this one, I can only imagine if you have an audience that's like, not into it, it's going to be the worst hour and a half ever.
Like, it's just going to be brutal. So it is. It's one of those shows where, like, you have to be, you have to be into it. You can't be afraid to participate respectfully. Right? Like when they, when they prompt you to clap or yell or interact or even dance, you do it and then you kind of get the cue when.
[00:10:26] Speaker A: To chill out, you know. On that front, there was actually some instances in, like the song six and then even farther, like the Mega six, where you could tell. Like, granted, I've seen this twice in New York. You've seen it once. I've. I'm sure you worked it multiple times over in Grand Rapids. I've seen it a few times. This was my fifth time seeing the show. One of my favorites. But I noticed that this time, while there was also a full audience, like, I don't think there was a, like a single seat besides the two, besides us, that were empty.
People almost didn't know when to stop clapping in six. Like, there's clearly like a beat that they start you up with, but then there's like a moment, there's a clear moment when it stops. And there was like that moment, like nobody, like those of us who had seen it knew, like, you stopped clapping. And then there was those people like, are we still clapping? Are we like, not clapping?
And then introducing into the Mega Six, people sat down and I think it was Catherine of Aragon was just like, no, no, Detroit, keep standing like we have. You know, don't sit down yet.
So that was interesting. You're right that there was this little.
There was a little. There was A difference there that this is. Clearly it's a big show, but there's some people that didn't know what to do with that.
[00:11:41] Speaker B: Yeah. And I mean, that's gonna happen. I think that is the one of the biggest differentials though, between when you talk about Nashville tours and you talk about Broadway. Like, people go into Broadway to see this. Like, they know it has its cult like following, Right.
They know the jokes, they know when to laugh, they know when to sit, they know when to stand, they know when to interact.
This show goes by so quickly that truly I don't think the audience, they haven't seen it before. They don't quite get it until a good 45 minutes in because it's so rare.
Like nowadays we do have these mega remixes at the end. Right. Like, almost every show now has some type of post curtain song that is engaging. Yes, it's. I don't think I recall another show right now that from the moment that the curtain comes down, you start engaging with the stage. So it almost just like a shell shock to people who haven't seen it before because they're like, wait, you want us to. It's the opening number. You want us to yell and scream at you.
And you could tell that there are people who are just very uncomfortable, for sure.
[00:13:11] Speaker A: But, you know, when we went to New York last time we did see the show, I. I bought the tickets, I was like, you have to see the New York Queens.
And there was definitely even a difference between, like Broadway shows, between seeing Sweeney Todd and seeing Six. Like, there was a different, again, that interaction, that callback, that energy. You kind of know what to do. And like you said, like, they're walking on that opening number after they announced, you know, divorce, beheaded, died.
They're talking to the audience, you know, New York, we are live. Or like Detroit, we are live.
Which gives it that concert feel like right off the bat, like they're letting you know, like, this is a concert. At concerts you can sing with us, you can jump with us, you can dance with us. You're supposed to get into it a little bit more. Even though there is still a little bit of that removal from it. Like we are still at a show and you don't see people quite. Like, there wasn't people singing per se, unless it was me.
But there is, there is that little bit of that removal still. But they do welcome you right away. And it kind of reminded me of the Moulin Rouge when like again, Harold Ziegler comes out and he's just like, welcome to the Moulin Rouge, you're here kind of thing. Like, let's get into it.
You're right there with. With them in that show.
[00:14:29] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And it's a little.
I mean, like, you said, literally, I think before they even sing a word, typically, there's already, you know, screw. Like, when we see the shadows and the spotlights and each queen walks out, there's typically cheers for every single queen or collective. Right?
And it was a little bit shaky, and of course, it was opening night, but it was. It was a little bit like, what are we supposed to be doing?
Why are these people next to me yelling?
[00:15:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:11] Speaker B: You know, because they have zero idea, zero concept of. Yeah, it is. They literally say, you know, this is a contest. We are in concert, and that is the behavior that we extribute as an audience.
[00:15:28] Speaker A: You know, I think that this time I was. I was even hesitant. For some reason, there just felt like there was a different energy. And it wasn't until Marty, who went with us, sat right between us, and all of a sudden she, like, first queen she saw, she, like, did a little whoop, and I was like, okay, yeah, this is where we're at. Like, like, you. Because there almost was, like, a question of, like, are we doing this here? Like, this is this. Like, we're here for a show? Are we do. Like, are we doing this again with the touring show? Does it have that same energy that you have in New York? And this one definitely does.
[00:15:57] Speaker B: Well, and. And it's all about the first person, right? Like, the. The brave soul that initiates that. That breaking of that wall. Because nobody wants to be that guy or that person until they just are brave enough to be that person.
Like, I.
As we know, I internalize everything, so you will almost never hear me boot and holler or scream. And even if I absolutely love what's happening, it's just, like, not who I am as a human being. I will clap. I will clap very loudly and enthusiastically, but that's just not me. So, like, if it was me versus the rest of the theater, like, I will not be the one to start, for sure.
So I do appreciate. But I enjoy hearing other people get into it and be.
Because I know once again, I know what it feels like. On the flip side, when people are engaged with you on stage, whether it's a laugh or just, you know, applause or cheers, like, that just makes the performance. I think any performer will tell you, we will do 10 times better if you do this thing for us.
And I think that even did play into the show as well. As it went on, it got better.
[00:17:27] Speaker A: Absolutely. And I'm glad that you. I'm glad that you said that. And that's something that I want to touch on a little bit later.
But I do want to say there was one moment where you. Because you. For those, you know, who haven't been to a show with. With rj, is that he has a very polite, like, golf clap for most numbers.
But I think it was when Kelly Denise Taylor was singing Jane Seymour's Heart of Stone at the end. I actually, like, saw your hands moving in the corner of my eye, like, very. Like, like, you were like, go. I was like, oh. He's actually like, that song hit him really harsh.
[00:17:59] Speaker B: Well, I mean, that song always.
I also feel the need when I feel like an audience, as if I need to, like, take off for the whole audience. But, like, once again, it's one of those things where when you see a show, you know, also when an elongated applause is kind of not supposed to happen, but if someone does a really good job, like, it does happen.
And because once again, we were only like, three songs in, I felt like the audience was still not quite. We hadn't landed yet. Yes. And so I was. I was, yeah. Being particularly enthusiastic because I was like, no, like, we need to show more appreciation, for sure. And so my way of trying to prompt that is apparently clapping louder and harder and more intensely.
[00:18:50] Speaker A: I mean, I was too busy sobbing at first and clearing my eyes out to have my hands clapping, but I was getting.
But I agree with you that there was a definite, like, the. I didn't notice it until we got to Katherine Howard, Elise Cruz. And at the end of all. All you want to do, there was the first moment of, like, the extra long clapping, which, again, that song is very emotional. Not. It's not as slow as Heart of Stone, but it does have the same, like, emotional depth of stone. Heart of Stone. And that was the one that I started to notice that there's like, oh, people. You're getting into it. I was like, we're almost done now. We're like, the show's almost over. And you're just not realizing, like, oh, this person deserves their due.
[00:19:35] Speaker B: Well, and like, once again, when we talk about the difference of the way that the show is created, when you think about a stereotypical musical, you're thinking, okay, it's about two and a half hours. It's in two acts. The first act is usually just over an hour. Like, this show is only really. It's one act. And it's basically the length of one act. And so by the time most folks have gotten into a regular show, it's an hour and a half in. And so with this show, it's what, 80 minutes, 85 minutes. And so by the time people are amped up, it's time to leave for sure.
So this show, you do, you as an audience member, almost have to emotionally prepare yourself to be energetic from the opening second rather than sitting back and just kind of watching what's happening.
[00:20:34] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:20:35] Speaker B: Which usually, as we know, first acts technically tend to be slower, and then second acts tend to be quicker and more.
[00:20:44] Speaker A: Right. So, I mean, this show really is like, at our show start was supposed to start at 7:30. At 7:30, they announced we have six minutes and we were done by nine. Like, it was like an hour and a half out the door. We were done. And you really. Do you. You move quick.
Do you think that this makes musicals more accessible to people if they're not as long and drawn out?
[00:21:12] Speaker B: Yes, I. I've heard feedback for both ways. So, you know, there are people with, like, shorter attention spans who literally just can't sit that long. Right. And when we talk about accessibility, you know, it's just easier because it's shorter. You're in, you're out.
And then I hear folks who are like, oh, that. That was it.
[00:21:40] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:21:40] Speaker B: Like that the expectation is, you know, another whole hour or so specifically. And the only time I really hear that gripe is around the price tag.
[00:21:54] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:21:55] Speaker B: Because the thought process is, well, I'm paying the same amount of money I would for something like, I don't know, Wicked or Les Mis, but I'm only getting half the amount.
So they're thinking more quantity versus quality. Sure.
Which I can understand from that specific standpoint. But as we all know, you still have to pay. I mean, doesn't matter how long the show is, you still have to pay everybody involved. You still have a set, you still have costumes, you still have all of the things that go into putting a production together. So I think it could go both ways.
But it is, especially on like a weeknight, it's kind of nice to get out, like 9 o'clock and not be, you know, getting home at midnight from a. From a show.
[00:22:59] Speaker A: Well, that's also because most people don't stand outside and talk like we do. So that's our. That's on us.
[00:23:05] Speaker B: Well, but even, like, for example, for some shows, I mean, Detroit, I love the time start for them, for sure. Grand rapids starts at 8 yes. And I know a lot of theaters that start at 8 and it is late. I mean you think about 8 o'clock start time. If you start on time, you got a two and a half hour show plus a 10, 15 minute intermission. It's basically quarter to 11 and then you have to sit in a parking structure for another 30 minutes.
So, yeah, it is just, it can be brutal, especially for people who travel to see shows, because it's a specific show.
[00:23:50] Speaker A: You know, there is. That's very valid. You know, like when we go to New York, it is still exhausting when the show starts at 8 and we're like, we just got off a, you know, we, we flew in in the morning, we're going to a show at 8 at night and you're there until 11, 11 30.
It is absolutely brutal. Sometimes you're trying to fight, like keeping your eyes open, keeping yourself engaged in the way that you want to engage with the program and also that the program deserves to be engaged with.
It's brutal.
[00:24:24] Speaker B: Which, I mean also to the actor's credit to be that high energy at 8pm, like most times on an average day, like I'm at home at 8:00pm, you know, like I'm chilling in my BJ's, doing work or whatever, you know, but being relaxed. I'm not doing a 90 minute high intensive workout, vocally and physically.
[00:24:50] Speaker A: Well, let me ask you this, because I think this ties into it as well.
What was it like starting Sweeney Todd at 8:00 at night? Because some of those shows you were doing a three hour show starting at eight, like after working all day, like, like a Friday show, you're at 8 o'clock and you've worked all day, you're going in. Like that has to be absolutely exhausting by the time you're done.
[00:25:11] Speaker B: Yeah, it is.
Especially because call time is usually substantially earlier than that. So you're actually at the theater for a good like five to six hours a night. Jeez. Broadway's a little different because they do their own makeup, they have wigs, you know, like, and they're professionals. So they're just like doing stuff.
Maybe coming in to the house an hour before the show starts at the earliest. But even that, I mean, you have an hour prep and then you have staged or.
And that's after you've already taken all your makeup, all your costumes, put that all away, gotten it ready for the next day. So yeah, it's a.
I don't know how. I mean, obviously once again, they're professionals. It's what they do. It's their living. But you have to be thoroughly exhausted and just go home.
[00:26:15] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:26:16] Speaker B: In this case, go to a hotel or Airbnb or wherever they're staying and crash because they probably aren't getting into a bed till midnight and that's probably early.
[00:26:32] Speaker A: And people don't understand too. It's like not always. Like they are, like they have nothing to do to the show. Like when I interview them, sometimes they're. It's 9, 10 o'clock in the morning after having done a show the night before and they're up and they're dressed and they're ready and they're doing press and they're for the next city that they're going to visit. And like it's, it's, it's kind of, it's. That part is kind of excruciating as well. I would assume, like, you're just, you're doing what you love. And I feel like that's what I always take away from these individuals I get to talk to is that they love what they're doing. These, some, for some of these, these are their dream jobs.
But that doesn't make it any less exhausting. So like, yeah, getting home, I'm not gonna lie, getting home at 9:00, 9:30 from the show, it was great. I was like, what do I do with this time? Like I can sit and like watch a television show. I don't have to like go to bed right away to first work the next day.
And I do wonder for other people as well. Like I again, I think of people like my mom who she could not wait to support you and Sweeney Todd, but her hip was killing her at, you know, intermission time and she had another half of a show to go. When we went to go see six last year, she didn't have a problem with her hip because it was like, you're sitting down, by the time your hip starts to bother you, you're actually standing up because for the last song and we're out, you know, so that's kind of nice too.
You had mentioned that this show was a comedy, which obviously it is, and we're talking about the comedy a little bit later. But how exactly would you classify this musical? Because I had someone, what do they call it the other day to me, a park and bark. They're like, it's just a park and bark. They just like stand there and they're singing, which to me means like concert esque, you know, it's kind of, it is A concert. But how would you classify sex?
[00:28:21] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, it's a musical comedy and it is a concert. It's. It's concert style. It's made intentionally that way. Even the set is made that way. Right. Like, nothing is moving.
Because the. In my mind, the.
The more simple the stage, the more intense, typically the acting or the vocals. And that I think is very true for the show.
A little bit of background around these queens and the way that it's written, each queen is based off of a different vocal theme. Yep. And so the high intense vocal workout of each of these songs and then the backing vocals to support each other because there are literally only six people on stage means you're singing every song every time. And they're all power powerhouse songs. Whether it's a power ballad or just straight up bring the house down kind of song.
It.
Concert. Yes. But I don't say that in a.
In a negative way.
[00:29:45] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:29:46] Speaker B: Because it just. It is what it is.
[00:29:48] Speaker A: Because I've gone to some shows specifically, like, local ones, and like, the concerts are kind of. They are park and Barks as they were calling, which I thought was hilarious to hear. I've never heard it called that before, before. But like, you literally stand there and just kind of sing the song. But like for six, they are dancing. There's huge choreography. There is comedy because there is scenes in between. Like, it's not just like a. It's not like just what you would think a comedy like a, Like a, like a concert is like you're there. There's scenes in between some of these characters. There's scenes where they're interacting with the audience and there's intense dancing. Like, and when you mentioned this inspiration, like when you say divas. That's right. Like, I mean, some of them are very noticeable. Like Katherine Howard has the pony. Just like Ariana Grande and her song hits notes like Ariana Grande does. And like, this is an intense workout. They are sweating their butts off on stage. So to me, when I thought of concert, I thought, like, it's concert s. But it feels like. Like it feels like it's more. It feels like it's concert plus. You know.
[00:30:50] Speaker B: I mean, it's entertainment.
It's not a concert. In an old fashioned type of concert. We're not sitting through a symphony orchestra. Right.
We're sitting through an Ariana Grande concert. We're sitting through Beyonce, Adele or Beyonce concert. You have the choreography that is intense enough to be entertaining and to make them sweat, but at the same time not distract. From the intricacies of the vocals and how complicated and crazy vocally that they are.
[00:31:31] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:31:33] Speaker B: Which is why, I mean, arguably, I mean, this is why we see performers lip sync frequently because they can't do both at the same time. And so this is bringing both of those things essentially together.
[00:31:46] Speaker A: Absolutely. I didn't think about that, but, like, there's been plenty of times that we've seen artists lip sync when they're doing this intense things and there's no lip syncing on the stage, you know, with the show.
We had kind of talked about it, like you said, like, the show got better as it went on, but overall, do you feel like the show was funnier? Like, did I. Like, I feel like there was the same jokes, but like the way that some of these queens delivered them, some of their, like the voices that they used, like the way that they would, like, stop at certain ways. There was a lot of, like, little tweaks and changes, which I, I guess I love that they can do that because there's always going to be changes with six different people on stage. But to me, I felt like some of the jokes were hitting a lot funnier than I remember them hitting last time. They're still funny last time.
Do you feel like there was a change in the comedy of the show?
[00:32:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I. And it's. I saw it last year or whenever. Whenever it was here.
I just. I don't know if I've been so focused on vocals that I completely forgot the jokes. I knew that there were some, but, like, they truly did just hit harder.
But also, I think that again, speaks to the newness of the audience.
So while you might. The new audiences might not know when to clap or when to engage, they also have never heard these jokes before. And so they're new and just hilarious because, like, you never would have thought to hear that joke that's mixing this old timey Shakespearean joking with modern day.
So, yeah, I do think. And of course, the chemistry of the queens and each of them still having a very distinct personality in the way that they approach the jokes.
Yeah, it was, it was different. There were some substantial changes in how some of them, I think were said that I, that I enjoyed.
[00:33:55] Speaker A: I. I listened to both the original soundtrack and the. Also the opening Night of New York soundtrack. So sometimes, like the one for New York has the. Some of the jokes in there, like especially leading up to the. To the songs. And one of the ones that I never skipped because I think it's hilarious, is the opening of no Way by Catherine of Aragon. And again, she's got this very, like, like, brisk way she talks, and it's, like, very sassy. And I noticed that this one, she was still sassy, but it was, like, very, like, fed up.
And so, like, when she would deliver the jokes, it was like. It was like an exasperated, like, wife of being like, my husband's, like, a piece of, you know, kind of thing. And I was just like, oh, like that. Like, that made Catherine different, even though it's, again, the same jokes. Like, when she says about the wimple, I don't think I look that good in a wimpole. She's, like, not doing it out of anger. She's doing it out of, like, annoyance and being fed up and just being, like, tired of his, like, his shenanigans already. And I thought, oh, like that again. That's just one example. But, like, I feel like every queen approached their. Every actress approached their queen in just a slightly different way that just.
I don't know, it changed the entire show for me a little bit. I still loved it. It was. And it wasn't like, a bad change. It was just, like, it was a change. It was a different show, even though it was the same show.
[00:35:18] Speaker B: Yeah. And that is, I think, the. The reason that the show remains very popular is it truly allows, I think, some liberties to happen with the personalities. Like, we. Once again, yes, the characters have particular stereotypes in which they're kind of following, but the exact way, because the pace of the show is so, so fast. But then when we do get those lines and we get these scenes and we get the comedic release almost, it's just so specific and succinct that the delivery, it really just. It breaks up the show.
But once again, depends on the six people that you have on stage, because you are watching them interact with each other, even when they aren't verbally saying anything, that plays a lot into it, too. And there was quite a bit of physical comedy happening alongside the verbal.
[00:36:29] Speaker A: Yes. I don't remember that. I remember some of it, but I don't remember it to the extreme.
And I thought, oh, this again. It changes that show. And you almost could tell that they had a really good chemistry together. And not that the other one didn't, but the last time we saw it in Detroit, I'm pretty sure we had two or three understudies, one of which is now a main queen.
But I remember us texting about it after, because you had seen it a different night than I did. And you were like, yeah, there Was some, like. There was some definitely differences between. Like, you could tell that some of them are understudies. Not that that was bad. There was just, like. There wasn't.
They weren't feeding off each other the same way that you would see. You saw with these ones who apparently have been together for a little bit of time now.
[00:37:14] Speaker B: Right, right. And that's. Yeah, that's normal for any show. Right. And. And if you just. If you don't get that stage time with particular individuals, you're still trying to figure out, you know, you're still worried about singing and choreography and the fact that you have only practiced it maybe once with these people. So.
Yeah. And then when you have your. Your standard cast, then it's a way, you know, just down to the minuscule pieces that aren't even choreographed or written.
Like, I think of the. The scene where they're all kind of bickering with each other, like, even though it's for sure not Corey. Like, everything that they say is not written.
What tends to happen is you tend to say the same thing once you found your groove within that group. Right. So then when you pull someone out of that or one or two or three, you have to refigure out what that feels like across the entire span. Not just at that moment, but across the entire span of the show.
[00:38:31] Speaker A: Which makes sense because, again, you're changing those dynamics, and you have not just the six queens up on stage, but you also have the band who are all characters as well, and they're all interacting. And they interacted a lot more this time, too. Before, I always felt they were there, but they were slightly removed. Occasionally have some form of interaction. You always, like, thank them at the end, like, as the part of the mega mix, you know. But there was times where the queens would be, like, turning around and bringing them into the fight and, like, bringing them into the argument. I thought I was like, oh, you're approaching it differently. But, like, again, if you didn't have that with everybody, it makes sense that it would change. Like, if, like, if you threw in one new person, that whole dynamic could be thrown off of the changes, though, too. While I thought this was more funny, did you notice that there was also changes to both the costume and set design, too?
[00:39:20] Speaker B: You know, I was trying to remember because I There. Yeah, there were some things I was like, am I just remembering it differently or is it truly business?
[00:39:31] Speaker A: So one of the things that stuck out to me right away was Anne Boleyn's sleeves, which were just like, I think all of the costumes had the colors turned up a little bit. Like, even more so. They already were vibrant. But, like, I went and was looking at pictures when I got home because I was like, I don't think Anne's sleeves were so green. And when you look at the pictures, even from, like, a year or two ago, they're not. They're like, almost like a. They're like a greeny black, meshy kind of thing. And these were, like, bejeweled green sleeves that were very vibrant. You could not miss them.
And there was just certain things like that. There wasn't, like, huge changes, but I noticed those little pieces. I was like, oh, you're. You're fine tuning the costumes still. Like, you're still trying to find their voice. Or like, maybe again, it's this. This tour has a different, slightly different costume than maybe some past tours.
But those are little things that I kind of noticed along with the stage, too.
There was, like, that gold ribbon thing up top, which I was pretty sure was not part of the last show.
And with the changing of the confetti, I do think that maybe they added that to hide that's where the confetti was at.
[00:40:40] Speaker B: I didn't even notice that there was, like.
[00:40:42] Speaker A: It was kind of like a. Like a.
I don't know, kind of look like a. Like a. What do they call it? A port of colis or something for, like, the top of, like, a castle. But it was like. It was gold and it wasn't metal. And usually the stages are all very metal with lights.
[00:40:57] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:41:00] Speaker A: So I do think it's interesting, but with the. With the confetti, I gotta ask you, what did you think of them having the confetti on the stage and not on the. The people?
[00:41:11] Speaker B: Well, as a former usher, I would say God bless you.
Confetti is the front of house stuff. Staff and managers, absolute worst one.
[00:41:26] Speaker A: Understandable.
[00:41:27] Speaker B: Especially the amount that shows usually use, including this one. I mean, once they turned it on, it just kept coming like you were. I mean, it reminds me of, like, the end of the Adele's residency. Residency show, where she disappears in the conversation. The confetti downpour. Like, that's what it feels like. It just, like, kept. And I don't know if that's for effect, because I feel like you can still do the same thing with a little bit less. Like, confetti is confetti.
[00:42:04] Speaker A: Right.
[00:42:06] Speaker B: But they had it pouring for that entire. It was a five minutes. Five solid minutes of confetti, easily.
[00:42:13] Speaker A: Which cannot be easy to Dance on either.
[00:42:16] Speaker B: Well, and I'm sure it's made of something specific so that it's not as slick, but man. Yeah, it's. I will. And I think. I mean, I just saw Andrew Liet and I forgot about the amount of confetti they use mid show and so they have to go through and sweep it all up.
And that is a task like it is. It's a loss.
[00:42:46] Speaker A: Do they use it mid show for Angelia? I totally forgot about that.
[00:42:51] Speaker B: Yeah. The. I can't remember what song it is now, but right before intermission, one finale.
[00:42:57] Speaker A: It's my life.
[00:43:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Because they. I was wondering what was happening because they bring the curtain or not the curtain. They go off stage and there was a stage change that had to bring on a like V shaped Swiffer type thing.
[00:43:21] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:43:22] Speaker B: To clear the stage.
And I was like, interesting. All right. I mean, I hadn't paid attention to that before, but makes sense.
[00:43:35] Speaker A: It definitely does make sense. So, yeah, I did. I did notice that. I did notice the confetti changing. And obviously though, before we go, we have to talk about the music. So is there. You know, I think that we mentioned the last time we went, it might have been. It was actually was New York. We talked about how. I think you said specifically every time you go there, you're drawn to a new queen or there's like something. There's like a different song that you feel like pulled to.
What song was it this time and why.
[00:44:07] Speaker B: I. So song wise.
How do I say this?
Song wise.
It's always the same. But I think queen wise, like delivery wise, which is shocking because this is actually probably one of my least favorite songs, but it is Queen of the castle. What is the title? Sorry. Not sorry.
[00:44:35] Speaker A: Oh, don't lose your head.
[00:44:38] Speaker B: Don't lose your head.
[00:44:39] Speaker A: Avril Lavigne.
[00:44:40] Speaker B: It just. She just vocally was probably one of the strongest ones on stage in.
And it's so nitpicky. It's so nitpicky. But her runs and her riffs were so clean and tight comparatively to everyone else. And she did. She added a couple and she did all of the original ones. And I noticed with this tour there were a lot of liberties taken with each song and some of them felt looser, like substantially.
How do I say this? Kindly?
Just maybe less intensive or a little bit more lighty than previous shows that I. That I've seen.
[00:45:48] Speaker A: I know which one. I know one of the ones you're talking about. I'm going to say real quick because it caught my Attention too. First off, I. We do want to give shout out to Gabby Albo who played Anne Boleyn. I will agree with you. I liked her over the. The one we saw last time in Detroit with Anne Boleyn. I think that what's interesting is that it tends to. They tend to have people who are like, can board around like this like almost like screechy or whiny tone. And so I was like kind of preparing because I was like, okay, going to it. There's a chance. And it wasn't. It was, it was.
It was like the same tone that I expected, but not delivered in the same way. Like, it was like, it wasn't. She wasn't whining. She was just kind of like laughing through it all.
[00:46:30] Speaker B: Yeah, well, and it was. And I don't know the background of each of these folks. I should have done my homework, but I did not.
But even her accent, like, natural, like her voicing naturally, I think was deeper than many of the aunts that I've heard previously. And so, yeah, when you talk about that whiny kind of high pitched song, it just, it felt more guttural. It felt deeper and more, I don't know, put together.
Her natural tone is darker and so I think it made the whole song just feel way more like rock elsey than like a whiny type situation.
[00:47:25] Speaker A: Would you be surprised to learn that she was the understudy for Jasmine Aladdin? Because that as soon as I looked that up, I was like, that makes a lot of sense.
[00:47:35] Speaker B: That makes sense to me.
[00:47:36] Speaker A: Oh yeah, I agree with you. I feel like there was, there was a deeper richness to her. But one of the ones which I, which I'm. I'm gonna say of like the moments that they changed it a little bit. And I know that she can hit the note because she hit it last time and she went higher. But in Jane Seymour's like, there's that moment where like right before she hits the high note, she like stops. And she didn't go for the high note. She, like went for a note lower. But then she like ran down and ran back up higher. I was like, that was interesting. That was a choice because, like that moment, like, supposed to hit you like that Adele, like that Celine Dion moment, like, supposed to like punch you in the gut. And when you started off lower, it didn't. It wasn't like the sucker punch that I was used to because I was, I was ready to like, you're gonna stop, Brian. And yes, I still cried, but like I didn't. There was that choice to go a little bit lower. And again, that could be to say voices, that could be to like, you really want to hit the higher note, go higher. But there was a change there and that was what I would assume was like a very obvious change. It wasn't like a, like a night. That night you didn't hit the note. It was like the. You didn't even try to hit that note.
[00:48:42] Speaker B: Yeah, I noticed that one.
And from what I understand of, you know, I've never been on a Broadway.
[00:48:50] Speaker A: Tour, obviously not yet.
[00:48:51] Speaker B: But my understanding is every riff and every change to the original score goes through the music director. And it has to be approved. Even these tiny little choices, as we're calling them, have to be approved by the production. And so the liberties that every single note liberty that's taken is approved.
And of course, I think of the Wicked movie, right, and all of the changes that we've heard from that where it's still kind of staying true to the original score, but they're making it their own.
So I, I was glad that even though she did the, you know, originally, it was the opt down and then she did the run back.
For me, vocally that feels substantially safer than doing the pop up and having like your voice crack or something of that nature. Because, yeah, like you said, like, she could. She's still in the note. It's just vocally, it is way easier to start low and run all the way up the ladder than it is to just hop to the top.
[00:50:10] Speaker A: Right.
Especially because that note's held for so long too. Like, you have to hit it and you have to hold it.
[00:50:18] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. So the ornamentation, if you want to use all these, please, music, musicy words, you should agree is it was different for almost every single song.
But yeah, I think it's just like, once again, when we talk about personality and we talk about the style of each character and how that person is embodying the character, then it makes sense for that. But it is interesting to see they were probably the furthest from the original that I've heard.
[00:50:55] Speaker A: I was gonna say, I think last time they came to Detroit, it felt like they were trying to hit the original very like, like, or even like surpass it. I remember Catherine of Aragon. There was a note that the last one hit Rosie Perez. I might be wrong. That might be the wrong person. But she hit it and it was hot. It was so high. But. And I was like, damn, girl, that's great. And there was a few times where this Catherine Cheney. Chani Moseni. If I butcher that, I'm so sorry. But she did hit the lower notes and she had the deeper range. I was like, ooh, that. Like, it gave me chills for a different reason. And there was a lot of those, like, changes of just being like, you're not trying to copy the same exact show, which. I love the show. I would see the original show 20 times over, but it did give this such a unique experience that I was like, oh, I want to. Like, I, like, I need to see this again. I think even walked out and said, I need to see this one again.
Because they were such different queens.
[00:51:54] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
My typical favorite song.
I'm just forgetting all of the titles.
Not the mix, but the closing queen.
[00:52:12] Speaker A: Oh, Catherine Parr.
[00:52:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Par.
I was a little.
[00:52:24] Speaker A: She was the most different.
[00:52:27] Speaker B: Yes.
Acting wise.
[00:52:30] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:52:31] Speaker B: So, like, through the whole show, I was kind of like, wondering where she was going because acting just the character felt different to me and so. But then when she opened her mouth for her song, I was like, oh, I get it. Like, I get why she was. Because at first I was like, she. It almost didn't even seem like she fit in that specific character. Okay.
But then she literally opened her mouth sing her solo. And I was like, I completely understand now why they cast her in this. In this role.
Because in my opinion, that's one of the hardest songs.
[00:53:18] Speaker A: Is it because they're so. You have to have such a vocal range for that one.
[00:53:24] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's like it just jump. It's. It's in which all of them are so difficult, but it goes that talk thinny type situation.
You're basically going from a soft ballad to a hip hoppy. Like, the genre almost changes for you, this song. And so the placement for me at least is in two different places. Like, she has to be in head voice for kind of the beginning or maybe a mix and then really get into the kind of belty power house towards the end. And then of course, as we know it goes right into the final few songs where she is kind of leading the entire group and gets a lot of those riff ornamentation solos and kind of almost scat. Like stuff happening, which also is very. That's something I could never do. So I always appreciate.
[00:54:39] Speaker A: I. So as that song, as she was kind of wrapping up her part of that song, the couple in front of us, the.
The guy was like.
Like he turned to his girlfriend. And I'm paraphrasing here something along the lines of like, she had one of the hardest key changes I've ever seen, basically. And I. To me that doesn't mean anything, but I'm sure to you that means something.
[00:55:02] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And maybe that is. I haven't actually even ever looked at any of the. She needs it to the show. But if I did see it, I'm sure. And maybe that is one of the things is. It's just. It is truly. It bounces.
Whereas a lot of the other songs kind of. They. They had a hill to climb and then they got there, then they came down. Hers kind of is just going. We're going from 1 to 7 to 5 to 6 to 1 to 3. Like, there's just a lot. So.
Yeah. But also I'm just probably biased to that song, so it's fine.
[00:55:39] Speaker A: You know, I think that what's interesting is that I appreciate every song, but when I listen on.
When I listen to the album, I always skip Heart of Stone because it's not one of my favorites to listen to. I like to see that one performed. I don't know if that makes any sense.
I was actually, for some reason really into which is my second least favorite song on the album, but Queen of the Castle.
But that's not the name of the song. I'm also forgetting the names of the song here, but I don't know if it's just this actress. I loved her energy.
Danielle Mendoza just. I. She brought such a. Like, like, it was like the same energy but softer. Because again, that's another role that is like very like the party girl. She's the party girl of all them. You know, she's having fun, she's doing her thing.
So I liked that. And I'm usually a big fan of Katherine Howard's song too.
And there was. I. There was a few times where I had a little more trouble connecting with this one. And again, I think it's because there was a lot of opt downs, which is not a problem. But I think that my favorite was also Anne Boleyn. Still lose your head. I think that there was just something. I think it was that I was so shocked by, like, how different it was from the last time. And I didn't like the last. The last tour that we saw. And like her energy and her vocals was just.
[00:57:07] Speaker B: Would.
[00:57:08] Speaker A: It was like that punch. It was like. It's what I wanted from that role. So I think that that is. That is the one I also enjoyed a lot.
I love all my queens. You know that there's not a queen that I don't love.
[00:57:19] Speaker B: I mean, yeah, it's such a good show. I agree that, that Castleves just. It was. It was different. It was just get down. And once again, like, we talk about casting and honestly, like, this whole cast for me felt different than.
Yeah. Like, the last cast I saw felt kind of cookie cutter in regards to what the original cast was.
And that normally happens, right. Like, they usually go for a certain look, they go for a certain vibe, the same type of vocals. And this just felt like they truly were like, okay, we're putting all of that aside. Can you sing these songs well?
And then they cast it like that. And so the attitudes and stuff just felt just a little bit. A little bit different, a little bit new. But also I think that that's what's gonna help the show stay relevant, stay popular, is that, you know, especially, obviously, obviously, if there's a. An actress that you just follow or that you like.
This seems like one of those, like, once again, kind of cult like following shows where, I mean, I think the current Broadway, they've been on Broadway now for what, a year? Two years.
And most of them started on the tour. I think if I remember right, they were the first tour I saw years ago.
[00:59:06] Speaker A: Yes. So the tour that you told me to, the like, oh, the one that was in Grand Rapids and we had a different one in Detroit.
[00:59:13] Speaker B: Oh, yes. Yeah, yeah. So a couple years back.
[00:59:17] Speaker A: But you know what was interesting too, I like how you said that, like, they see feel like they casted them differently and like, can you sing the roles? Because even again, when you go back to like, the costumes where I've watched tons of videos of the. From around the world and it's a lot of like, okay, this character's hair has to be pinned this way and done this way. And then I noticed that like, you know, and of Cleese had that long ponytail and I was like, the long braid. I was like, oh, that's cool. Katherine Pars wasn't all pinned up. It was. It was curly, but it was down and it was around. I was like, oh, you're take again. You're letting them.
Can you play this role? Make it your own? And I think that's what's going to help the show. Kind of not kind of stagnate. Because I. I've. I've been watching some of these shows and it feels like even Hamilton, which was big, feels like it's stagnating in like, ticket sales and stuff because it's the exact same show every single time. Because it's down to an art. Like, it's down to, like the. This person hits this. This spot, you do this thing, you say this line and now six there. They're. They're kind of like, okay, spread your wings a little bit. Let's. Let's play around with the role.
[01:00:24] Speaker B: Yeah. I think, once again, it's such a small, tight cast. And, yeah, some shows have such a specific branding that they do cast the same, look the same, but this show specifically feels so new that the diversity piece is different than stereotypical Broadway. And I think that's also what draws people to go see it, is that they can go to a show where they feel like they can see themselves represented on every level. Right. If we're talking race, ethnicity, size, like, yeah, it doesn't discriminate where I think old school Broadway might have, because for as it should be, it's about your talent, and it's not about what you look like or, you know, what accent you have or anything like that. And so. And that's encouraging to, of course, the audiences who are just now, I feel like this generation, like, I didn't grow up seeing anyone probably over a size like four on a Broadway stage right now. We're seeing folks. We're. We're being way more body inclusive.
And that's exciting for a lot of people, for sure.
[01:01:57] Speaker A: I mean, granted, it wasn't exactly. It was like, Broadway adjacent, but I remember people, some people got, like, into an uproar about Renee Rapp as.
[01:02:09] Speaker B: Oh.
[01:02:10] Speaker A: My God, what's her name? We just saw that musical, why Am I Blinking? Regina George.
[01:02:14] Speaker B: Yeah, girls.
[01:02:15] Speaker A: And, like, because she had curves, and I'm just like, yeah, well, that's okay. And like, a lot of people came to the defense and, like, a lot of. A lot of the younger generation was like, let's be more inclusive. People aren't size fours, you know, like. And so it's cool that you get to see a little more representation on the stage. And so I do love that. About six, of course. Our last question, sir, would you go see this again?
[01:02:44] Speaker B: Of course. I'll always see. This is probably a show that I will continue to. To go see. And maybe again, when we talk about accessibility, we talk about time. Maybe it's because the time.
I don't feel like I need to give up four hours of my life every time that I go see it.
Not that I wouldn't if it was, but it's just. It's enjoyable. It's. It's fun, and we. It's light and we have so many shows and a world that is so. Can be so kind of dreary and dark sometimes that it's nice to just.
It addresses some dark things in a positive and uplifting way.
[01:03:34] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great way to put it simple.
[01:03:36] Speaker B: All that to say it's a hard yes.
[01:03:38] Speaker A: It will always be a hard yes for me. First off, I like how you were like, I don't have to give up four hours of my life. Not like we're going to New York to see seven shows in just under a week.
[01:03:50] Speaker B: Okay, but that. I mean, it's fine.
[01:03:53] Speaker A: But. No, I. I get what you're saying, too. Like, it. I do like the. The time commitment. I do like that it's enjoyable. You're not, like, you're not torturing yourself with three hours of, like, dreariness. And we won't get into what shows that are. We all know what it is, but this is just a very. It's an empowerful. I think that's what, like, it's empowering to anybody who sees it. Be it. If you're a young girl who is seeing yourself on stage for the first time, if you are a gay man who is just seeing somebody speak up for themselves, if you're. You know, there was not a person in the audience that wasn't there that I did not see with a smile on their face as they were leaving. And I think, like, that's a really big takeaway. So a hard yes for me always. Six is one of my favorites, and it will go down as one of my favorites. So that's where that's at.
[01:04:42] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, and all of that.
I was just telling someone when I went to go see it, and then that night, it's not too often that you go to a show and then you almost feel like you have to decompress for the rest of the evening because you're so amped, you're so hyped, you're so energized from the performance.
And, yeah, you feel there's a level of encouragement, a level of celebration and empowerment that.
We love a good. We love a good story. We love a good musical, but we also love. Love, like, the realness of, okay, now go and take this into your life and how. However it applies to you.
And so the. Come down from that. I'm always, like, jittery for the next. Like, I still don't go to bed till midnight because.
[01:05:40] Speaker A: True.
[01:05:40] Speaker B: You've got the songs in your head, your heart's pounding, and, yeah, it's just it's a good experience.
[01:05:47] Speaker A: All that to say, whether you see it in Detroit or anywhere else on its tour, or if you visit New York or any other stationary show, make herstory and go see six the Musical because you will not be disappointed.
And with that, thank you for listening to another episode of the Cosmic Curtain, the official podcast of Cosmic Circus Broadway. If you're interested in finding us outside of our box seats, don't forget to like, follow and subscribe to us at Boxy Babes or at My Cosmic Circus for all Broadway updates. So until then, take care.
