Storyteller, puppeteer and artist Matthew Robins returns to Ustinov Studio with world premiere production
NICE: Ustinov Studio, Thursday 16 & Friday 17 January 2020
Highly acclaimed and multi-talented musician and artist Matthew Robins brings his world premiere production NICE to the Ustinov Studio later this month, featuring the return of his iconic character, Flyboy. If your New Year Resolution was to try to be a little more ‘nice’, then this could be just the show for you!
NICE is a NICE new show with NICE new Flyboy stories, NICE new songs, NICE characters (for example, Mr Affogato, a mystic ice cream ghost), NICE puppets, NICE made-up games to play and competitive audience puppet making (with NICE prizes!) But in case you’re worried it might be a little too NICE, there will be songs and stories about death, monsters, insects and getting bullied!
“So far out of the box that the box has disappeared … The whole thing feels like watching a silent movie in which every aspect has been created by a child genius” Guardian
Matthew Robins is an artist and musician from Cornwall. Comprising music, animation, sculpture, puppetry, and drawing, Matthew’s work has been performed and exhibited at many diverse institutions including Tate Modern and Tate Britain, The Science Museum, the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the Barbican, and the National Theatre. As a filmmaker Matthew has collaborated with artists including Tori Amos, Passenger, Phil Collins, Brian Irvine and John McIlduff, and Led Bib.
Matthew sporadically tours a live show performing home-made folklore with his band – songs and stories about monsters, death, love, death, and the sea . . . Flyboy, Mothboy, Walter Knitty, Evaporina, and the Wicker Cat . . . shadow puppets, animations, made-up games, and competitive audience craft sessions. His previous shows include Flyboy is alone again this Christmas, The Matthew Robins Show, Lullaby, Something Very Far Away, The Iron Man and most recently, Drip, a musical written with Tom Wells.
NICE is at the Ustinov Studio on Thursday 16 & Friday 17 January. Tickets are on sale now, from the Box Office on 01225 448844 or online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk
The West End smash hit musical SIX written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss is currently enjoying a major nine-month tour of the UK and Ireland, appearing at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Tue 11 – Sat 15 Feb. The touring Queens are played by Lauren Drew (Catherine of Aragon), Maddison Bulleyment (Anne Boleyn), Lauren Byrne (Jane Seymour), Shekinah McFarlane (Anna of Cleves), Jodie Steele (Katherine Howard) and Athena Collins (Catherine Parr), with Alternates Jennifer Caldwell, Cassandra Lee and Harriet Watson. The cast are backed by the show’s all-female band, The Ladies in Waiting.
The SIX phenomenon shows no signs of abating. Two years to the day since the show premiered as a student production at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017, SIX announced its Broadway transfer to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York following sold out runs in Chicago and Boston. Back in London where SIX continues to sell every seat for every performance at the Arts Theatre, the show was nominated for five 2019 Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, Best Choreography and Best Costume Design. The show opens at the Sydney Opera House this month and productions are being planned for China, Japan, South Korea and Canada.
From Tudor queens to pop princesses, SIX sees the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their own personal tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. The songs from the show have proved to be a chart-storming sensation. The SIX cast album is the second highest streaming cast recording in the world, racking up over 67 million streams and tracking to hot the 100 million mark by Christmas. Ann Boleyn’s song Don’t Lose Ur Head has been shared over half a billion times on the TIK TOK app.
It’s time the Queens tell their story, but act fast, tickets are selling quickly!
Call 0844 871 7607 (calls cost up to 7p per min plus you’re phone company’s access charge) or visit www.atgtickets.com/Aylesbury (bkg fee).
Presented in association with VAULT Festival – London’s biggest, boldest and adventurous arts festival – and using Fire Hazard Game’s unique blend of mobile game, real-world scavenger hunt, narrative storytelling and performers, Jekyll / Hyde is a theatrical adventure across both the virtual and real world. Players will be guided through the game by a web app on their phones to encounter a cast of characters on their way through the dark and sinister Lambeth streets.
And you could win a pair of tickets to take part – just like and share this page and like and share this post on Facebook and answer the following competition
Fire Hazard Games, in association with VAULT Festival, present Jekyll / Hyde The Vaults, Waterloo Wednesday 12th February – Sunday 22nd March 2020
Can you get away with murder?
Fire Hazard Games launches an exciting, new urban game for adults, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s Gothic masterpiece, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Exploring schisms of identity, the unreliability of memory, moral conflict, terrible ambition, and unbridled hedonism, Jekyll / Hyde confronts players, asking what they would do if they could get away with murder.
Waking up to the aftermath of Mr Hyde, players are plunged into a thrilling world of investigation and moral ambiguity as their twisted deeds from the night before are revealed. Taking on the role of Dr Jekyll, they must retrace their steps to uncover their hidden past and make decisions about their future, all while under increasing time pressure.
Presented in association with VAULT Festival – London’s biggest, boldest and adventurous arts festival – and using Fire Hazard’s unique blend of mobile game, real-world scavenger hunt, narrative storytelling and performers, Jekyll / Hyde is a theatrical adventure across both the virtual and real world. Players will be guided through the game by a web app on their phones to encounter a cast of characters on their way through the dark and sinister Lambeth streets.
Michelle Hudson, producer at Fire Hazard, says, We’re always looking for new ways to put the audience at the heart of our stories. With Jekyll / Hyde, we’re giving audiences the chance to explore the darker sides of their own psyches. This is also Fire Hazard’s first time as part of VAULT Festival and we’re thrilled to take part in this cornerstone of London’s cultural scene.
Players can participate solo, in a pair or in a group of up to 3 – all that’s needed is a phone and a desire to play! Fire Hazard’s recent real-life immersive games include the critically acclaimed 80 Days: A Real-World Adventure, The Hunted Experience and John Le Carre’s The Circus.
BOLD & VISCERAL – A GRIPPING NEW ADAPTATION OF EMILY BRONTË’S FIERCE NOVEL
A Royal Exchange Theatre Production
WUTHERING HEIGHTS
By Emily Brontë In a new adaptation by Andrew Sheridan Directed by Bryony Shanahan
7 February – 7 March 2020
Emily Brontë’s extraordinary novel WUTHERING HEIGHTS unleashed a love that was raw and uncontained, wild, brutal and all-consuming. In this new adaptation by Bruntwood Prize winning writer Andrew Sheridan Cathy and Heathcliff are seen afresh, as unpredictable as the moors and bound by an energy that is palpable. The Royal Exchange Theatre’s new Artistic Director Bryony Shanahan creates her contemporary production with an ensemble of actors and musicians. Together they explore the twists and turns in Brontë’s exhilarating, poetic narrative and astonishing imagination. A ferocious exploration of passion and desire, underscored by live, original music, Cathy and Heathcliff’s love finds a visceral and vicious, tender and true connection in this new production. WUTHERING HEIGHTS runs in the theatre from 7 February – 7 March 2020.
Playing Heathcliff is Alex Austin who returns to the Royal Exchange following his role in Anna Jordan’s Bruntwood winning play YEN. Other theatre credits have included IVAN AND THE DOGS (Young Vic), DEAR ELIZABETH (Gate Theatre) and THE END OF EDDY (Unicorn Theatre). Rakhee Sharma makes her Royal Exchange Theatre debut in the role of Cathy. Her theatre credits have included CRYSTAL CLEAR (Old Red Lion), IF NOT NOW, WHEN? and MACBETH (National Theatre). The cast also includes Rhiannon Clements, David Crellin, Dean Fagan, Samantha Power and Gurjeet Singh. They are joined on stage by musicians Sophie Galpin and Rebecca Wilkie.
Andrew Sheridan trained as an actor at Rose Bruford and has performed extensively in award-winning theatre, TV and film. Andrew’s debut play WINTERLONG won the 2008 Bruntwood Playwriting Competition. The play opened at the Royal Exchange, directed by Sarah Frankcom before transferring to Soho Theatre, London. WINTERLONG has been translated and performed across Europe to critical acclaim. Andrew’s play HOPE, LIGHT & NOWHERE was produced at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival and in 2014 he was the recipient of the Tom Erhardt Award for emerging writers. Andrew’s work gains notoriety and prestige in Scandinavia and he has been under commission by Stockholm’s Stadsteater and has written PAULDING LIGHT which was shortlisted for the 2018 Nick Darke Award. He has also nurtured a close collaborative relationship with Monkeywood Theatre company. His play THE GOOD, THE BAD, And THE GIGGSY was one of 4 plays celebrating Manchester’s rich and historic footballing rivalry between the mighty Manchester United and their imitators Manchester City which was performed at The Lowry Theatre. His play BLUE was performed at Hope Mill Theatre in 2019.
Bryony Shanahan is Joint Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre. In 2016 she won the Genesis Future Directors award and directed TRADE at the Young Vic. Directing includes ENOUGH (Traverse Theatre), QUEENS OF THE COAL AGE (Royal Exchange), CHICKEN SOUP (Sheffield Crucible); OPERATION CRUCIBLE (Finborough Theatre, Sheffield Crucible/UK tour/59e59 New York); WEALD (Finborough Theatre); NOTHING (Royal Exchange, winner of Manchester Theatre Award); BITCH BOXER (Soho Theatre/national tour/Adelaide Fringe Festival); BOYS WILL BE BOYS (Women Centre Stage, National Theatre); CHAPEL STREET (National Tour) and YOU AND ME (Greenwich Theatre/National Tour).
The creative team includes Designer Cécile Trémolières, Lighting Designer Zoe Spurr, Sound Designer and Composer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, Additional Musical Composition, Sophie Galpin, Movement Director Jennifer Jackson and Assistant Director Hannah Sands.
LAGAHOO PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES FULL CAST OF SPLINTERED AT VAULT FESTIVAL
Lagahoo Productions presents
SPLINTERED
Written and directed by Emily Aboud
Vault Festival – Crypt
12 February – 16 February
Following a successful run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Lagahoo Productions today announces their inaugural production SPLINTERED, written and directed by Emily Aboud, will be making its London première. Aboud directs Charlotte Dowding, Chanté Faucher and Alice Vilanculo. The production will be opening as part of the 2020 Vault Festival line up on 12 February and runs until 16 February.
Caribbean people have a tendency to celebrate through hard times, and here we are – celebrating and trying to unpack what it means to be queer in a homophobic culture. It’s a carnival dance party littered with sad truths and joyful lies.
“Carnival is rebellion, through rebellion we find joy.”
Welcome to SPLINTERED, the queer carnival party! Based upon interviews with queer women in Trinidad & Tobago, this is a show unlike any other to grace the London stage. Carnival is a celebration despite and in spite of oppression. How does one deal with coming out in a homophobic culture? With a party, duh. Expect a form-breaking, joy-inducing cabaret with plenty wining and a f*cktonne of glitter – “come free up yuhself”!
Writer and director Emily Aboud today said, “It is such a privilege to bring SPLINTERED, finally, to a London audience. This play began simply as an exploration of the lives of queer womxn in the Caribbean, and has since taken in the theatrical forms of Carnival, the tongue-in-cheek humour of a cabaret, and an explosion of the Caribbean music I grew up with, to create what is, essentially, the queer play that I wish I’d seen when I was younger. Vault Festival celebrates and champions diverse and innovative work in the heart of London, and it’s truly a dream-come-true to present a play about my country here – a play about the joy and sorrow of being queer in a place that is so accepting yet so homophobic.”
SPLINTERED has been supported by Arts Council England.
Charlotte Dowding’s theatre credits include, SPLINTERED, Girl Scouts vs. Aliens and Eat Your Heart Out (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Paper. Scissors. Stone. (Vault Festival), Common Ground (Etcetera Theatre) and Commercial Break (Theatre 503).
Chanté Faucher’s theatre credits include Cinderella (Oldham Coliseum), SPLINTERED marks her London stage debut.
Alice Vilanculo’s theatre credits include Rosmerholm (Duke of York’s Theatre), Macbeth (Garrick Theatre), To Kill A Mockingbird (Lyric Hammersmith), E8 (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) for which she was awarded the 2019 Edinburgh Stage Award for Outstanding Performance, Victoria’s Knickers and Consensual (Soho Theatre).
Emily Aboud is the writer and director. Her directing credits include SPLINTERED (Bunker Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Pink Lemonade (Gate Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Exceptional Promise (Bush Theatre), Salty Irina (Ovalhouse) and What we talk about when we (don’t) talk about race (Theatre503). SPLINTERED marks her professional writing debut. Aboud is an associate artist at the Bush Theatre and the artistic director of Lagahoo Productions.
To mark the first day of rehearsals, 6 January 2020, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Paula Wagner, Nice Productions, LPO and Gavin Kalin Productions are delighted to announce the full cast of the smash hit PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL. Joining the previously announced Aimie Atkinson as ‘Vivian Ward’ and Danny Mac as ‘Edward Lewis’ are Rachael Wooding as ‘Kit De Luca’, Bob Harms as ‘Happy Man/Mr Thompson’, Neil McDermott as ‘Philip Stuckey’ and Mark Holden as ‘James Morse’. PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL begins performances at the Piccadilly Theatre on 13 February 2020, where it will play for a strictly limited engagement. PrettyWomanTheMusical.com
The cast also includes Jemma Alexander, Andy Barke, Kimberly Blake, Katie Bradley, Oliver Brenin, Alex Charles, Olly Christopher, Ben Darcy, Daniel De Bourg, Hannah Ducharme, Nicholas Duncan, Paige Fenlon, Damon Gould, Alex Hammond, Antony Hewitt, Matt Jones, Serina Mathew, Katie Monks, Lily Wang, Joanna Woodward, and Charlotte Elisabeth Yorke.
Aimie Atkinson (Vivian Ward) was in the original West End cast of the hit musical Six at the Arts Theatre and was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance. Her other credits include Daniela in In the Heights at King’s Cross Theatre, Serena in Legally Blonde at Kilworth House and Chloe in Never Forget – The Take That Musical and Luisa in Zorro The Musical, both on national tour. Aimie is also the winner of the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Voice of Musical Theatre Award.
Danny Mac (Edward Lewis) was most recently seen as Bob Wallace in White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre in the West End. His many other theatre credits include Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard and Nino in Amelie, both on national tour, Gabey in On The Town at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the West End productions of Wicked and Legally Blonde. Danny captured the nation’s hearts and received overwhelming support during his incredible time on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing, making it all the way to the final.
Rachael Wooding (Kit De Luca) West End credits include Meat and Scaramouche in We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre and Annette in Saturday Night Fever at the Apollo Victoria. She has appeared in the UK Tours of Fat Friends The Musical, Footloose and played Eva Peron in Evita. Rachael was also a semi-finalist in the 2016 series of ITV1’s Britain’s Got Talent.
Bob Harms (Happy Man/Mr Thompson) most recently appeared in Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre. His other West End credits include Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre, Footloose at the Novello Theatre, Imagine This at the New London Theatre, Chicago at the Adelphi and Cambridge Theatre and Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre. Bob has appeared in the UK Tours of Jackie The Musical, Spamalot, Jesus Christ Superstar and Anything Goes and in the international tour of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake.
Neil McDermott (Philip Stuckey) is probably best known for playing the role of Ryan Malloy in the BBC’s EastEnders. His other television credits include Doctor Who, George Gently and Kiss Of Death all on the BBC, and The Royal and Rosemary and Thyme both on ITV. Neil’s West End credits include Shrek the Musical at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and The Wind in the Willows, Follies and The Sound of Music, all at the London Palladium. He has also appeared in the UK Tours of Club Tropicana and The Sound of Music.
Mark Holden (James Morse) most recently played Bill Devaney in The Bodyguard at the Dominion Theatre and on a UK Tour. His other theatre credits include the UK tours of Fame and The Jungle Book. His television credits include Wilf in Sky One’s A Discovery of Witches, and Martin Sinclair in Sky Atlantic’s series Riviera. On film, Mark can be seen in World War Z, Captain Phillips and Final Destination.
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL features original music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, a book by Garry Marshall and the film’s screenwriter J.F. Lawton, it is directed and choreographed by the two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell.
Featured in the musical is Roy Orbison and Bill Dee’s international smash hit song ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ which inspired one of the most beloved romantic comedy films of all time. PRETTY WOMAN the film (produced by Arnon Milchan – New Regency Productions) was an international smash hit when it was released in 1990.
Atlantic Records’ PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL(ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING)is produced by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance and is now available on all DSP’s.
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL has scenic design by David Rockwell, costumes by Tom Rogers from the original Broadway designs by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Philip S. Rosenberg, sound design by John Shivers, hair design by Josh Marquette, and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Will Van Dyke. 101 Productions, Ltd are the Global General Management Consultant.
PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL had its world premiere at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre in March 2018 before transferring to Broadway where it ran at the Nederlander Theatre. The German production opened in Hamburg at the Stage Theater an der Elbe on 29 September 2019 to rave reviews and the US tour will begin in September 2020.
REVIVAL OF LANDMARK PLAY TO TOUR TO SELECTED VENUES ACROSS THE UK
Groundbreaking gay play My Night With Reg is set to captivate theatre audiences with a vibrant new revival which embarks on a UK tour this month.
The fresh production of KevinElyot’s modern classic, from Manchester-based GreenCarnationCompany, will tour to selected venues across the North and Midlands this Spring, opening at the Lowry at Salford from January 23-25.
Funny, sad and sweet, Elyot’s comedy about the relationships of a group of gay men and their connections to the unseen yet magnetic Reg is a moving exploration of friendship, happiness and love, and their fragility in the shadow of the 1980s AIDS crisis.
My Night With Reg was premiered at The Royal Court in London in 1994, transferring to the West End where it won accolades including Olivier and Evening Standard awards for best comedy.
It received its New York premiere in 1997, and since then it has enjoyed several revivals, including a second Olivier Award-winning run at the Donmar Warehouse in 2014. A big screen adaptation was filmed in 1997.
An evening of laughter, heartbreak and celebration, Elyot’s razor-sharp wit will be brought to life in a stunning, visual feast that captures the decadence, celebration and uncertainty of 1980s London.
The production is co-directed and co-produced by Green Carnation Company’s two artistic directors Dan Jarvis and Dan Ellis, while award-winning young Leeds-based designer George Johnson-Leigh will bring the play’s 1980s world to life with stunning neon visual effects and an elegant, deconstructed set design.
Green Carnation Company is a Manchester based theatre company dedicated to presenting quality theatre telling queer and LGBTQ+ stories. It enjoyed a sell-out success at the city’s Hope Mill Theatre in 2018 with Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride, and last year took part in the new queer writing festival OutStageUs2019 with FLUID by Nick Maynard.
Co-artistic director Dan Jarvis says: “This is the first time we’ve toured to mid-scale theatres, which is really exciting for us and part of our ethos as a theatre company. We want to be nationally-recognised for creating LGBT theatre and for taking our work across the regions so that we make sure the best gay theatre isn’t always in London.
“Kevin Elyot’s writing is gorgeous – it’s witty, and it’s really human. This play explores how a group of close friends cope with loss and use their humour, warmth and their friendship to deal with that. That’s something anyone can relate to.
“Elyot’s comedy is believable – it’s not slapstick or farcical but really human. And it’s set in the 80s which for gay audiences is synonymous with time of crisis and fear, but also a time of opportunity and excess and decadence.
“We’re a new, fresh and exciting theatre company. The work we do is dynamic and has got a real aesthetic to it. We work closely with designers and music to recreate a real vibe, and here we’re using neon and synth soundtracks to create that 80s world.”
My Night With Reg stars Nicholas Anscombe (BBC’s Requiem, Bread & Roses Theatre’s Under The Radar) as privileged yet lost John; Steve Connolly as prowling Benny; Marc Geoffrey as long-suffering Bernie; David Gregan-Jones (Russell T Davies’ upcoming Boys with Channel 4) as the flamboyant and Byronesque Daniel, and newcomer Alan Lewis (a trained dancer and singer-songwriter) as the insightful ingenue Eric.
Joining this new cast will be returning Green Carnation Company cast member Simon Hallman (also starring in Russell T Davies’ Boys, Oliver in Green Carnation’s debut production of Alexi Kaye Campbell’s The Pride) as the lovesick and house-proud Guy.
Feathers of Daedalus and Roger McGough CBE, FRSL Sky in the Pie OSO Arts Centre – Monday 17th – Saturday 22nd February 2020, 2pm VAULT Festival – Friday 6th – Sunday 8th March 2020, 6.15pm
The poetry of national treasure Roger McGough will be brought to life in the exciting new production, Sky in the Pie, from Feathers of Daedalus. This fantastical circus and puppetry spectacular will also feature new poems by McGough, premiering across two London venues in 2020.
Audiences will follow one child’s daydreaming as they discover the extraordinary wherever they go, from flying pigs to skies in pies. Drawing from over 30 years of McGough’s works, Sky in the Pie is a wonderful and wacky celebration of the ‘patron saint of poetry’. Through circus, physical theatre and puppetry, McGough’s poems explode from the page, taking on new colour and physicality.
Sky in the Pie seeks to highlight how creativity is not limited to certain disciplines or generations and aims to inspire audiences of all ages to appreciate and enjoy poetry through the unusual and exciting format of circus. To further this goal Feathers of Daedalus and Roger McGough are teaming up with the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education to run workshops alongside the show to further children’s understanding and engagement with poetry from a young age.
Poet Roger McCough comments, When writing poems for children I have in mind the daydreamer, the one who is always staring out of the classroom window when they should be paying attention. Sky in the Pie captures the child’s imagination with a thrilling mix of verse and circus skills in a life-enhancing, mind-expanding, non-fattening feast of poetry!
This production has generously been funded by Arts Council England.
Image Description: on stage L-R Lil, Banksie, Cheddar Gorgeous, Liquorice Black, Narcissa Nightshade, Anna Phylactic. SIX queens in seating: Harriet Watson, Cassandra Lee, Jennifer Caldwell, Maddison Bulleyment,
Family Gorgeous celebrate with the new queens in town!
With ‘SIX’ on The Lowry stage throughout Christmas and into the New Year, our Manchester Queens polish their crowns and welcome them with open arms.
Channel 4’s Drag SOS stars Cheddar Gorgeous, Anna Phylactic, Lill and Liquorice Black with Manchester drag queens Banksie and Narcissa Nightshade have been celebrating their shared queendom with the cast of the new West End hit musical SIX.
From Tudor queens to pop princesses, SIX sees the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their own personal tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. The songs from the show have proved to be a chart storming sensation racking up 50 million streams and adding 300,000 daily.
The Drag queens took on the musicals’ pop hit song ‘Ex-Wives’ with their amazing lip syncing skills to show the SIX queens exactly what they’ve got, as they were welcomed onto the SIX stage with open arms.
Head of family gorgeous, Cheddar said: “We were lucky enough to catch the show at the premiere last week! I loved the way it delivered such an empowering message through a girl-band inspired score worthy of any pop diva. As any drag queen will tell you, you should never underestimate the power of a sequin and a catchy tune to get your point across, and this show really sparkles! Getting to meet the amazing cast has been the icing on the cake!”
The SIX Queens are played by Lauren Drew (Catherine of Aragon), Maddison Bulleyment (Anne Boleyn), Lauren Byrne (Jane Seymour), Shekinah McFarlane (Anna of Cleves), Jodie Steele (Katherine Howard) and Athena Collins (Catherine Parr).
Athena Collins plays Catherine Parr, she said: “SIX gives an insight into the lives of Henry VIII’s wives with a modern twist. You get to hear their side of the story, which you don’t particularly learn about at school. You’ll learn there is so much more to these fierce and fiery women than you first thought and it’s so much fun.”
The drag queens took on the fierce nature of the six wives and created a lip sync performance of the SIX opening number, as SIX queens, Maddison Bulleyment, Jennifer Caldwell, Cassandra Lee and Harriet Watson watched on with admiration
SIX has just completed a sell out run in the Quays Theatre and now moves into the Lyric theatre for it’s final week in Salford from Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 January with a sing-a-long performance on Friday 10 January.
