Henry VIII's wives become pop divas in Broadway musical 'Six,' coming to Providence

Persistence paid off for actress Gerianne Pérez, who sent “multiple” tapes to the producers of “Six,” auditioned several times and finally landed one of the coveted roles after performing before other women vying for the spot.

“I wanted to be part of this for such a long time. I definitely earned my role,” Pérez says in a phone call from a Philadelphia tour stop.

“Six,” the musical comedy that retells British history through the eyes of King Henry VIII's six wives, opens April 11 at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

Pérez plays Catherine of Aragon, the king’s first wife, who was ushered out of the palace — with her head intact, at least — after he became smitten with Anne Boleyn. Unlike historical images of Aragon — a “dowdy, pious, bitter woman,” per Pérez — the character she creates is a full-on rock star.

Here's your chance: Come see 'Six' with The Providence Journal and share your review

Oh, didn’t I mention that “Six” is framed like a pop concert?

“This is unlike any other show that’s out there now,” Pérez says.

As wife number one, she is the opening act.

“I’m bombastic, the loudest voice in the room and the leader of the group,” she says. “I come in like a wrecking ball to let the audience know what’s about to happen.”

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Bringing a touch of Beyoncé to Catherine of Aragon

Taking a cue from “Hamilton,” “Six” uses popular music to make history more approachable, she says. With creative team guidance, she spun a character with the blended vibe of Beyoncé, Selena, Maluma and J-Lo.

“I pull from their energy, their ‘isms,’” Pérez says. “If I were to watch another Aragon, it would have influenced my portrayal of her.”

The other queens have their own influences coming through in mannerisms and vocal delivery.

“It’s based on who we are and what we grew up on, what influenced our musical tastes,” Pérez says.

An “Army brat” who moved around a lot, including middle school in Wayland, Massachusetts, she was heavily influenced by bold pop stars and Latin sounds reflecting her Puerto Rican heritage. The fact that Catherine of Aragon was from Spain is a bonus.

“It’s cool to play a Spanish character," she says. "The music has a lot of Latin rhythms and plays to the culture I represent.” And she adds that her costume reflects the revealing silhouette and black and gold coloring that Beyoncé favors.

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She’s also proud to highlight women and their power throughout history. The message, she says, is that each woman’s story is hers alone to tell.

“You have these stereotypes of who these women might be, but we get to rewrite the narrative and we get to tell their stories instead of through historians," Pérez says. "We reclaim their power.”

'Six' super fan from New Hampshire will come in costume

With six queens on stage, at least one more will watch “Six” from the PPAC audience, wearing the full Anne Boleyn costume she spent three weeks creating. Betsy Murphy, 26, of New Hampshire, stumbled across Boleyn’s song “Don’t Lose Ur Head” on TikTok in 2019 and fell in love with it and the whole show album.

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“I thought, ‘I love this music!’” says Murphy, who calls herself “a big Broadway musical fan.”

One of many “super fans” seeing “Six” multiple times, Murphy first saw it at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, and she's seen it three more times since then — soon to be four, when she attends the show in Providence.

Wearing Boleyn's black and green costume to the show — known as “cosplay” — adds to the experience, drawing compliments from cast members and the audience. Such fan support, Pérez says, is “massive.”

“It’s become quite the global phenomenon," she says. "It blows my mind."

If you go ...

What: "Six"

When: April 11-23

Where: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence

Tickets: $57-$114

Info: ppacri.org, (401) 421-2787

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Henry VIII's queens get musical reboot in 'Six,' coming to Providence