Welcome to the show— to the coronation!

Who will take the crown? Be the pop sensation?

Only one way to find out which of the half-dozen wives of Henry VIII will emerge victorious in this showdown of ‘which wife had it worst’ and that’s to attend Storytellers Theater Arts’ production of Six (Teen Edition.) Running through July 26^th 2025, this high-octane, Broadway sensation has been brought to the young-artists arena, with its own specialized ‘teen edition’ (all the songs and Queen Bees that you love with some…content-related lyrical editing) and Storytellers Theater Arts appears to be the first in the area putting it on for public consumption. Produced by Alyssa Neely, Directed by Terry Sweet Bouma, with Musical Direction by Chris Pinder and Choreography by Sierra Basilio, this fast-paced, zero-breaks, explosive musical sensation will have you screaming and shouting for your favorite Queen (Spoiler: it’s all of them!) right from the down-beat.

With the cavernous gymnasium of Rockbridge Academy as their performance space, Set Designer Alexander Foley has had to get creative, get a little clever, and get a whole new concept rolling for this production’s scenic outline and Foley does not disappoint. Foley builds a stage— up on the stage! And brings the audience right up onto the stage as well, making for an intimate concert experience, which gels wholly with Director Terry Sweet Bouma’s overall concept, but we’ll get to that in a moment. Foley keeps it simple; minimalist but with flare— enhancing the aesthetical experience without pulling focus from the performers. The pièce de résistance of Foley’s artistry? The Six symbol, a fabrication of Foley’s own design, that hangs suspended directly above the stage. It’s painted in such a way that it’s vibrancy radiates on its own while simultaneously absorbing lights and color in a significant fashion to make some stunning moments throughout the performance really pop. Foley has also added black silhouette cathedral-shaped windows that hang on either side of the ‘Symbol’, a nod to the show’s original scenic layout.

Foley’s masterpiece is really awe-inspiring and it’s marvels are only enhanced by Lighting Designer Alyssa Neely. There are plenty of heart-stopping, blood-pumping, excitement-sending moments all throughout the performance generated by the Six Queens and their ‘Groupies’, but that most evocative and emotionally effective moment that happens in the scenery comes from an illuminating magic trick executed by Neely in her light design. At the end of “Heart of Stone” as Jane Seymour is coming into that final line, the lights, while somehow still staying on the performers, drop the hanging ‘Six-Symbol’ into black. It is wild. And it makes that song hit so much harder at the end because of the visual impact such an effect creates. Neely has plenty of other effects throughout the production, mostly washing the back-hanging scrim in vivacious colors that accurately reflect each of the Queens— like that poppy neon green for Anne Boleyn or the raging neon reds, oranges, and yellows for the dance rave number “Haus of Holbein.” The lighting works to augment and enhance the overall performance without ever pulling focus from the performers.

Taking her own unique spin on the show’s sartorial selection (and let’s face it, if you can’t replicate Broadway, then you better come up with something totally your own— and she definitely does) Costume Designer Alysa Cripe has put the Queens in something a little 90’s punk-pop-goth-rock. They’ve all got mesh (or gauze or shimmer-lace) sleeve tops and they’ve all got the broken-heart crop-tank, but each Queen gets her own signature skirt…or in Parr’s case, shimmer shorts (and this makes a statement as she was the surviving wife) and it’s all fabulous. Katherine Howard’s skirt in particular is of note because it’s a patchwork of all the other fabrics used for all the other girl’s skirts and that’s a pretty nifty message to send as well. Cripe has the added challenge of outfitting an ensemble. And following the visionary notion of the director’s concept, Cripe has put the nine members of the Six ensemble into ‘Groupie Garb.’ They’re all wearing the t-shirt (imprinted with Foley’s Icon-logo as well as lettering that says ‘Live In Consort VI’ and seriously if they’re selling these shirts—I’d buy one!) Beyond that, each of the nine ensemble members has something in their wardrobe that gives them a hint of individuality whilst still implying that they’re part of the group; it’s pretty on-brand for the overall aesthetic of the show.

I rarely get to mention the sound designer in a review of any sort, unless I’m complaining. Sound Design, particularly balance and microphone issues, in this world as of late, has become a lost art. (Even at the professional touring houses; it’s a travesty in its own right!) But Sound Designer Zach Sexton has made some royal magic happen and it’s praiseworthy so he’s getting a major shout out. You’ve got six Queens with their hand-held mics, an un-masked live orchestra pit (yes they’re tucked off into the corner but that does not negate the cavernous vaulted ceilings and echoes of the overall gymnasium/stage play space), body-mic’d ensemble, and never once do you get feedback, or a hot mic, or an overblown showdown between pit and performer. Well done, Zach Sexton!

Of course there’s some praises to be thrown Chris Pinder’s way as well. Serving not only as the show’s musical director but as the conductor and keyboardist of the live pit, Pinder helps keep those players in balance. Leading the “Ladies in Waiting Band” (featuring Pinder on keys, Jeremy Ulrich on drums, Kevin George on bass, Chris Mercado on guitar, Marie Harrison on keys2, Allyson Wesley on trumpet, Mari Hill on every woodwind instrument in this teen-edition score, and Jaime R. Santiago on trombone) Pinder gets some fabulous sounds from these musicians, which is an excellent aural backdrop for the performers on stage. Pinder works with the six Queens as well as the nine ensemble to create cohesive sounds which really make the show pop! And a bonus kudos to Dialect Coach Ryan Neely, whose work with the Queens to create those British dialects of varying degrees is an overall success.

When you have what feels like 525,600 young performers turn up to auditions for a show that features six women, one tends to get creative. And while the easy route would be to just stack an ensemble together as background vocals, that is not the path down which director Terry Sweet Bouma forges. She gathers those nine ensemble performers and turns them into ‘Concert Groupies.’ As the show itself is presented like a hybrid between a pop-concert and an American Idol-style showdown, it only makes sense that there be groupies. Bouma stacks the ensemble on either side of the stage, has the bouncing along when the music calls for it (even out in the aisles raging and doing full-on jump choreography moves during numbers like “Haus of Holbein”) and has them sitting totally still, as you might see an enrapt audience at a concert during a ballad number. There’s even a moment during the slow-bridge of “No Way” where Aragon comes to the stage edge and touches hands with one of the Groupies (we see this all the time at real concerts) and it’s really touching and drives home the concept of this ensemble being the ‘real fans’ of the Six Queens.

The Nine Groupies (Abigail Atsinger, Holly Burkhardt, Theo Everhart, Brynn Govern, Tessa Mathisen, McKinsey Norris, Kellyn Reich, Ri Runge, Maya Siu) are enthusiastic and largely in charge of driving up that infectious high-octane energy. And when they’re mosh-pit-moving (with a PG-grade rating of course) in the aisles out in the audience, you can feel the surges of intensity pulsing through them directly into you. Theo Everhart also doubles up every time the Queens reference any man, including the almighty Henry himself. Choreographer Sierra Basilio sees to it that these nine, in addition the Six Queens, have nonstop, perpetual energy-driven movements to execute nearly every single step of the way. Basilio’s choreography features a great deal of gesture-based arm movements, staccato marches, and a whole bunch of slide-shuffles. She does a fine job of setting movement and motion to the tempo and beat of each number, particularly when it comes to the first two solo numbers, “No Way” and “Don’t Lose Ur Head.”

Divorced— Alicia England, serving up snap as Catherine of Aragon in her pre-song story-bit is amazing. England has the best example of perpetually engaged RRF (Resting-Rage-Face) throughout the performance, which seems appropriate for the first discarded wife of Henry VIII. She’s also got a serious cast of RSE (Resting-Stink-Eye) when it comes to engaging with Anne Boleyn, and she gives some pretty bombastic side-eye when Jane Seymour starts trying to defend Henry. England’s articulation and pronunciation skills are aces as she rockets her way through the tricky verses of “No Way” and her ability to ‘slow-her-roll’ as she settles into the bridge of that number is commendable. And when it comes to leading the dance break of her feature number, England isn’t afraid to put a lot of that snap into her arm-thrusting-forward dance moves. She’s serving up ‘tude and won’t let the audience soon forget it.

Beheaded— Gabriella Dillenback, wearing the crown of spunk and vigor as Anne Boleyn is wild. It’s evident that she just wants to have fun as the poppy, plucky Queen. Dillenback has exacting comedic timing, which makes a lot of her jokes— usually revolving around her decapitation— land really humorously and with great effect in the audience. There’s an effervescent gumption that sluices through Dillenbeck’s entire existence on the stage, whether she’s air-guitar rocking at the down-beat of each chorus during “Don’t Lose UR Head” or side-step dancing in the background of the other Queens’ numbers. Boleyn and Katherine Howard have the most ‘adjusted’ lyrics in Six (Teen Edition) and Dillenback does an exceptional job of convincing the audience that what she’s singing and saying are exactly how those lines were originally written. Her range is on-point for her solo number too.

Died— Chloe Atsinger, playing the subdued, turned-by-love Jane Seymour is serving up a different energy from the other five Queens though it’s just as radiant and bright. Jane Seymour might be the ‘unpopular’ among the Queens because her sorrows, trials, and tribulations were all related to dying before she could be a mother to her son, but Atsinger holds her own against these ‘mean-girl-queens.’ With a glorious and clear tone, Atsinger pushes her way through the iconic ballad (and arguably only largo-adagio number in the show) with gusto and maintains emotional expression, much of which is experienced in her facial features and the way she appears to lock eyes with the audience. Though her ballad may be tragically beautiful, Atsinger never loses sight of the more optimistic side of her character. We see it best expressed in “Six” when she mentions her growing family and their ‘Royaling Stones’ band-name.

Divorced— Iz Taylor is serving up some serious tenacity as Anna of Cleves, the Queen who ‘catfished’ the King. “Get Down” is the R&B-beat-drop number of the show and Taylor handles it divinely. It’s got seriously stylistic components that don’t appear to frighten Taylor at all. And when she pop-squats into her dance moves, you get a sense of overriding confidence that this particular Queen is known for. Taylor handles the varied range of the song with aplomb, diving into those lower notes with an edgy grace, the physical and vocal embodiment of ‘drop-it-like-it’s-hot.’ And when Taylor leads the ‘Queen Pack’ during the dance-steps of “Get Down”, you get the sense that she truly believes she’s the Queen Bee in that moment. Her little side-interaction with Theo Everhart (as the footman who takes her fur) is cheeky and earns chuckles from the audience when she drops it to him like she is truly the Queen of the castle.

Beheaded— Louisa Fix sets her phasers to stun with all her sauciness in the role of Katherine Howard. Like the lyrics say, “Kate Howard is here and the fun’s begun!” While her solo feature “All You Wanna Do” is the most heavily lyrically edited (to give it a more ‘appropriate rating’ for the Teen Edition) Fix is plowing through the song like the OG-Kate Howard matching that intensity, that teasing level of ‘bringing it’ and the overall sense of emotional-side-swipe that comes with the tonal shift of that number. Her vocals are hot— what do the kids say? She ate? And when Fix lands on that final chorus it’s harrowing (the song is made to be that way but she takes it a step further really making you feel the distress of it.) Fix isn’t afraid to play nasty, being that biting mean-girl leading into her number and channels that energy through the song in its entirety right up until the song changed on her.

Survived— Sophia Collins is achieving the impossible as ‘the survivor’ Catherine Parr. Each of the Queens is essentially given one story tidbit and one song to express themselves, showcase their history— their HERstory to us— and Collins fulfills that duty sublimely, creating a complete character arch that is rich, deeply satisfying, emotionally evocative, and wholly expressive. Her vocals are phenomenal, her tears are authentic— the palpable pathos Collins’ expresses into “I Don’t Need Your Love” is both gripping and moving. Sincerely emotionally invested in the gravity of her song and situation, Collins brings an unmitigated ferocity to her song, really blasting the audience with a maelstrom of feelings that swallows her like a tsunami. Her tonal control, vocal expression, and ability to master that number is ferociously inspiring. Collins unites the girls for the finale as they tell their own HERstories and it’s stunning.

England. Dillenbeck. Atsinger. Taylor. Fix. Collins. Six. They bring the songs. They share the stories. The inspire the audience. They rally the groupies (A. Atsinger, Burkhardt, Everhart, Govern, Mathisen, Norris, Reich, Runge, Siu.) They sell the show. It’s an impressive feat for talent so young. Don’t miss this rewritten history— because they are making HERstory with their production of Six (Teen Edition.)

Running Time: Approximately 75 minutes with no intermission

Six (Teen Edition) plays through July 26^th 2025 with Storytellers Theater Arts, currently in residence at Rockbridge Academy— 680 Evergreen Road in Crownsville, Md. Tickets are available at the door or in advance online.