It’s all change at the palace as for the first time in ‘SIX’ her-story there is going to be a completely new cast of West End Queens, alternates and swings.
Amy Di Bartolomeo, Amanda Lindgren, Claudia Kariuki, Dionne Ward-Anderson, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe and Meesha Turner are the new Queens at the Vaudeville Theatre.
They are joined by Paisley Billings, Danielle Rose, and Roxanne Couch as Alternates, Rachel Rawlinson as Swing and Esme Rothero as Swing and Dance Captain.
Yesterday, the Queens met together for the first time for a photoshoot at the Tower of London, courtesy of Historic Royal Palaces, and today they started rehearsals.
Amy Di Bartolome (Catherine of Aragon) made her professional debut in ‘Starlight Express’ in Germany, toured the UK in ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ and made her West End debut as ‘Leibeswoosh’ in
‘Bat Out of Hell’.
Amanda Lindgren (Anne Bolyen) hails from Sweden, was recently in ‘South Pacific’ at Chichester Festival Theatre, and has toured the UK and internationally in both ‘Miss Saigon’ and ‘The King and I’.
Claudia Kariuki (Jane Seymour) made her professional debut as Sarah in ‘Ragtime’ at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Her West End credits include ‘School of Rock’ and ‘Wicked’. She played one of the Divas in the recent ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ UK Tour.
Dionne Ward-Anderson (Anna of Cleves) is making her West End debut.
Tsemaye Bob-Egbe (Katherine Howard) was the alternate Tina in the original West End cast of ‘Tina: The Tina Turner Story’, and Janelle Woods in ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’, and Leading Player in ‘Pippin’ (Garden Theatre).
Meesha Turner (Catherine Parr) is a recent graduate of the Royal Academy of Music making her professional and West End debut.
The current West End Queens continue to reign at the Vaudeville and will play their final two shows on Sunday 14 November.
Electrifying musical ‘SIX’ by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss has truly become a global phenomenon since its early days as a student production in a 100-seat room at Sweet Venue during the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It is now being enjoyed as much as ever in its new West End home, the Vaudeville Theatre. It continues its sold-out UK Tour and has finally opened in New York to stunning reviews at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway, and is due to reopen in Australia this December at the Sydney Opera House.
Last week it was announced that to celebrate the global success of its songs with 450 million streams and over 3 billion views on TikTok, ‘SIX’ is to release its Studio Album on vinyl. A VIP launch event will be held on October 28, 2021 at Banqueting House, on the site of the Palace of Whitehall built by Henry VIII, and will be livestreamed to the global Queendom by TikTok.
‘SIX’ was nominated for five Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. It won the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Whatsonstage Awards, performed on the results show of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and has performed annually in front of thousands at West End Live in Trafalgar Square.
‘SIX’ is co-directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, featuring choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. The design team includes Emma Bailey (Set Design), Gabriella Slade (Costume Design),
Tim Deiling (Lighting Design) and Paul Gatehouse (Sound Design). The score features orchestrations by Tom Curran with music supervision and vocal arrangements by Joe Beighton. Casting for ‘SIX’ is by Pearson Casting.
Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand,, London, WC2R 0NH until May 1st. Times: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 8pm Saturday at 4pm & 8pm Sunday at 4pm & 7pm. Admission: £23.50 – £67.50.
Booking: 0330 333 4814 – www.nimaxtheatres.com
Photo Craig Sugden