Spring Musical “Six” Slays!

N-n-n-n-n-n-no way Brooks Spring musical “SIX: Teen Edition” was any ordinary production.

The dazzling costumes, high-energy dances and show-stopping songs from techno to ballad and back again literally brought the audience to their feet on opening night, when many rose and danced along with the cast during the finale.

“It's engaging and unexpectedly relevant,” said Director of Theatre Meghan Hill of the pop music (re)telling of King Henry VIII’s six marriages from the perspectives of the divorced and beheaded queens on the main stage of Brooks School’s Center for the Arts May 16 through May 18.

Two special opportunities came together behind the scenes, though, that helped make this a royal treat.

Brooks Was Selected for First Release of the Show

Since “Six” is still a Broadway production currently on tour in multiple countries, theater companies must apply to be able to perform it. “They release limited licenses per area and we got chosen!” Hill explained. “I think it is a good reflection on all the work that the students do and the effort that they put in. I think it also means we're seen as an organization that does good theater.”

The director made a point of making sure that the 15 actors and crew members of Brooks School’s Firetrail Theatre understand what a special opportunity it is to be able to bring “SIX: Teen Edition” to Brooks, considering that the only people in the world right now who get to do the show are the countries that have the tour.

“The U.S. has it. It's in Canada. There's a production in Hungary,” she said. “But those licensed productions are hard to get and they're sanctioned for those professional companies. They get to do it, and then [selected] high schools/youth groups, so it's pretty cool that those are the only two groups that get to perform the show.”

The fact that “teenage populations who identify as female get the first shot at this, alongside the big professional Broadway productions, is really amazing,” Hill added. “I can't remember the last time that that's happened. It's a neat part of history for this show and to get to be a part of — and it won't happen again.”

A “Six” Star Mentored the Cast!

Currently performing in Toronto, Canada as Anna of Cleves in “Six,” Waltham, Mass., native Krystal Hernandez came to campus to talk with students during rehearsals on April 19.

The actor/singer/dancer shared her experiences with students, provided some coaching and talked with them one-on-one.

“It was extra cool that we had Krystal come,” said Hill. “The students had so much fun meeting her and she put perspective on how it was really hard for her to get that part. It was multiple auditions, lots of traveling, being called back several times.”

Hernandez’s ascent began at Salem State University. “She didn't go to Boston Conservatory or some of these bigger schools that you think of when you think about professional, Broadway-level performers,” Hill explained. “She's had a really down-to-earth journey in the way that it was a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck and a lot of persistence and having to really, really show up for herself.”

“She’s Latina and so we also discussed her journey in terms of her culture and ethnicity and, ‘What does that mean about her as a performer in the roles she does and doesn't play?’” Hill said. “It was great for the kids to see someone that, in a lot of ways, has had opportunities that some of them might not consider to be ‘outstanding.’”

The performer shared her career advice and offered her own as an example. “She’s worked really, really, really hard and learned how to put herself in the right places for the right auditions, standing in line in the rain and the cold to be seen,” Hill added. “Her story was so unique and a particularly good one for these kids to hear when they're worried about, ‘What if I want to do this professionally and I don't see myself getting into some really big deal conservatory program?’ She’s a great testament. She's a super-regular person who has some really extraordinary talents and worked hard to leverage those and be seen. It was so special to have her here.”

Brooks’ “SIX: Teen Edition” cast has actually stayed in touch since Hernandez’s visit, communicating via social media while the actor finishes her tour.

“We've been sending photos and the students have been sharing their costumes with her,” said Hill. “They're so tickled every time she writes back — and she's sharing their exchanges with [her Toronto castmates]. We have ‘Jane Seymour’ and ‘Catherine Parr’ hyping up the rest of the cast. It's pretty incredible!”

Brooks’ cast is even planning to make and send Hernandez a bedazzled microphone because the star “said our microphones were cooler than hers.”

“Six: Teen Edition” is on stage at Brooks May 16-18. All are welcome! Get your free tickets via Brooks School’s Theater page and follow Brooks on Instagram to see videos from the cast backstage sharing their favorite lines from the show and more!