Shown from left are, first row: Lydia Federici as Anna of Cleves, Mia Sperrazza as Katherine Howard and Gabbi Howe as Catherine Parr. Second row: Raegan Czyzycki as Catherine of Aragon, Lily Milazzo as Anne Boleyn, and Sydney Clark as Jane Seymour. The young women will alternate roles with another cast in the Ovation Playhouse production of ‘Six: Teen Edition.’
Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader
Musical ‘Six: Teen Edition’ may help you decide
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Thinking back to her earliest, fairy-tale thoughts about being a queen, 18-year-old Gabbi Howe of Hazleton remembered how she figured it would be fun.
“I liked the whole idea of not having to do work,” she said. “I loved the idea of wearing big, fancy ballgowns.”
But alas, as Howe and several other young actors have realized, historically, being a queen sometimes has meant being subject to the whims of a self-centered king, suffering exile, worrying about producing an heir to the throne, maybe even having your head chopped off.
During a recent rehearsal break, six teens who will represent wives of Henry VIII in the Ovation Playhouse production of “Six: Teen Edition” explained the production will present them as modern-day singers all competing to become the frontwoman in a pop group.
“We all want to be the best,” said Raegan Czyzycki, 18, of Swoyersville, who portrays Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife who was replaced by her one-time lady-in-waiting Anne Boleyn. “But then we all cooperate.”
“It’s girl power,” said Mia Sperrazza, 16, of Wilkes-Barre, who portrays Katherine Howard, the fifth wife who, like Anne Boleyn, ended up being beheaded
While the queenly characters will tell audiences how much they suffered at the hands of Henry, they’ll also be representing musical royalty — singing and/or dancing in the styles of Beyoncé, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, and others.
“I do a lot of stomping and kicking,” said Lily Milazzo, 15, of Shavertown, who in her role as Anne Boleyn sings in the style of Avril Lavigne.
“Mine is a ballad,” said Sydney Clark, 17, of Ransom Township, who portrays Jane Seymour more in the style of Adele and Sia.
“Cleves has a get-down, very hiphop style,” said Lydia Federici, 17, of Dallas, who portrays Anna of Cleves.
“And Katherine Howard’s is very hot,” Sperrazza said.
Before they joined the cast of the musical, some of the young women admitted they didn’t know much about the many wives of Henry VIII.
“Nothing,’ Czyzycki said, shaking her head.
But Milazzo, who portrays Anne Boleyn, had researched the character for a school paper. “I had to write an essay,” she said, explaining she was interested in Boleyn in part because “she was beheaded on my birthday.”
Czyzycki as Catherine of Aragon, Milazzo as Anne Boleyn, Clark as Jane Seymour, Federici as Anna of Cleves, Sperrazza as Howard and Howe as Parr comprise one cast for the Ovation Playhouse production. They will take turns, sharing the roles with another cast of six young women, with each cast taking part in four performances over the next two weekends.
“The show is definitely geared toward teens and young adults,” director Mike Marone said, adding, “history buffs may like it, too.”
“Six: Teen Edition” will be presented in Ovation Playhouse’s Blackbox Space at the Dolphin Plaza, 1153 PA Route 315 where, the director said, the atmosphere lends itself to “an underground club.”
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30; 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31; 2 p.m. Sept. 1; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6; 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7 and 2 p.m. Sept. 8. Tickets are $20, available online or by calling 570-846-0707.
