Six (Teen Edition)

Thalian Theatre Company “Six Teen edition”
Thalian Hall, Welwyn Garden City, 22nd August 2024
Director/Choreographer: Tammy Wall MD: Rachel Davies

Six Teen has become a popular show for youth societies, with its positive girl power message, there is even a Spice Girl quote within the show, but it is one of the most vocally difficult shows to do well. Thalian Theatre Company did a wonderful job. Six Teen only works well if you have six girls who work well together, not only did these six or ten girls if we include the ladies in waiting work well together but they looked like they were loving every minute of it!

It was clear Tammy Wall the director had worked with the girls on diction, as every joke and every line was clear and well delivered.

This show is so difficult as the harmonies are what make the songs stand out, from the first note until the last note the girls were well rehearsed and well taught by Rachel Davies. Each harmony line was clear, and it sounded stunning!

Catherine of Aragon was portrayed by Lara Karbritz, she had a great voice and lovely stage presence. She had super comical timing and hit all the sarcastic notes.

Phoebe Spanoudakis was Anne Boleyn. The delivery of her dialogue was on point, and she knew exactly how to make sure her one liners got a laugh from the audition even if she had “lost her head”.

“Heart of Stone” Jane Seymour’s song in Six and Six teen has become a standout moment in both amateur and professional productions, and from looking in the programme I was nervous seeing that Niah Cowan is only 12. Well, I like surprises, Niah handled the song incredibly, far beyond her young years, and the note at the end of song was stunning. This a moment that will stay with me, for a long while, well done Niah you should be proud of yourself!

Chloe Palmer took on Anne of Cleves, and she has a tricky number that only works if the actress can rap with diction. Chloe turned 18 on the night I saw this show and she gave a wonderful performance, and her diction was great not a lost word! This also showed in her dialogue as her diction and timing was good and I found myself laughing at moments I have not laughed at before!

Jenna Roberts played Katherine Howard, and again just like the other young ladies showed she has had a good voice and superb stage presence, she commanded the stage and could front her own band easily.

Layla McGreevy is again 12 and she took Catherine Parr’s tricky song. Something that made Layla and Niah stand out was the fact that they both had nowhere to hide, it is just them and the song nothing happening around them. Layla gave a mature performance one that captivated the audience.

Lacey Alexander, Mia Wildman, Han Geo and Lilianna Swaile were the Ladies in waiting. What they did they did well, they supported the six queens well, I couldn’t help but feel they could have done more, at times they faded into the background, which was a shame as all four are clearly talented.

The costumes were made by Ruth Burton and closely resembled the West End costumes but with enough changed to make them her own. I really liked them and like that each queen had their own style. I also really appreciate the attention detail, including the eye make and nails of the girls to match their costumes, it’s a small detail but a relevant and thought out one.

The set was simple with the crown that lights up as the focal point at the back, with decking to give levels. This gave space for the performers.

Being a concert, I could see that lighting had been thought about, however I think it could have gone further and had more of an impact, this is a show that lighting can be very imaginative. Sound was good, and there was one moment when a microphone failed, this happens and normally I would not mention it, but I would like to mention how professional Jenna and Layla were in how they swapped microphones and most of the audience would not have even noticed.

I really enjoyed meeting the cast and production team and seeing how much this show meant to all off them and thank you to Mandy for her hospitality.

Scott Welch

NODA Representative – NODA East District 9

NODA owns the intellectual Property Rights to the content of all show reports written by NODA Councillors, Reps and Assistant Reps