Gabriela Carrillo as Queen Catherine Parr in Six The Musical National Tour. Tickets range from $40-$150. Photo: Joana Marcus
Eight time Tony Award nominated Six the Musical, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, will make its South Florida debut at the Broward Center on Oct 11 and continue with a run at Arsht Center starting Oct 25 until Oct. 30th. The show explores history and the multifaceted lives of Henry the eighth's six wives through impactful lyrics and irresistible pop melodies.
Gabriela Carrillo portrays Catherine Parr, Henry’s sixth wife whose interests included writing books and encouraging education.
Carrillo described the audition process for Six as a 360 approach involving singing, dancing, and acting. She auditioned through tapes, monologues, and even had a final video chat as part of the cast. Then, the pandemic started.
Once theater returned in 2021, she traveled to Chicago and New York for another round of auditions. “We were equally judged for each part of our performance because it’s equally as important to the show. It was a lot of pressure but I rose to the occasion,” she said.
“Get Down” is the song that makes her light up and she enjoys tapping into a powerful and irreverent part of herself during that performance. She also loves singing the beginning of “I Don’t Need Your Love,” Catherine Parr’s anthem because of the lyrics and piano.
“It’s calming but it’s also such high energy because I can feel that the audience is waiting for what Catherine’s about to say, especially people who have never seen the show,” she said.
Her biggest takeaway from performing Six is a personal lesson: “just because something is hard and feels hard doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”
Learning and performing the 80 minute musical has been the most challenging role she has tackled so far. Carrillo recalls during the process of learning the show she would become impatient with herself or have self doubts as a performer.
“Now, I’m doing the show eight times a week. I realize that the next time I confront a situation that feels hard, I’m going to remember that I can do hard things,” she said.
From Catherine Parr specifically, Carrillo has learned to extend compassion to herself if the day doesn’t go as planned. She notes Parr had a lot of grace and forgiveness for other people.
She remarked that Parr married Henry the Eighth despite being in love with someone else because Parr felt that it was her duty.
If Carrillo were to meet her character in real life, she would like to know what the role of queen meant to Parr particularly during that time period. She would also ask about the top three things that Parr would change.
“I would like to see if much has changed between then and our modern world. In Six, through the jokes we realize a lot of the problems that the queens had back then were not so different from the problems we have now,” Carrillo said.
The message she would like audiences to leave the show with is that things should be questioned. Taking a note from Parr, she says if something feels off, that’s your heart and gut telling you it needs to be confronted. She hopes that this show inspires change makers to go out and do their thing.
Gabriela performing at NPR's Tiny Desk series. Photo: @officialgabrielacarrillo on Instagram.
Although she is a part of Six, there are still opportunities that catch Carrillo by surprise. Performing at NPR’s Tiny Desk with the cast was one of those moments.
Along with it being an indication of the show’s impact, Carrillo notes that it’s an important step for the theater community as well. While theater performers may be seen as a different art form than touring artists, Carrillo said artists like Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyoncé have theatrical shows similar to Six of imparting a message through songs.
“To be on Tiny Desk where so many legends have performed as a theater cast, it felt like it was a real moment where theater and women in theater were given a nod of respect. I really appreciated that and it was very empowering for all of us,” she said.
Through her role in Six, Carrillo has become more and more cognizant of the need for Latina/ Latinx representation in theater. Born in Chicago and a first generation Mexican American, she often receives messages from fans who want to pursue theater and see her as an inspiration.
Carrillo's first professional role was Annie at nine years old at the American Girl Theater in Chicago./ Photo: @officialgabrielacarrillo on Instagram.
“Not only am I representing women totally kicking butt but also Latinas who historically through theater have been put in one very specific box to play maybe four or five specific roles that people can name off the top of their head. This show is about so much more than that. It also doesn’t ask me to forget my background. It asks me to use my background and my pride in my roots to tell this story,” she said.
Working with an all women cast on Six was a first for Carrillo which she says created a safe and joyful space. She hopes to see more shows and roles in theater with femme presenting people and queer casts.
Parr is not the first royal Carrillo has portrayed. Before Six, she was cast as Elsa for Disneyland’s Frozen Live at the Hyperion Theater. Fans even created the hashtag of Latin Elsa. However, it was the first theater production she did where the majority of audience members were children.
As a little kid, she remembers how important theater was to her, the Disney magic of meeting Peter Pan, and seeing the Beauty and the Beast show at Disney World.
“I wanted the kids to have the best experience they could. I have never really had stage fright like I had when I played Elsa,” she said.
Although the show was cut short due to the pandemic, Carrillo is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the magic and give back to children.
She credits being the performer she is today to learning from every audition. She advises aspiring theater performers to avoid getting caught up in the industry and trying to emulate people who are really successful since there is a place for everyone.
Carrillo recalls that five to ten years ago there was not much of a place for her in theater as a Latina.
“If I had tried to hide my heritage or not be proud of it… if other people who came before me would've tried to hide who they were, the theater world would not be the same. There would be no change. I want to encourage young people to be themselves. That is the most valuable thing you can do is be yourself and bring yourself to every experience,” she said.
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