The Broadway tour of “SIX” is coming to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in just a matter of weeks, and only CBS News Colorado viewers are getting behind the scenes access to the show before it opens at the Buell Theatre. SIX follows the story of King Henry VIII’s six wives, giving a new and quick-tempo glance into each of their stories.
Though the show is about King Henry VIII’s wives, the king is not a character in the performance. Rather, all six wives are reimagined through modern music, lyrics and their wardrobe.
Few would know the show and the queens better than Jana Glover, an alternate for three of the queens in the show. Glover is an alternate for those portraying Catherine Parr, Anne of Cleves and Catherine of Aragon.
Glover took CBS News Colorado’s Dillon Thomas behind the scenes of a recent performance in Austin and gave viewers rare access to see the details that go into making these historic characters a modern Broadway sensation.
Away from their music, there was a lot of little details that went into Gabriella Slade making their costumes.
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“Gabriella Slade’s inspiration was to stick to the silhouettes of the time period, but throw in some modern fabrics as well,” Glover said.
First, Glover showed off her Catherine of Aragon costume.
“The inspiration behind this costume was (Catherine of Aragon’s) Spanish routes and her Catholic routes as well. So, we chose the colors black and gold,” Glover said.
The outfit features gold spikes, jewels and more.
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“This top piece looks like armor. We have beautiful detailing as well,” Glover said. “Fun fact about this costume is it weighs about 15 pounds when it is on.”
Glover then showed off the red and black outfit which depicts the character Anne of Cleves. The costume features black fur and deep red tones.
“Cleves is such a vibrant, bold, sexy and fun character, and it is reflected in her costume,” Glover said.
Unlike several of the queens in the show, Anne of Cleves’ costume features shorts instead of a skirt.
“Her not wearing a skirt is a little less traditional. But, it brings feminist energy to everything she represents,” Glover said.
The final costume Glover showed off was that of Catherine Parr. The outfit is a royal blue color, mixed with black elements.
“Something that is really cool is Catherine Parr wears pants. She is the promoter of feminists. She is very female driven and fought for women her entire life,” Glover said.
Because Glover plays so many roles, pieces of her costume can be quickly modified to switch between each character. For example her boots, which are covered in sequins, can quickly be adjusted to reflect different costumes.
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Interchangeable bands of sequins quickly snap on and off of the boots.
“We each have different colors,” Glover said, noting the bands of sequins change colors depending on what character she is portraying.
It is also often up to Glover to make sure her makeup properly reflects the queen that she is playing any given night.
“Another really-really fun part that completes the work is the makeup. The makeup look reflects what the queen is like,” Glover said.
Glover’s dressing room has many different makeup kits, each that allow her to make sure the tones of her makeup reflect the colors and moods of each individual queen.
Glover said she is a Denver Nuggets fan and loves Colorado. She will join the rest of the cast when they visit Denver Dec. 5th through Dec. 24. Tickets for the performances can be purchased here.
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“We have a lot of fun here playing with the costumes and makeup. This is a really big piece of the show and I am glad you got to get a closer look,” Glover said.
CBS News Colorado is a proud partner of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
