Carly Mercedes Dyer will be the new Jane Seymour when the touring version of Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ crowd and critic-pleasing musical Six begins its six-week Christmas season at The Lowry in Manchester on 27 November 2020.
The casting of Dyer whose genre credits include Leicester Curve’s recent production of West Side Story and the National Theatre’s Hadestown, coincides with the announcement of new tour dates for January 2021 at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (from 20 to 31 January 2021).
Commenting on the tour news, producers Kenny Wax, Wendy and Andy Barnes and George Stiles said: “We are delighted to welcome Carly into the Six family while at the same time thanking Lauren Byrne for her wonderful service to the show and we wish her well in the future.
“We are so pleased to be following our Christmas run at the Lowry with a fortnight at the Mayflower. And we also look forward to bringing Six back to Southampton in August, hopefully without social distancing.”
The touring Queens will be: Lauren Drew (Catherine of Aragon), Maddison Bulleyment (Anne Boleyn), Carly Mercedes Dyer (Jane Seymour), Shekinah McFarlane (Anna of Cleves), Jodie Steele (Katherine Howard) and Athena Collins (Catherine Parr), with alternates Jennifer Caldwell, Cassandra Lee and Harriet Watson. The Queens are backed by the show’s all female band The Ladies in Waiting.
With Covid safety guidelines in mind, the audience capacity at the Mayflower Theatre has been reduced from over 2,200 to approximately 950 seats (depending on the number booked for each party and to allow for enough space between each party). Other measures include enhanced cleaning, hand sanitation, temperature checks and the wearing of face coverings.
The tour is scheduled to return to the Mayflower Theatre for a week in August 2021 subject to Government guidelines.
As previously announced Six is due to become the first West End musical to resume performances next month when the hit show temporarily moves from its Arts Theatre home to the Lyric in Shaftesbury Avenue.
Running from 14 November 2020 until 31 January 2021, the Lyric Theatre run will begin a fortnight before the touring production of the rock-flavoured show also returns.
Announcing the reopening news, producers Kenny Wax, Wendy and Andy Barnes and George Stiles said: “Across our two UK productions of Six we have the opportunity to give work to 100 or so actors, musicians, technicians, stage managers, production managers, costume makers, marketing, press, ticketing and office staff.
“We accept that with social distancing it is unlikely to be economically viable, but we hope to entertain many thousands of theatregoers who have been starved of live entertainment since March.
“We hope that opening Six will help build audience confidence and bring business back to the local economy. We also understand that restarting productions, particularly musicals, remains impossible for most producers for reasons of scale, finance and lack of cancellation insurance. We continue to look forward to the day when social distancing is removed and theatre can play to 100% capacity.”
SIX will perform nine shows a week at the Lyric Theatre over the 11-week season. In accordance with Covid-19 safety guidelines capacity will be reduced due to the need for social distancing. Face coverings will be required, hand cleansers will be widely available and track and trace will be in operation. Other safety measures will include contactless tickets, temperature testing and the deep cleaning of the theatre. Six is expected to return to the Arts Theatre in March 2021 subject to the lifting of social distancing. The world premiere production of Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Story is due to open at the Lyric Theatre in early 2021.
Angela Thomas
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