Coronation day was Feb. 19 for PHS alumnus Kay Sibal, as she made her Broadway debut in the Tony Award-winning musical SIX. This “pop concert spectacle” follows the stories of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England into a “euphoric celebration of 21st-century girl power,” according to broadway.com.
For a year, Sibal will be performing the role of Katherine Howard at the Lena Horne Theater in New York City, according to playbill.com.
“It’s hard not to just say this means everything to me,” Sibal said. “This has been the ultimate dream, and I feel like it has been what I have put the most work into ever since the musicals at Piedmont.”
Sibal said there was a lot of support and familiar faces in the audience on her opening night, including many from Piedmont.
“I feel how special it is that so many people have been so supportive [of me] for so many years and that so many of them [were] there,” Sibal said. “I know that I have wanted this for myself for so long, but I think many other people have also wanted this for me.”
Sibal said the rehearsal process has been challenging but rewarding. Sibal began rehearsals in mid-January.
“It is a new level of difficulty, but I’m so grateful to be challenged in this way; it’s everything I’ve ever asked for,” Sibal said. “We have to hold so many details in our brains while having to execute many layers of skill at once. It’s a very detailed job and it takes a different level of focus that I’ve never had to use before.”
Sibal said SIX combines her favorite musical aspects, including pop singing and group harmonies. Audience members Cara Walker and her seven-year-old daughter Layla Walker said they listen to the SIX soundtrack “all the time.”
“The music and the costumes are bright, colorful, fun, and energetic,” Cara said. “It’s one of our favorites!”
In March 2019, the soundtrack of SIX became the second-highest streamed musical theater album, trailing only Hamilton, according to sixonbroadway.com. SIX has won 23 Tony Awards, including Best Original Score in 2022.
In addition to its award-winning soundtrack, Sibal said SIX celebrates the individuality of the characters wonderfully and that the small cast of only six women creates a strong theme of sisterhood.
“All six of us have such different personalities, even in the rehearsal room. It’s a wonderful space where we can celebrate our personalities because we are all so different,” Sibal said.
Like their personalities, Sibal said each cast member’s audition process looked a little different. Sibal first auditioned for the show in 2021, while some of her castmates began their auditioning in 2018.
“The casting process can be really tough, and it’s such a puzzle to cast any show, movie, or television show,” Sibal said. “There are so many factors both in and out of your control.”
Sibal said it took her a lot of patience to get where she is now.
“I just had a feeling that this was the show for me for such a long time, so I kept going for it,” Sibal said. “If you are someone who has a dream show or a dream role, chances are, you are probably perfect for it; you just have to keep going.”
