Will SIX ever stunt-cast?

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 7:25pm

Six has definitely proved to be a license to print money, with it still pulling in around a million a week almost two years after officially opening. It reminds me a lot of Hamilton or Hadestown; the rare example of a show with no bankable source material or big stars, proving to be a success on the strength of it's concept and music.

Unlike those two shows, however, it feels a lot more like a show that was built to stunt-cast. You have six well-written leading characters, each with a solo, with limited movement or technical requirements (save for some tight harmonies). It makes sense that if the producers ever wanted to, they could find a lot of performers outside of the realm of theatre (particularly pop music singers) that could step into the show.

Do you think this might happen? Will there come a day when the box office starts to dwindle and a star will be brought in to drum up buzz? Who would you want to see play a queen?

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 7:43pm

Harvey

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 7:47pm

First I would disagree that these are well written characters. These are all generic archetypes with little development. The producers seem to be mining theatre schools for young women with great voices. It’s a huge opportunity for them to join a hit show. Much like Elphaba they seem to want interchangeable talent with great indefatigable voices. I think they are cool with burning out voices because they can easily replace them. 
 

There is no reason to stunt cast until maybe the show is on its last legs. Even then, I feel there are very few pop stars who could sing this score live 8 shows a week. Not worth the expense. 
 

That being said the film version will be filled with pop stars because they won’t have to sing live. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 8:21pm

A one-night only benefit of older diva queens:

Baranski

Peters

LuPone

Murphy

McDonald

Ebersole

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 8:33pm

SIX is the perfect show to stunt cast mainstream pop artists when grosses start to sag. The characters are thinly written as is, so it’s all about the vocal pyrotechnics and sex appeal. 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 9:25pm

i dont see how it could stunt cast. At least 4 of these roles demand insane vocal abilities; what famous actress with those skills would take on a role where shes a backup singer for 5/6 of a 90 min show? Each character gets a few minutes center stage, and then fades into the background or appears in group numbers. Not sure which Name would agree to such an inherently supporting role?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 9:33pm

As of now they don’t need to, and think it would greatly throw off the ensemble calibration of the show if someone with a huge following was in it.  

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 9:37pm

Hmmm... I wonder if this is the kind of show that, oh I dunno, Kelly Clarkson would uproot an entire talk show and move to the East Coast for.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 9:57pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "As of now they don’t need to, and think it would greatly throw off the ensemble calibration of the show if someone with a huge following was in it."

Exactly right. It's an ensemble show, Stunt casting would throw everything off.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 11:04pm

Which of the six equally featured Queens would Kelly C play?

Would she rather woo the audience with a big opener as Aragon and then disappear as a backup vocalist for an hour, or distract the audience for an hour and then sing one song before sending them home?

[NotThatSmart]

Posted: 5/16/23 at 11:28pm

I have heard from a friend in the industry (who has significant broadway credits) that has auditioned for this show that SIX is more than likely going to cast lesser known actresses for the queens. We are talking like, people making their Broadway debut level lesser known. 

I scream because I think that my friend is a perfect Howard, but I digress. 

Although we can all agree that this music is hard, this is a great debut show for someone due to the length and even split of time with the other women. It also doesn’t really rely on who is in the cast to succeed. 


The music and cultural sensation sells the show enough. In fact, I think the biggest names this show has had would be Abby Mueller from the first cast and Taylor Iman Jones in the current cast. And, even they are names that not everyone who are theater fans would know. I don’t see them ever casting any names bigger than that. Almost everyone else who has been a principal queen has been rather unknown until this show blew them up in the mainstream culture. 

I have a gut feeling the cast will change again within the next year (as the same thing occurs on the West End) when contracts expire and I can almost guarantee most of the names that come in next will be unknowns. 

Updated On: 5/16/23 at 11:28 PM

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 5/17/23 at 12:34am

Totally agree that it would mess it up to stunt cast. The roles are supposed to be equal on stage and having 1 super famous person throws that off. 

What I think they could do that would be awesome would some sort of super limited concert production with all big stars. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/17/23 at 6:28am

Reverse gender casting like 1776

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/17/23 at 10:19am

Dollypop said: "Reverse gender casting like 1776"

Please god no. One of the main messages of the show is girl power and female unity. As for stunt casting, I would love to see..

KeKe Palmer
Kim Petras 
Dove Cameron
Sabrina Carpenter 
Zara Larson 

[Kad]

Posted: 5/17/23 at 10:48am

A major part of Six's success is that it is inexpensive to run- and that includes its strategy of casting "unknowns" who can be paid minimum or near-minimum salaries. A big name would demand a salary that could probably be equivalent to the rest of the performers combined. 

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 5/17/23 at 11:58am

^ Unless, say, they get a piece of the back end instead by sticking their name above the title, and I don't mean in the star slot. Not that she's taken over a role in her show, but Mariah Carey has certainly made producing in name only look glamorous, as did the boatload of newcomer name "producers" aboard A Strange Loop.

Updated On: 5/17/23 at 11:58 AM

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 4:33pm

Kad said: "A major part of Six's success is that it is inexpensive to run- and that includes its strategy of casting "unknowns" who can be paid minimum or near-minimum salaries. A big name would demand a salary that could probably be equivalent to the rest of the performers combined."

It doesn't have to be EXPENSIVE stunt casting. They could follow the Chicago model and bring in a Pam Anderson or a Real Housewife, or a Raven-Symone who is a "name" but isn't going to be expensive but may have a following

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 7:06pm

sigh. Pam Anderson, Jinkx Monsoon, Lisa Rinna, whoever, are never going to (a) be able to sing this score, and/or (b) be willing to stand around and handle the tricky backing vocals for 85% of their stage time. This is all totally ridiculous. 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/18/23 at 11:54pm

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "^ Unless, say, they get a piece of the back end instead by sticking their name above the title, and I don't mean in the star slot. Not that she's taken over a role in her show, but Mariah Carey has certainly made producing in name only look glamorous, as did the boatload of newcomer name "producers" aboard A Strange Loop."

The creators aren’t going to invite anyone in to take profits whether it be by hiring a star or a star producer. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. They want interchangeable killer voices of generic actresses they can pay the minimum who can swap in and out. Let’s face it, on tour most of these women can even do all the shows in one week. The actresses are swapped out a lot.

if you start casting even a Broadway name people will complain if they aren’t in. Right now no one cares who is in the show. Except for maybe the obsessive stans who deliberate the minute pros and cons of every actress  

 

[Wee Thomas2]

Posted: 5/21/23 at 8:13am

Yes, this is harder than a Chicago and needs a better signer.  Of whom there are dozens of pop stars who were big names 5, 15, 25 years ago who'd be able to handle it just fine and might bring in their "stans"

[BETTY22]

Posted: 5/21/23 at 8:51am

Of course once the weekly grosses drop.