Hippodrome Stages Six the Musical Through Sunday With Catherine of Aragon in Armor

Christina Jones is playing Catherine of Aragon at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, where Six the Musical runs through Sunday, October 1. Jones takes the role of Henry VIII's first wife, who married the king in 1509 and refused to accept that the marriage was invalid when he sought an annulment.

The production casts the six wives as pop performers, each taking the stage to present her own account. Jones said of Catherine, "She's a warrior queen, but she also has a very loving, very gentle side. She wants to do the best that I can for myself and for my country."

Jones previously appeared in The Wiz on Broadway. She said the role arrived during a difficult stretch, having left another production she did not continue: "I was just coming off of another show that I didn't end up continuing with, and I think even in the beginning of the year, it was just a very, very rough time for me personally. So to have that news and to be able to prepare and have that to look forward to was really exciting."

Her costume for Catherine is built as armor, with choreography that includes pirouettes. "It's definitely giving armor. It's very strong, it's very spiky, it's very authoritative," Jones said. "I'm having to dance, do pirouettes and all these other things in this literal armor."

Jones said she wants audiences leaving the theater with Catherine's record in view: "I want audiences to take away her resilience. I think that her story is very, very inspiring. She was fighting tooth and nail to stay queen, not only because it was her duty, but also because she loved Henry. She loved Henry till the day that she died."

Six the Musical continues at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore through Sunday, October 1, with Jones cast as Catherine of Aragon.