Interview with Vicki Manser

Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived.
You may know their names and their fame and their faces but new musical Six delves into the glory and the disgraces of the six wives of Henry VIII.
This new musical has taken the West End by storm and we were lucky enough to get to know Queen Vicki Manser a little better.

Vicki has previously performed in Bat out of Hell, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical and Sunny Afternoon but is currently amazing fans as the alternative for Anne Boleyn and Anna of Cleves and let’s just say it’s not hard to see why fans have fallen in love!

Over the last year the buzz around the Queendom has simply exploded but for those who may not be familiar with the show, how would you best describe Six?
“Six is 75 minutes of pure GENIUS!!! Personally, I think it’s one of the funniest shows out there and you’ll belly laugh from start to finish … but the thing that makes it so clever is that amongst the jokes and incredible soundtrack, there’s actually a kick ass message of girl power told through the stories of Henry VIII’s wives. If you love history … you’ll love it … if you don’t love history … you’ll still love it! It’s a show for everyone!”

What has been your favourite thing about performing with this production so far?
“Performing every night that I’m on is my favourite thing because the show is just amazing and sharing the stage with so many talented ladies is a dream!!! I also LOVE how interactive it is with the audience because my favourite thing to do is to play off people’s reactions. But I have to say … one of my favourite things about this show is the love and support the alternates get from not only the incredible fans but also the show itself!!! I’ll never forget when myself, Courtney Stapleton and Grace Mouat had a video made specifically for the first night we all went on together and it was promoted across all the Six social media! I sent it to ALL my family! I was like … WOW … I’m an alternate and they are doing this?!?!?! And I truly believe that positivity feeds into all of the Queendom! If you see me on a my train home, I’m the goofball that can’t stop beaming from ear to ear reading all the lovely messages of support and appreciation from everyone! I think a lot of shows could learn from Six in that respect. They are setting trends … making HER-story in more ways than one!!!”

You’re currently the alternate for both Anne Boleyn and Anna of Cleves. This may be an unfair question but do you have a favourite out of the two? (I completely appreciate this may be the equivalent to picking a favourite child!)
“Haha! Yes it is! And if you’d asked me a few months back at the beginning of my run I wouldn’t of been able to answer … but I deffo have a little soft spot for Queen B! Out of all the queens she’s the closest to me and I have a right laugh being her! She’s also the one I’ve been on the most for and it’s nice to have a run at one queen because you can really find your rhythm with it and find new things!”

Congratulations on recently reaching your 60th show! Have there been any performances which have particularly stood out so far?
“Thank you very much! One of our lovely fans Abbeigh had been counting for me! I had no idea but that’s a pretty cool milestone to reach! It’s so hard picking out singular performances but I have to say (and maybe this is for the wrong reasons) but it was a HILARIOUS show when the curtain fell down before we had even started and we were all just stood on stage looking at the audience like ‘TA DAHHHHHH!’ That’s a story to tell! I was on for Boleyn that day and also enjoyed making a joke about it later in the show!

Every performance that I have family and friends in is always memorable because I love coming out to them after and seeing their faces during the bows! I’m very lucky to have so much support.

Another performance that sticks in my mind must of been the second or third time I went on for Parr and one of the writers, Lucy Moss, was watching. I’ll always remember her reaction when I came out into the foyer after the show and knowing she was so happy with my own take on the role was so nice to hear! That’s another thing about this show and unlike many others, is that as cover you have your own artistic license with each role and you don’t have to be a carbon copy. She gave me 100% creativity to do what I wanted and her trust for me to do that meant a lot to me.”

The queens are all incredibly empowering but outside the world of Six, who would you say is your ultimate queen?
“This is the easiest question of them all … MY MUMMA! She’s my queen all day everyday! She LOVES six too and I ring her after every single show to tell her about it! And she watches all the Megasixes on Twitter! My biggest supporter and my best friend! I wouldn’t be where I am today without her and my family. They are the best and I’m one lucky girl to have them!”

I know so many fans look to the Six queens for advice and guidance but what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“‘Everything happens for a reason’ – I’m a strong believer in that! And it’s true! Even if we don’t know what that reason is at that time … trust the universe.
Also positivity is key … a good friend of mine and a fellow performer sent me a beautiful message after we played opposite each other in a show for a week and I read that message before every audition I do to bring my self-belief to the surface.”

I’m not sure if you get much of a chance to see other shows, but what’s the best show you’ve seen recently?
“I’m just trying to think of the last things I’ve seen!!! I don’t get to go much because I’m always so busy but choreographically Hamilton was great. I adored Dreamgirls when I saw the open dress of that a couple of years ago! And I recently took my dad to see Only Fools And Horses! Old school British comedy … *Boleyn voice* ‘ABSOLUTE CLASSIC!’”

If you could be in any other show in the world right now which would you choose and why?
“Mean Girls all the way!!!!!!! Who doesn’t love that soundtrack .. am I right?!?!
Also Frozen because I’m obsessed with Disney … and Queens … LOL!”

I think it’s fair to say that Six is the ultimate girl power show but what is one message you’d love fans to take away after visiting the Haus of Holbein?
“‘Real Queens fix each other’s crowns.’”

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Vicki for taking the time to answer our questions. Good luck with the rest of the run!
For more information from Vicki you can follow her on Twitter or Instagram. Alternatively head to the official Six website to book tickets to see one of the West End’s hottest musicals.