Long live Queen Catherine of Aragon, also known as Chani Maisonet of ‘SIX’
By Donald Munro
As the musical “SIX” finishes up its regal run at the Saroyan Theatre, thousands of audience members have gotten to experience firsthand a performance that comes across with a fierce level of confidence and authority: Chani Maisonet, who plays the pivotal role of Catherine of Aragon.
Pictured above: Chani Maisonet plays Catherine of Aragon in the national tour of “SIX.” Photo: Joan Marcus
I was able to interview Maisonet by phone before the run of the show, and I watched her performance on opening night at the Saroyan. (For my joint review with Heather Parish, read here.) I was taken with the power and presence she gives us onstage. She seems perfectly cast in the role.
Catherine of Aragon was the first wife, the “legitimate” one, the queen with by far the longest tenure and the strongest claim to the throne. The humiliation she must have felt at Henry VIII casting her aside by seeking a divorce is very much a part of the character in “SIX.” I was struck with how Maisonet finds a way to draw a bit of sullen first-wife energy into the role while retaining the upbeat, independent swagger that the show needs. This is a woman who overcame a lot in her early years but also became accustomed to her station in life. Unlike the five wives of Henry who came after her, she didn’t have to scheme or seduce for her chance in the spotlight. On stage, Maisonet exudes this regal bearing. I thought it was a beautifully sung, nicely nuanced performance.
The production plays for two more performances.
Here are six things I learned talking with Maisonet:
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1. The actors can “feel” the audience.
When the queens are waiting to start the show, they can hear the audience buzzing in front of the curtain. Though it’s hard for the actors to hear the crowd once the show begins, this prelude offers a chance to hear that bubble of excitement. As the introductory chords crash into life, everything goes wild. “When we bust out with our first step in the show, it’s like we’re at a real-life Beyonce concert, where the people are losing their minds,” she says. “It’s incredible.”
2. Touring is really, really tough.
“Broadway is hard, but touring is harder in the fact that everyone gets at least one off day when you’re on Broadway. But on our off day, we travel, so we’re lugging around our luggage and suitcases and book bags and everything.” Eating healthfully is harder on tour as well. The queens often go grocery shopping together and eat out together, and working out is an important part of the agenda, too.
3. She is a versatile singer who can go with ease from Christine in “Phantom of the Opera” to Mimi in “RENT.”
Maisonet trained as an opera singer and is a vocal teacher, so she knows how to take care (and conserve) her voice. “I can talk very in-depth about this because I’m such a nerd about it, but, yeah, you do have to manage your voice.” One thing to avoid: going out with friends to a place with loud music that you’d have to end up talking over.
4. Landing the role of Aragon is a big deal for her.
She decided four years ago to move to New York to do the whole Broadway thing. After booking a swing role in the national tour of “Ain’t Too Proud” and a background vocalist/understudy role in the of-Broadway production of “Titanique,” she has found herself in a big, juicy principal role. She started playing Aragon in November. “It really means a lot,” she says.
5. She plays Catherine of Aragon as, well, a queen.
“She has an ego, and the competition [the premise of the show] is No. 1 to her, because she believes she’s the No. 1 queen. She has an aggressive energy.”
6. Yet the cast members are more about sisterhood than a queenly rivalry.
And for Maisonet, that idea of sisterhood becomes by far the most important theme of “SIX.”
“I grew up with a lot of sisters, and their achievements never made me shrink,” she says. “It never made me have bad thoughts about them. So tearing down another queen wouldn’t be my instinct. I know that a queen beside me can also have her own achievements, and we can celebrate each other.”
