Six for Six: Quickfire with Maiya Quansah-Breed (aka Catherine Parr)

06 Sep
2018
Posted in: Features Interviews
Author: Staff
six-for-six-quickfire-with-maiya-quansah-breed-aka-catherine-parr
Maiya Quansah-Breed is Catherine Parr

Six questions for six queens. Next in our quickfire series featuring the stars of smash-hit new pop concert musical SIX, about Henry VIII's wives, newcomer Maiya Quansah-Breed, who plays Catherine Parr, is in the spotlight...

From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six ill-treated wives of Henry VIII seize the mic to tell their stories. With songs including Ex Wives, Haus of Holbein and Don’t Lose Ur Head, this pop concert remixes five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an evening of 21st-century sass. If you thought SIX was all about one man – you thought wrong!

The cast are: Aimie Atkinson (as Katherine Howard), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Alexia McIntosh (Anna of Cleves), Jarneia Richard-Noel (Catherine of Aragon), Maiya Quansah-Breed (Catherine Parr) and Millie O'Connell (Anne Boleyn) with Grace Mouat (Swing/Dance Captain). Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, this new production is directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage with choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille

SIX runs at the Arts Theatre, London from 30 August to 14 October 2018. Tickets are priced £6-£39.50. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE!


Quickfire with... Maiya Quansah-Breed

Maiya plays Catherine Parr, Henry VIII's sixth and final wife. The one who 'survived' and outlived him... just. She and Henry were married from 1543 to 1547. He died on 28 January 1547. Parr married her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour, six months later but then died herself in September 1548.

What’s the fave thing you’ve learned about your queen?

After Henry died and Catherine was widowed for the third time, she married Thomas Seymour, Jane Seymour’s brother, making Jane her sister-in-law!

Who’s your fave of Henry’s other wives?

Anna of Cleves, I just think she is so cool. She got the best deal, and she didn’t change for no one - she still spoke German to everyone around her so they were forced to understand her!

Who do you think could be a modern equivalent of Henry?

I don’t think anyone compares to Henry. He was a mean-spirited man.  

What’s your fave lyric from the show?

“You say it’s a pity coz quoting Leviticus
I’ll end up kiddiless all my life” 

In June, you gave Londoners a sneak-peek of your SIX performance at West End Live. What was that like? 

It was so surreal, genuinely like an out of body experience. I was just praying I got everything we rehearsed right! It was incredible. 

You’ve just had a sell-out run at EdFringe. What’s your fave memory of the festival?

There was one performance with a lady in the front row in front of me. When we sang “Six Wives” near the end of the show, this woman jumped out of her seat but no one else was standing up, so she shouted at them! Eventually, people started to stand and she was like “yeah, that’s what I thought!”. She was giving me so much energy that show, I was loving her. 


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