The musical “Six,” which is in Honolulu through June 29, starts with King Henry VIII’s six wives — most of whom were beheaded, divorced or died in childbirth — competing for who had it the worst, all while singing.
“Art becomes relevant when it can reflect the time in which it is being viewed,” Kevin McCollum, its producer, told Aloha State Daily. “This is not a history lesson. It's a joyous, energy-infused show that will surprise you.”
McCollum has been the producer of a number of new musicals, including three highly regarded shows, which went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical: “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “In the Heights.” His current musical, “Six,” presented by Broadway in Hawaiʻi, explores the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII. It opened Tuesday, June 17 and runs through June 29 at Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets start at $50.
For McCollum, the musical’s arrival in Honolulu marks a homecoming.
“I have to tell you, it was a convergence of just pure joy, gratitude and awe,” said McCollum as he reflected on opening night. “The joy is to be able to bring my life's work to where I was born. The awe was the talent of this wonderful group of people — who have been touring for over 40 weeks together — and getting to be part of a show that is embraced by a Honolulu audience.”
The day before opening night, McCollum also spent some time at Punahou School, where he went to middle school. There, he spoke with students in the Partnerships in Unlimited Educational Opportunities, or PUEO, summer program, which includes students from across the state.
“I talked about theater making and using your voice, especially in those transformative years where you're growing,” he said. “And just in terms of the rituals of even a lei and what it means, and the gratitude and the grace we give each other [in Hawaiʻi].”
Growing up on Oʻahu, his mother worked for KGMB TV. He and his mother performed at Honolulu Community Theatre, which is now known as Diamond Head Theatre. At Punahou School, he was just a year behind Barack Obama. In fact, the fifth and sixth grade student council had seven people and included them.
“I'm not exactly sure what we accomplished, but we decided at that age we wanted to be on the student council,” he said.
For McCollum, becoming a producer was not the original plan. He planned to be an actor. But when his mother died when he was 14 years old, he moved to Deerfield, Illinois, to live with his aunt and uncle and their two daughters.
“They had just started a children's theater, and I loved to perform, so I immediately threw myself into meeting people by performing,” he said.
He trained professionally, but by the time he was in his mid-20s, he decided he was tired of waiting for permission to play another teenage character.
“I didn't feel I was using the most of my time,” McCollum said. “Because when you lose somebody, you realize you're only going to be here for so long. We’re all only here for so long. But I had an urgency, and I really felt I loved being part of being in a family, but I was also always curious: how do we put these teams together to tell new stories?”
After graduating from film school at the University of Southern California, he worked for Disney for about a year and half. He missed the theater and had an opportunity to help a director produce a show.
“Once I did that, I realized: ʻOK, I'm a theater creature, so I'm going to try to make shows,’” he said.
Jonathan Larson, the American composer and lyricist who wrote “Rent,” was a friend and his musical became “one of the first major shows I backed,” he said.
“That became a big hit,” he said. “I've been investing in new voices ever since. It's not a job, it's a calling. I just kept trusting my gut that I wanted to be part of helping people tell their stories.”
“Six” includes original music from Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow.
“They've written a beautiful show, a very funny show, a very energetic show,” he said.
How did growing up in Hawaiʻi shape his career?
“In Hawai‘i, people show up for each other,” he said. “It was an ethic that stayed with me. Family is really important. Communities are very important. Neighborhoods are important, and all my musicals are really about neighborhoods.”
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
