Talk to Mary Elliott on the phone and the joy in her voice is clear to hear.
See her on stage in the West End, resplendent in a contemporary version of regal garb, eyes big and made up to the nth degree, pink ponytail swishing to the beat, and there is no doubt she is in her element.
This queendom is exactly what she has been waiting for since she was a child, treading the boards at the Bronya Emily School of Dance in Kendal.
But it was only later, while she was studying performing arts at Kendal College, that she realised she could sing as well as dance.
Those skills, honed in Cumbria, polished at drama school in Kent, have led the 22-year-old to this point, debuting at the Vaudeville Theatre, in London’s West End, in Six the Musical, a show she knew she had to be in one day as soon as she experienced it for herself.
Written in 2017 by two students, Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, for the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society’s slot at the Edinburgh Fringe, the 80-minute musical has proved to be a sensation with audiences from around the world.
The spectacular features the alternative stories of the six wives of Henry VIII, a tale told through the eyes of women rather than the traditional male viewpoint of the day.
It celebrates the six as a collective and as individuals through comedy, song and dance and its appeal crosses gender lines and age ranges in a triumph of uplifting emotion.
Now, Mary is an integral part of a show on which the curtain rises nine times a week, including matinees, from Tuesday to Sunday.
“I went to see Six with my best friend and I thought ‘I have to do that show’,” says Mary, who plays alternate Katherine Howard and Anne Boleyn – both of whom lost their heads, while she very much keeps hers to perform a riot of song and dance.
“It is so female-heavy and I have always been interested in feminism. The women in it are so strong cool, inspiring and talented. It is exactly what I wanted.
“The writers have thought about everything, how they want it to come across. The visuals are incredible and there’s an all-round vibe that women are the boss.
“I have a female-heavy family. I am so close to my mum Barbara, who is a nurse. I grew up a lot with just my mum and appreciate strong, independent women because of her.
“Even when my nan, who was just 4ft 10in tall, was in a care home with dementia and really unwell, she remained strong. In life she was quick-witted and I think I have got a lot of traits from her.
“Being in Six is amazing. It’s a dream come true. A fabulous experience. To debut in the show in front of my family, friends and such a great audience was incredible.”
One glance at Mary in the show is enough to realise that she feels completely at home on stage as she makes complicated and relentless dance steps look relaxed and easy while belting out catchy pop songs to great effect.
Be warned, all nine tunes become brain worms of the highest order which you’ll wake up singing, hum throughout the day and still be thinking about when you go to bed at night.
“When I’m not performing, I’m backstage as an understudy ready in case any of the cast are ill,” she says. “While I’m there I practise, which is fun, do my crafts and sketch my colleagues which I give them as presents.
“It’s amazing being with a group of such inspiring girls. I think I’ll leave this contract with 11 sisters.”
Mary may be loving the London scene but will never forget her roots. Kendal-born, she attended Ghyllside Primary School, where fellow Kendal College alumnus and West End star Georgie Buckland was her reading buddy.
She went to Queen Katherine School before studying performing arts for two years at Kendal College.
She then took a gap year working in Homeground, an award-winning café in Windermere, before securing a place at Bird College, a celebrated dance school in Sidcup, Kent.
“I’ve always done dance but didn’t really sing until lockdown as I wasn’t confident enough. It was only when I went to Kendal College to study performing arts that, with the help of teacher Hannah Strong, I realised I could sing,” she explains.
“I have always been a performer, dancing around the living room singing Disney songs. At about nine I joined the Bronya Emily School of Dance in Kendal and I have had amazing women in my life who have allowed me to get here.
“Bronya was amazing. I went four nights a week studying tap, ballet, jazz and commercial. I didn’t do any performing at school but at Kendal College did Legally Blonde which was fabulous.”
During her gap year she got involved in amateur dramatics in Morecambe and performed in Made in Dagenham and Bonnie and Clyde.
“My Kendal College course leader, Hilary Pezet, always told me I could do this. She was a Godsend, incredible. I love that woman and still keep in touch with her now.
“I love Kendal College’s creative hub. It’s a place for young people who don’t get on with school and I would recommend it 100 per cent. I had such a fun time and met some of my absolute best friends there.
“I ended up following in the footsteps of Georgie and now she is like my big sister and I’m always ringing her for advice.”
The respect is mutual. Hilary, who is curriculum director for the arts, says: “Over my 22 years teaching on the performing arts course at the college I’ve worked with many talented young people, but every so often someone truly stands out.
“That was certainly the case with Mary and with her friend Georgie, currently touring in Mean Girls after making her West End debut in The Devil Wears Prada.
“Mary was always quietly underconfident, which only made her talent all the more remarkable.
“A big part of her time at college was about building that confidence and supporting her towards her goals. To see her achieve this role in Six is absolutely wonderful, we are all incredibly proud of her.”
Musical theatre is a tough world to inhabit, however, and Mary’s success has been built on foundations of rejection and resilience, tenacity and faith.
“At dance school I struggled to get noticed, I wasn’t one of the favourites,” she recalls. “Some teachers said I needed to be louder but that wasn’t me. But I did find some amazing tutors who did believe in me.
“I got the Six job completely by myself. I got into Bird College, moved to London and at the end of the first year a friend sent me an Instagram post about open calls for Six.
“It was my dream show. I thought ‘let’s do it for the experience’. I kept getting recalled and couldn’t believe my luck. I did eight rounds to get to the final where I didn’t make the cut, but I was still thrilled to be there.
“This gave me confidence for the second year of auditions. We weren’t really meant to audition while at college but I emailed the Six casting team telling them I’d reached the final round before and I would appreciate a second chance.
“I did 10 rounds this time and was at home in Kendal, in my bedroom, when the email came through. I had to tell my lecturers at Bird and they have been really supportive by marking my performance as part of getting my degree.
“I really enjoy Six as it allows me to do more than one thing. It’s a small stage so we have to be so precise with our moves. We are on stage constantly for 80 minutes, there’s no interval, there’s a lot of choreography and it is tiring.
“It is a bit weird playing two characters, but it helps when you are in the different costumes and so far I haven’t got them mixed up. The costumes weigh 5kg and are really heavy. We have to wear weights while we are rehearsing to help us get used to it.
“We do our own make-up and it takes a long time as we have big eyes. There’s acting, dancing and singing so you have to be good at everything, but it is ticking every box I want to tick.”
So for the next year Mary will be keeping her head while losing it twice. “After that I’ll see what is out there,” she says. “I’m also starting to look for an agent. When I first moved here it felt really different but now I love it. There is so much to do and see. It is so alive.”
Mary currently lives with her friend who is a student at Bird College. “She came to watch me in Six but warned me that she never cries happy tears and that it wouldn’t mean she wasn’t proud of me. But in the end she did cry because she said she’d never felt so proud.”
Mary has also been playing another part – that of cupid. “One of my friends, Joe Elliott, sadly lost his mum during COVID. Years later I asked if his dad, who is also involved in am dram, was still single and he was so we set him up with my mum on a date. They are planning to get married in May.”
So when it comes to Mary, the magic of the arts happens on and off the stage.
