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lightleckrereins · 1 year

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Six the musical crowns guide

This is a long overdue post that was requested again recently so here is the crown breakdown. While I tried to include everything there are probably some things I missed and some that appeared only tmporarily so I ended up omiting them. Also whenever I mention spike numbers it is very likely that I am off in some of them as it is hard to get photos of some where the full crown is visible and clear enough to count. And whoever is in the photo is not necessarily the first to wear a style, it is the best picture I have of it at the moment.

Aragon: It would seem that there are only two versions of this crown (original single band and new double one) but it actually has a few very distinct styles.

The very first one was a double tiered halo looking crown that never made it past very earyl first UK tour press.

1: After that and until the redesign Aragon wore a single headband shaped crown that went down to right above the ear with eight long gold spikes evenly distributed. It was commonly styled with hair strands weaved between the lower spikes.

2-3: The first redesign appeared only on 2020 Broadway previews and features two bands connected at the ends that lay on top of the head and goes slightly down (doesnt reach the ears). This crown had ten short gold spikes in the front band with the final one on the union of the bands and six long gold spikes alternated with five short on the back. The shape and number of spikes has changed a lot since but in general the shorter spikes in front and long and short alternated on the back format remains. The current US crowns have the same format as the original Broadway one but with 13 short spikes on the front band and eight long and seven short spikes on the back. Cruises started with a different style but have now switched to this one.

4-5: There are two versions of the crown in use in the UK. The most common one is the same format as the US crowns with short spikes in the front (16) and alternating size in the back but changes the short spikes on the back band to medium sized ones in the center and small on the sides (9 total and 8 long). The second version has the same format but is narrower (12 small in the front, 6 long and 7 medium/short in the back). This version seems to be used by queens with hairstyles that pull the hair back higher so the gap for the crown is narrower.

6-7: The original cruise crowns have the same format as the original Broadway one but change all the small spikes for medium sized ones. This crowns were worn backwards (long spikes in front) for Breakaway 2.0 and this appears sometimes in other productions. I am pretty sure this style was originated for Bliss 2.0 which had an early version of the costume redesign and made in advance for the cancelled original Breakaway 2.0. Crowns were worn for a few cruises since reopening but now seem to be retired in favor of the usual US style.

8-9: Since the Aragon crowns are gold to match the costume, the alternate crowns are silver. There are three alternate crown versions mirroring principal styles. The original headband one worn in the UK until lockdown, in the pre broadway US tour and in Australia for the whole run. This style of crown was sometimes worn by alternates for Cleves or Parr. Currently the UK productions are the only ones to use the alternate costumes and have both wider and narrower Aragon crowns in silver.

Boleyn: This crown has had the least variations across time. It consists of two circular bands worn around the spacebuns with spikes on the sides. Sizing and spike number vary but in general it is 10 spikes for UK crowns and 8 for US; AUS had 10 and cruises follow the style of the costume maker they have at the moment. The only notable difference was Hazel Karooma-Brooker who wore two flat bands on the sides of an updoo in a style that was later made the standard for Cleves.

Seymour: This one is simmilar to Aragon in that there are only a few base styles that have many distinct variations.

There are photos of Natalie May Paris wearing a few different crowns early on but none of those seem to have made it past early first UK tour press

1: the original Seymour crown was a small white band that laid on top of the head with six small spikes.

2-3: the second version was a long band shaped like a headband with 11 short spikes. There were both black and white band versions of this one; in general it was black for dark haired actors and alternates and white for light haired actors. Sometimes it was styled with hair covering the ends so the spikes showed between strands.

4-5: There have been two versions of the Seymour crown. The first is a double white band that lays on top of the head with five short spikes on each band and two more on the edge where the bands meet. When the Boleyn tour opened the crown was updated. It is the same format but now the three middle spikes on the back band are taller than the rest.

6: The UK crown has the same shape as the US crown but in black; and has seven medium sized spikes on each band and none on the union. A white crown was made for the 2023 UKT cast change presumably to match Erin Caldwell's blonde hair but she ended up wearing a black one.

Cleves: Just like there are a million Cleves hairstyles there are a million Cleves crowns.

The very first version of this crown looked like a hat with spikes around the brim but was cut in early tour press.

1: The first crown to appear onstagewas a headband in the same shape and size as Seymour, but with spikes starting slightly higher on the sides. It had three short spikes on each side and in the middle three long with two more short in between. This crown was the main style until shortly before lockdown when the mohawk style started to be introduced.

2: Vicki Manser wore one of her Boleyn cuffs for multiple queens including Cleves. This style was worn by some alternate Cleves early on with ponytails and side braid styles.

3: Brittney Mack wore a few different crowns, the first being a single cuff simmilar to the Howard crowns but with more spikes.

4-5: The first version of the side crowns was two single bands with eight short spikes on each. This was worn in the pre broadway tour, the UKT between 2019 and 2022 and by Jessica Niles in Breakaway 1.0. The later versions of this crown started shifting from straight bands to a slight curve.

6: Kiana Danielle got a slight variation of the previous one with alternating short and medium spikes

7-9: At reopening West End introduced a few different styles. The first was a headband with 15 spikes alternating between short and medium only worn by Lexi McIntosh. Second was the same but alternating between medium and long, this was worn by Zara Macintosh and Cherelle Jay. Third was simmilar to the Aragon crowns with two bands; 12 short spikes on the front and five medium and six shorts alternating on the back. This series feels like an experimental era where the costume team was trying to figure out different crown styles for different hairstyles before settling on everyone having a take of the double crown.

10-11: The US crowns are made by two slightly curved bands connected only on the back, has nine short spikes on the lower band. The top band alternates six medium spikes in two slightly different lenghts and two short spikes on the back. In the Aragon tour the crowns are worn backwards with the union on the front.

12: The UK crowns are two curved bands joined in the back. They have ten long spikes on the top band and eight spikes in the bottom alternating between two medium sizes.

There have also been Seymour crowns (the full headband shaped ones), Howard crowns and Parr crowns worn for Cleves by alternates or in cruises.

Howard: the Howard crowns can be separated into two groups. Open band and closed cuff. But that doesn't mean there are not a million variations on shape and size.

1: The very first version of the crown was a round cuff with three tiers of six spikes. This was narrower than later ones as originally principal Howards wore only half their hair up in the ponytail.

2: the pre broadway tour crown was also round but shorter and wider than the UK one and had only two tiers of spikes.

3: Vicki Manser wore one of her single tier cuffs for multiple queens including Howard. This style was worn by some early alternate howards.

4-6: The crown was standarized in late 2019 to a shorter, wider cuff with the same amount of spikes. Depending on the specific crown the shape shifted between being round, oval and slightly triangular shapes. This version appeared on UK productions until lockdown, AUS for the entire run and early cruises.

7-8: At reopening a new shape was introduced. Consisting of an open band that covers only the front of the ponytail and is left open on the back. This version has become standard for all productions in different shapes and sizes. The current UK crown is a wide band. It has four spikes on the top and bottom tiers and three in the middle. Since the crowns are made to be stiff this change shape between a wide curve and a narrower C shape. Height and width vary I think depending on the size of the ponytail.

9: the US crown is a narrow open band. It has four spikes on the top and bottom rows and three in the middle one. This are the narrowest crowns and the size allows the ponytail to cover the sides instead of staying in the back like with UK crowns.

Parr: this one looks like a million variations but is more of a million different ways to wear a few versions.

1: The original crown was a wide band shaped simmilarly to a fabric headband with three rowns of 10 spikes going around it. This was worn by the original WE cast, Athena Collins in the UKT Hana Stewart inWE, and Nicole Lambert in the pre Broadway tour.

2: For the pre broadway tour a headband simmilar to the Seymour crown with a wider band was introduced. This was worn by Ana Uzele before switching to the side crown, Bliss 1.0, Elizabeth Walker on Breakaway 1.0, the UKT alternates until lockdown, and the AUS alternates for the entire run.

3: For Breakaway 1.0 Amelia Walker wore a double headband.

4-5: For the AUS opening a new crown was introduced made of two bands on each side (simmilar to the Cleves crowns) with six spikes on each band worn on the back of the head and weaved through the hairstyle. This version with longer bands and more spikes was worn by Courtney Mack on Broadway and (I think) Megan Leung and Sophie-Rose Middleton in Bliss 2.0. A variation of this crown with spikes alternating between short and medium on the top bands is still worn in the UK by all Parrs with straight hair and In South Korea.

6: The first version of the side crown was introduced in late 2019. It is a single band with nine long spikes that goes from the side of the ponytail on the right side of the head beside the ponytail and reaching the center in the back. This was worn by Anna Uzele in the final stops of the pre Broadway tour, Danielle Steers until lockdown and Athena Collins for a public performance before the postponed UKT reopening.

7: At reopening WE and UKT introduced a new version of the side crown. Consisting of two bands connected in the backsimmilar to the Cleves crowns. With 11 short spikes on the bottom one and 12 spikes alternating between short and medium on the top one. This was worn by Danielle Steers and Athena Collins.

8: For the Broadway reopening a variation of the previous crown was introduced in the same shape and number of spikes only switching the spikes on the top band to three long alternating with three medium in the front and six slightly smallermedium on the back. This crown has become the standard version and is the only to be pretty much identical in both the US and UK.

9: Keirsten Hodgens wore a variation of the double crown specifically made to be worn on the left side to accomodate her locs naturally falling to the right.

10: In the Aragon tour both Gabriela Carrillo and Erin Palmer Ramirez wear the crown backwards with the bands connecting in the front.

11: Again in the Aragon tour Kelsee Kimmel wears another unique version. The top band has two short spikes in the front and back and then in the middle there are five spikes that go from medium to tall and back again.

12: For her first cruise run (Breakaway 2.0) Ellie Sharpe wore yet another unique crown. This seems to be a take on the double crown. The two bands are connected at the front and have medium spikes on the bottom band and alternating medium and long on the top one. I think this is another case of NCS changing all the short spikes for longer ones like they did with the Aragon crown and might have been intended to wear further back or it is two crowns worn as one. But no way to confirm this as there are only three photos of Ellie wearing it, none show the crown in full and she wore a standard side crown for her second run.

#six the musical #six costumes #six crowns #I've been working on and off on this post for like a month now #well this and another #guides are fun but take forever

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six-costume-refs · 2 years

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What does the wig department(?) do to make sure the queens' crowns stay on for the whole show? Also, have there been any incidents of crowns falling off mid-show that you know of?

The crowns have horsehair braid attached. That horsehair braid is then pinned to the wigs to keep it secure. Here’s a picture of the horsehair braid on some of the Aragon Tour crowns:

(@/worldwarbrie)

You can see loops at the end of some, while others run all along the side. (Also note that Aragon Tour has flexible crowns that can flatten out like that, but most other productions do not)

Horsehair braid is basically a thickly structured net. It’s most commonly added to skirt hems and hat brims to add some structure and body. Like the title implies, it used to be made out of actual horsehair, but now it’s nearly always made out of synthetic materials like nylon. It’s similar to tulle but MUCH more structured and long lasting, and often comes in thinner ribbon-like strips rather than by the yard. It gives the Six crowns a nice, stable base with plenty of purchase for pins to hold onto (and is used to help structure some of the skirts too!)

Most of the productions use black horsehair to match the black crowns:

(Rachel Seymour photo by @/daisygalforg)

Principal Seymours with a white crown get horsehair dependent on their hair color: white for really light blonde hair, black for anything else. Alts with a black crown get black horsehair, the ones with principal Seymour costume depend on hair color just like principals.

The US has also started giving some actors custom horsehair colors:

Zan Berube has a customized blonde horsehair and Aryn Bohannon a ginger. As far as I know no other actors have had a custom one. The earlier redhead queens like Mallory Maedke and Keri Rene Fuller had the usual black or white, so it seems to be a newer change. Even then, most of the US actors have a dark enough hair color that the black isn’t noticeable, so it seems like Zan and Aryn were the only ones who needed another color. Bella Coppola might also have custom, but I think her photos show white.

As far as I know none of the crowns have ever fallen off, but there may be a story I’ve missed. Definitely nothing widespread; it’s a really good system so any issues are going to be a one-off.