Backstage with Carlina Parker for 'Six'

For Carlina Parker, life on the road isn’t a phase — it’s a calling.

A proud military brat (Marine Corps, thank you very much), Parker grew up learning how to pack light, adapt quickly, and build community wherever she landed. Those early lessons now feel like destiny as she crisscrosses the country with the touring Broadway production of SIX, where she serves as both dance captain and alternate, covering four of the show’s iconic queens.

Carlina Parker. Courtesy photo

“I didn't realize until I wasn't traveling just how much I love it,” Parker said with a laugh. “It really is so healing and good for my soul to be seeing all these new places, to be meeting all these cool people to get to touch all these little pockets of our country that a lot of people don't get to. I think it is really beneficial to your worldview and knowing how to connect with different kinds of people.

That love of movement and variety has shaped a decade-long career that spans national tours, cruise ships, and theme parks. Most recently, Parker spent a couple of years on the road with Rent. Now, she’s back in Texas with SIX, a pop-concert-style retelling of the lives of King Henry VIII’s six wives — and she’s thriving in the chaos.

As an alternate, Parker is what you’d call an on-call powerhouse. She covers Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anna of Cleves, and Catherine Parr, stepping into the spotlight whenever a queen needs a day off. It’s demanding, unpredictable, and exactly where she shines.

“I love wearing a lot of hats,” she explained. “Being a swing or an understudy gives you so many perspectives on the show. And with SIX, these are real women with real histories. It's so incredible to be able to take on their history and their perspective and put your own personal twist on it and get to tell their story in a way that a lot of people have never heard. That’s incredible and so rewarding.”

On top of that, Parker serves as dance captain — the bridge between the cast on the road and the New York–based choreography team. She watches the show, gives notes, and ensures the production stays sharp night after night, city after city.

The North American Tour Boleyn Company of Six. Photo by Joan Marcus

If you think you know the story of Henry VIII’s wives, Parker promises SIX will surprise you.

“Everyone knows Henry VIII and his six wives — divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. That's pretty much the extent that a lot of people will know,” Parker raved. “This show is basically a diva pop star retelling of their lives and their experiences and sometimes how they interact with each other. I like to say, imagine all your favorite vocalists — Chappell Roan, Rihanna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga — imagine all of them decided to do one concert together, and then at the end they're all best friends.”

Each queen brings a distinct personality, sound, and aesthetic, amplified by Tony Award–winning costumes that help Parker transform in minutes.

“Once you put on the costume, you can’t help but become her,” she elaborated with excitement. “Catherine of Aragon’s costume looks a lot like armor. She was the Warrior Queen, actually commanding troops in battle! A lot of her costuming is protective because she was so strong. Boleyn has this gorgeous little bubble skirt, which really helps you get into <laugh> youngest-daughter-energy of like, ‘I am here to do what I need to do and I usually get my way.’ That five to ten minutes getting dressed becomes this really beautiful meditation over who you're about to become the story you want to tell.”

Despite the high-energy vocals and laugh-out-loud moments, it’s the emotional core of SIX that stays with Parker — especially the penultimate number.

“There’s this moment where we finally slow down and really see each other,” she says. “It's also finally making eye contact with everyone you've been on stage with for the last hour and 15 minutes and getting to say, ‘these are my friends, these are my people.’ I encourage you as well in the audience to take back your power from anyone who has ever taken it from you. And it's just such a personal celebration of unity. It has and will continue to bring me to tears if I think about it too much.”

Offstage, Parker is a self-proclaimed nerd, with a deep love for fantasy and romance novels, Dungeons & Dragons, and tabletop role-playing games. She even co-hosts a TTRPG podcast called The Mechanics Guild — proof that her creativity doesn’t clock out after curtain call.

“Anything you’d see at Comic-Con, I’m into it,” she says. And honestly? That tracks.

Catch SIX in Texas

Texas audiences are getting multiple chances to catch Parker and the queens live:

• Austin: January 20–25

• Dallas: January 27 – February 1

• Fort Worth: February 10–15

The tour will return to Texas in March and April, with stops in Midland, El Paso, and Houston.

Tickets start at $35 and are available at texasperformingarts.org and BroadwayinAustin.com.