Danielle Mendoza is returning to the Bay Area in the blockbuster Broadway musical “Six.”
It’s a dream come true for the longtime Bay Area resident, who graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino in 2008.
She plays Anna of Cleves — the fourth of six wives of Henry VIII who get to tell their troubled stories in this incredibly popular musical, which is presented in the style of a pop concert. Anna (also known as Anne) of Cleves’ marriage to Henry VIII was annulled on July 12, 1540.
Fans can catch Mendoza and “Six” April 8-20 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco (broadwaysf.com) and April 22-27 at the Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose (broadwaysanjose.com).
I recently had the chance to chat Mendoza, who was in sixth grade when her family moved from the Philippines to the Bay Area. Here’s our interview:
Q: Were you a theater kid growing up?
A: I was definitely a marching band kid growing up. That was my main thing. I went to college at Cal Poly SLO (San Luis Obispo) and I majored in percussion. Halfway through I asked them, “Can you teach me how to sing instead?” So, I did my first musical at 21.
Q: Whoa. I don’t often hear about that kind of a late start in the theater world. But it’s definitely worked out for you.
A: I started auditioning for community theater when I came back from college, so that was probably 2014 or 15 and I did a lot of shows with Sunnyvale Players, one with Redwood City Players, two shows at City Lights.
Q: How did your background in marching band help prepare you for a career in theater?
A: And have you heard of Vanguard Cadets (drum and bugle corps)? It’s very competitive. Rehearsals are like 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the summer — like outside — so I think it instilled a lot of discipline in me.
Q: What’s your background with the “Six” musical?
A: During the pandemic, (me and my friends) didn’t have anything to do, so we were very much into making music videos. And we did the whole soundtrack of “Six” – like full videos – where I was like the music director for it.
So, I had a familiarity with the music, which made me more comfortable when it came to auditions.
Q: That pandemic pastime proved to be very useful for your career in the long run.
A: I don’t know if you know but I first auditioned for (the play) on the Norwegian Cruise Line, because “Six” the musical used to be on the cruise lines. Did you know that?
Q: No, I had no idea.
A: Yeah, I did it on the ships and I actually played a different queen. I did Anne Boleyn, who is the Green Queen. I think that was 2021.
Q: How did you make the jump from “Six” at sea to “Six” on land?
A: I also auditioned for the tour on land (in 2021). I got a call back, but I was not accepted. But they still had me on their roster and emailed me in 2023 to come audition — and that’s when I got the part.
Q: How do you like playing the fourth wife of Henry VIII?
A: I definitely love doing Anna of Cleves. I think she has a lot of qualities that I would like to have as a human.
She likes to joke around a little bit, but also she’s a boss and she doesn’t let anything affect her. She kind of has a little humor when it comes to everything, which we can all use a bit of that everyday.
Q: How did you go about finding your character’s unique voice and style?
A: The writers have kind of like a built-in style for (the character), so typically Anna of Cleves is based off of Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. But the great thing about it is that they encourage you to bring yourself to the character, which is not always the case when it comes to shows. So for inspiration, I definitely relate more to Pink (than Minaj or Rihanna) — who is just so kind, so relatable, so inclusive, but also like boss and punk and kind of on the rock-y side. So that’s kind of what I try to emulate when I hit the stage.
Q: What’s it going to be like for you to return to the Bay Area and take the stage — two stages, actually — with your family and friends in the audience?
A: I am so excited I might cry. It’s definitely a dream come true. I think the great thing about the show is that we’re directed to look into the audience and look into people’s eyes, so I think I’m going to freak out whenever I see somebody who I know who’s right there.