It’s been five years since I last saw Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s megahit musical SIX, a powerhouse concert with the six wives of Henry VIII.
The initial idea was to have the six wives “as a pop group”. So, Aragon = Beyoncé, Boleyn = Lily Allen, Seymour = Adele, Cleves = Rihanna, Howard = Britney Spears, Parr = Alicia Keys. Or thereabouts.
Is this a straightforward history lesson? Well, no, but if you know your Tudors, you will understand the stories behind the songs. Minimal dialogue shapes the moments that bring the Queens together.
At first, the idea is a contest to see which Queen suffered the most hardship at the hands of the same husband in this ‘history-mix’. Then a sisterhood develops, and the narrative shifts.
This is a female-led show that celebrates diversity – women of colour, non-binary, and queer women have regularly been cast as Queens and Ladies-in-Waiting (the band).
The current Queens: Adrianne Langley, Marisha Morgan, Jessica Aubrey, Freya Karlettis, Leesa Tulley and Nia Stephen are a stunning ensemble of girl power. The four-piece band of Beth Jerem, Alice Angliss, Emma Jemima and Kelly Morris are top-class.
Each costume by Gabriella Slade is chosen to suggest a facet of each Queen, with a steampunk twist. It’s a colourful, loud and unapologetic spectacle. These six women are back after six centuries to put the record straight.
The songs are earworms from the punchy “No Way” through the ballad “Heart of Stone” to the soulful “I Don’t Need Your Love”. As the wives – “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived” – recall their stories, Henry becomes an afterthought.
With the news given after the finale that the original SIX cast recording has received platinum status, a UK tour in progress, and successful productions worldwide, this musical doesn’t look to be going anywhere.
If you want something a bit different to traditional story-led musicals, want to start happy and leave happy, or want your Tudors given a bit of free “reign” to express themselves, SIX may be just up your street.
It’s short – just 80 minutes including the “MegaSIX”. It’s punchy – not shirking from the reality of 16th-century women being traded for their sexual allure and childbearing ability. It’s clever without trying too hard.
SIX may be a Marmite show, but if you like it, you love it. It offers currency with reference to social media and dating apps. It has energy in movement and wordplay. I was very pleased to come back.
There’s a place for SIX just as there is a place for Wolf Hall or The Other Boleyn Girl. Tudor purists – strap in for the ride.
A full five stars from me.
SIX continues at the Vaudeville Theatre and on tour in the UK. Details here.
Photo credit: Pamela Raith