Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived… and now, live in concert! Holy numerical, the Six pack is back in action. (But the question remains, was it ever out of action?) This pop-powered global phenomenon has already had multiple record-breaking seasons across the country, and now due to popular demand, the disgraced wives of King Henry VIII are back at the Theatre Royal in ye olde Sydneytown following an enthusiastic welcome in Melbourne.
“What if the Spice Girls did a concept album about King Henry VIII’s wives, and Baz Luhrmann directed the concert video?” – Six the Musical has perhaps never been better summarised than in these words, directly quoted from critic Travis Johnson’s review of the production that hit The Studio at the Sydney Opera House between lockdowns in 2020. For the uninitiated, this unconventional pop-rock musical takes a dry historical topic, and turns it into a rowdy 80-minute concert primed to rival the world’s biggest pop groups.
Everyone knows that King Henry VIII had not four, not five, but six wives – enough to require a mnemonic technique to keep track. History (aka “his story”) has reduced the legacies of these ladies to little more than singular words in a rhyme that details their fearsome fates, but what if we carved out space to remember them as real, three-dimensional women?
Six the Musical takes on this noble task by embracing a far-fetched premise: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr have formed a royally red-hot girl band – and they’re fighting over who should reign supreme as the lead singer. In a play on the present-day concept of the “oppression Olympics”, each queen takes centre stage for a solo song to explain why she had it the worst. On paper, it sounds bizarre, but on the stage, the girl-power-feminism-tinted pop bangers can get the audience whooping and hollering on a school night.
With humble beginnings in 2016 as a silly college project for creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (then students at Cambridge University) this feel-good show has been conquering the world ever since it debuted on the West End a year later – and it is now seen by over 3.5 million people worldwide, every year. Musical theatre tragics and Tudor history nerds alike are torn over the validity of the hype that surrounds this show. While this concert-like experience is epic, it certainly ain’t no Hamilton – here’s the thing though, it isn’t trying to be that.
Six the Musical sits at a unique intersection of musical theatre, cabaret, and pop concert extravaganza. Imagine that a mediaeval-inspired, dinner theatre production at a theme park (or on some ridiculous themed cruise) turned out to be surprisingly spectacular – and yeah, you pretty much get the vibe, right? Better yet, the cast recording is sitting right there on Spotify, so all of those break-up bangers and heart-wrenching ballads are just a few taps away for your next singing session in the shower!
Once you’ve achieved the appropriate level of suspension of disbelief, these yassified queens with their up-to-date dating app references and punchy historical facts are apt to take you on a fast-paced journey through Henry VIII’s missteps, misdeeds and tendency to revert his Mrs to Miss (or miss-ing-her-head). The unusual concert format, onstage band, and swift intermission-free runtime (how refreshing to see a musical that’s unafraid to keep things short and sweet) make for an engaging journey where each queen has her moment to shine.
And shine they do. Kimberley Hodgson (West Side Story on Sydney Harbour) kicks things off with a bang as Catherine of Aragon, Deirdre Khoo (The Rocky Horror Show) brings subtle cheekiness to Anne Boleyn, and Loren Hunter (reprising her role from the original Australian tour of Six) is poised as Jane Seymour. Acclaimed burlesque performer Zelia Rose Kitoko’s badass moves as Anna of Cleeves have the audience getting down (fun fact: she has toured with Dita Von Teese), Chelsea Dawson (also reprising her role) is powerful yet heartbreaking as Katherine Howard, and Giorgia Kennedy (Cry Baby) is vocally astounding as Catherine Parr. Each queen has her own strengths as a performer, with a couple leaving room to add even more punch as the season continues. However, when they come together as an ensemble, they’re unstoppable.
Gabriella Slade’s vibrant costumes mix bold royal elements with touches of girlie-pop flair, with each outfit customised to reflect the queens’ personas. The microphone holders (in place of a sword holster) on each queen’s belt are also a clever touch that turns up the campiness. Likewise, Emma Bailey’s set sparkles, at times reflecting and refracting the actual horror of the women’s stories.
So, is Six breaking new ground in feminist discourse? Absolutely not. But as Cleeves yells the words “Ladies, let’s get in reformation!” – it is clear that this musical spectacle delivers as a sparkly drawcard for theatregoers who are looking for a fun night out (tick) and even sneaks in some topical food for thought (double tick).
In a way, you could say that it occupies the same cultural space as the Barbie movie. The feminism might be rudimentary, but the whole thing “slays the house down boots” so hard that it’s not hard to see why it’s become a global phenomenon (*tongue pop*). And, bringing thousands of people through the door to focus on women’s stories can only be a good thing, right?
(An earlier version of this review was written by Ashleigh Hastings for Time Out Melbourne and published over here.)
Six the Musical is playing now at the Theatre Royal, Sydney. Tickets start at $65+bf at sixthemusical.com.au.
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