Six (musical)
Six (stylised in all caps) is a British musical comedy in the style of a pop concert. Music, book, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.[1] It is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented in the form of a singing competition. In the show, each of the wives (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr)[2] take turns telling their story to determine who suffered the most from their shared husband.
SIX
Toby Marlow
Lucy Moss
Toby Marlow
Lucy Moss
2017: Edinburgh Fringe
The musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, where it was performed by students from Cambridge University.[3] Six premiered in the West End at the Arts Theatre in January 2019, and has since embarked on a UK tour.[4][5] It premiered in North America in May 2019 and on Broadway in February 2020. Following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it officially opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 3 October 2021[6] and has since launched additional touring companies.
Plot[edit]
The six Queens introduce themselves through biographical pop songs and explain that their band's lead singer will be whoever they determine had the worst experience at the hands of their common husband, Henry VIII ("Ex-Wives"). Catherine of Aragon recounts how Henry wished to annul their marriage and place her in a nunnery when he began pursuing Anne Boleyn despite her loyalty to him during their marriage ("No Way"). In turn, Anne boasts about how Henry wanted her instead of Catherine, then complains of the Henry's infidelity, which led to Anne's own flirtations with other men, which were the grounds for her beheading ("Don't Lose Ur Head"). Jane Seymour steps up to take her turn, but is ridiculed for having had an easy time with Henry. However, while admitting she may have been the only wife Henry truly loved, Jane claims that Henry's love was conditional, only guaranteed because she produced a male heir, and that she stood by him despite his many faults ("Heart of Stone").
Themes relating to ideas of female beauty and the sacrifices expected to are explored in Hans Holbein's portrait studio. The Queens parody a dating app by presenting a choice of potential brides ("Haus of Holbein"). Henry chooses Anna of Cleves[a] for his fourth wife, but soon rejects her and annuls the marriage, claiming she failed to resemble her “profile picture”. She makes a show of complaining about living in a palace in Richmond with an enormous fortune and no husband telling her what to do, but ends up bragging about her life instead ("Get Down"). The other Queens question this, and Anna admits her lavish lifestyle lacked actual tragedy then drops out of the competition. The Queens next mock Katherine Howard[b] claiming she's "the least relevant Catherine", but in retaliation she exposes flaws in the others' claims to winning. Katherine recounts her romantic history, having had many suitors even as a child, and at first relishes her attractiveness before later revealing the emotional trauma and sexual abuse she faced in each of these relationships ("All You Wanna Do").
As the Queens continue to fight over who the true winner is, the final wife, Catherine Parr, questions the point of the competition, which defines them by their connection to Henry rather than as individuals. The Queens nonetheless continue to argue. Frustrated, Parr details her separation from her lover, Sir Thomas Seymour, and arranged marriage to Henry; however, instead of simply complaining about her situation, she acknowledges her accomplishments independent of Henry ("I Don't Need Your Love"). The other Queens, realising they have been robbed of their individuality, abandon the contest and declare that they don't need Henry's love to feel validated as people. They use their remaining moments onstage to rewrite their stories, singing together as a group rather than as solo artists, and writing their own 'happily ever afters', imagining that Henry had never married them ("Six"). They then perform a mashup of songs that appeared earlier in the show excluding "Haus of Holbein" in which the audience have their permission to film ("Megasix").
In late 2016, Toby Marlow was selected by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society to create and write a new musical that would be presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017. Marlow, who was in his final year at Cambridge University, created a concept for a musical that would involve re-telling the story of King Henry VIII's ex-wives.[7] He partnered with another student, Lucy Moss, who began working on a concept for the musical together.
As they began working on the musical, Marlow researched the ex-wives stories by reading Antonia Fraser's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, while Moss viewed a documentary series, Six Wives by Lucy Worsley. They also watched and drew inspiration from the 2011 Beyoncé concert and story-telling performance, Live at Roseland: Elements of 4.[8] The foundation for the musical was written over the course of approximately 10 nonconsecutive days.[9]
In developing the characters, Marlow and Moss were inspired by several real-life pop stars who were used as a composite and musical inspiration for the characters. The six ex-wives and their corresponding pop star inspirations are:
Production history[edit]
Edinburgh Fringe (2017)[edit]
The world premiere production of Six took place at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as a presentation by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society.[3] The musical ran from 31 July 2017 until 14 October 2017. The cast consisted primarily of students from Cambridge University.[8] The production's run was sold-out, and led to the musical being invited to return to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018.[8] Although the show did not win any major awards at the Fringe, it received positive reviews and buzz, and expressions of commercial interest.[8]
Reception[edit]
In a review of the Arts Theatre production, Dominic Cavendish of The Telegraph called the show "gloriously – persuasively – coherent, confident and inventive".[88] Lyn Gardner of The Guardian wrote, "It may be cloaked in silliness, but Six makes some serious points about female victimhood and survival."[89]
In a review of the Chicago production, Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune praised the show as "dynamic" and a "blast", with a "sense of humor and spirited radicalism." Marlow and Moss are "gifted comic writers", he said, and he praised the "musical force of the intensely committed and talented actresses" in the Chicago cast. Jones suggested the show could use 10 more minutes of material that gets away from the plot's singing contest conceit, and toward the emotional center of the characters. He also thought the orchestration of the songs could be more substantial. Jones said Six has an audience that is ready for it, in part because it gets to a complex historical paradox and treats it with verve, the memories of women in history being tied to the life of a man.[90]
Hedy Weiss of WTTW praised the musical as "sensational", singling out each performer in the Chicago cast. Weiss also thought the show makes a convincing case for each character, and in addition to praising the writers, noted the "dynamite direction by Moss and Jamie Armitage, and powerhouse music direction by Roberta Duchak" as well as, "Gabriella Slade’s glittering costumes ... and Tim Deiling’s arena-style lighting".[91] According to Rachel Weinberg of BroadwayWorld, "Six carries out [a] joyful and anachronistic takedown of the patriarchy" through the performances of a "brilliant" cast and a book and score with an inventive and sensational compositional method.[92] Jesse Green of The New York Times wrote that the musical is "pure entertainment", the writing is "wickedly smart", the "terrific singers" of the Chicago cast sell the show "unstintingly", and the production values "befit a splashy North American premiere with Broadway backing."[93]
The reviews for the 2021 Broadway production were positive. Green's New York Times review of the Broadway production labeled it a "Critic's Pick", calling it a "rollicking, reverberant blast from the past".[94] Frank Rizzo of Variety said, "It may not be Masterpiece Theatre, but this 'Six' is a solid '10' for joy."[95] Johnny Oleksinski of New York Post gave the show three stars out of a possible four calling the songs "whip-smart and catchy".[96]
Adaptations[edit]
Filmed stage production[edit]
In June 2022, it was announced that there would be a live recording of the stage production.[103] All of the original West End cast members returned to reprise their roles.[103] Tapings were held on 29 and 30 June 2022 at the Vaudeville Theatre, with audience tickets sold via a virtual lottery.[104][105] The professionally filmed live recording will be released in the future.[106]
SVN[edit]
After being in the Original West End cast for Six, Aimie Atkinson, Alexia McIntosh, Jarnéia Richard-Noel, Millie O'Connell, Maiya Quansah-Breed and Natalie May Paris teamed up with cast understudy Grace Mouat to launch a girl group called SVN (pronounced seven), with the band releasing singles such as "Woman"[108] and "Free"[109] in 2022.
