THEATER
Queens That Go Pop
Henry XIII’s wives stage rock concert to reclaim their identities
BY DAVID KENNERLEY
“Six: The Musical” is not so
much a fully formed musical
but a cheeky, rollicking
pop concert. Written
by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss,
the premise is as brilliant as the
book is scant.
The wives of Henry VIII are
transported to the present day in
the form of a fi erce, self-assertive
girl band. One by one, they get their
turn performing in the spotlight to
vie for the title of lead singer. The
criteria? Proving who had the most
agonizing go of it, tangling with
the dastardly “man who put a ring
on it.”
Think the Spice Girls meets “The
Voice” meets the History Channel.
Except this is revisionist history,
where the women are hell-bent on
sharing their side of the story, putting
Henry to shame. “Divorced,
beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded,
survived” is their mantra, telegraphing
their respective fates.
“Six” is about triumph over
adversity and setting the record
straight, which is fi tting given that
the show itself was scheduled to
open on Broadway in March 2020
— the very night Broadway was
shuttered in the face of the Covid
pandemic. The atmosphere was
electric, as this was the fi rst time
most theatergoers (including this
one) have been in a Broadway theater
in 18 months or more.
The set, by Emma Bailey, takes
its cue from pop concert backdrops,
Abby Mueller (Jane Seymour), Samantha Pauly (Katherine Howard), Adrianna Hicks (Catherine of Aragon), Andrea Macasaet (Anne Boleyn), Brittney Mack
(Anna of Cleves), and Anna Uzele (Catherine Parr) in “Six.”
enlivened by Tim Deiling’s
vigorous lighting design. If you’re
looking for sumptuous tapestries,
canopied bedchambers, or a guillotine
for that matter, you won’t
fi nd them here.
Make no mistake, this is girl
power gone full throttle. The sensational
cast has been carefully
selected as much for its ethnic diversity
as its vocal prowess. That
diversity does not extend to gender,
however, as males are banished
from the stage. Even the excellent
band is women-only (it’s called Ladies
in Waiting). Predictably, the
women declare they’re not revisiting
history, but “HER-story.”
At the performance I attended,
the audience appeared to be comprised
largely of women and quite
a few gay men. Wave after wave of
unbridled cheers and squeals of
delight added to the pop concert
vibe.
No doubt the fabulous costumes,
by Gabriella Slade, are fi t for rock
stars. The dazzling, metal-studded
outfi ts are an update of 16th Century
garb that resembles armor,
perfect for the warrior-woman
themes of the show.
“Six” is at its best in the musical
numbers featuring each former
royal recounting how she got
“unfriended.” They draw their inspiration
from contemporary pop
princesses like Beyoncé, Ariana
Grande, Britney Spears, and Alicia
Keys. The score is a brash mix of
musical styles such as bubblegum,
rave, rap, soul, and hip-hop. The
catchy lyrics abound with nods
to pop culture. And the resolute
choreography, by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille,
is extraordinary.
JOAN MARCUS
First up is Catherine of Aragon
(Adrianna Hicks), who, after 24
years of marriage, bitterly contested
Henry’s demand for an annulment
but failed. Her ode to empowerment,
“No Way,” was a highlight
of the show. Next was Anne Boleyn
(Andrea Macasaet), instrumental
in breaking England from the
Church, beheaded because she
could not produce an heir. “Everybody
chill, it’s totes God’s will,” she
chirps.
Then comes Jane Seymour
(Abby Mueller), who gave Henry a
son but she died soon after. Anna
of Cleves (Brittney Mack) from Germany
was chosen for her portrait
and rejected when Henry met her
(“I didn’t look as good as in my pic,”
she sings). Katherine Howard (Samantha
Pauly) was beheaded, accused
of premarital promiscuity.
Arguably the least known wife
is Catherine Parr (Anna Uzele),
who managed to survive Henry’s
wrath because, well, she outlived
him. And if you need a primer to
keep their stories straight, there’s
a handy guide in the Playbill.
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