You’ve all heard about the infamous Henry VIII. You’ve all heard about the six wives he’s had. In fact, the reason you’ve heard about the wives is pretty much solely because King Henry had six of them. But how many other Tudor monarch’s wives have you heard about? Well, the Queens are here to change that with a concert like no other, and one which has taken up royal residence in Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre.
SIX is a musical like no other, with Henry VIII’s six wives here to tell their stories and each competing to be the one to lead a band of the same name. Each queen takes to the stage to tell their story and determine who had the worst experience with the Tudor king, detailing their hardships, challenges and fates to each other, who are less than impressed. Who will win? Who leads SIX at the final curtain? There’s only one way to find out…
I’ve seen SIX before, in the West End, and it’s absolutely no secret that I really like the show. I’ve literally written Forge Press’ longest ever article all about SIX, so having it come to Sheffield was so exciting. I’m clearly not the only one, with its entire run in Sheffield almost entirely sold out, which is a feat in itself. Did it live up to my hopes and dreams for my second time seeing SIX? In short, absolutely it did. This show is a phenomenon and the fact that this show has achieved so much despite being less than ten years old is astounding. I have never known a show do so spectacularly well in so many productions simultaneously and seeing this show you can absolutely see why.
The story is deep and insightful, yet very simple: six queens, each of who was a wife of Henry VIII is competing to be named the queen who had the worst experience with the monarch. And yet the way this is handled, the themes it deals with, and the ultimate resolution to this story is treated with the care and integrity it deserves. I love the very clear feminist theme the entire production is treated with, the high prevalence of female and non-binary cast, crew and production members where possible and the attitudes it takes to dealing with these themes in a true manner.
The story is very loose it must be said, you should definitely go into this musical expecting a concert as opposed to a traditional stage musical, and its shorter runtime (approximately 75 minutes) reflects this. But it makes use of those 75 minutes well, with ten major songs within this time. The show is now a classic and one of the most recognisable soundtracks ever, and I’m so glad to say that the U.K./International tour does a great job at upholding this.
The ten songs are so empowering (mostly), very slay (mostly) and have become such iconic songs that they’re not unheard of in karaoke bars and clubs around Sheffield (I’ve definitely been in a club where ‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’ has been playing). I really enjoyed ‘No Way’, ‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’, ‘Haus of Holbein’ and ‘All You Wanna Do’, among others and the majority of these songs. I’m not a huge fan of ‘Get Down’ usually, but more about this one later. Sadly, ‘I Don’t Need Your Love’ still hasn’t captivated me. So story and songs out of the way, now on to the technical elements.
I like to start this part of the review with the technical element which I enjoyed the most. And it’s pretty obvious which department I am the biggest fan of, and it’s the one that has helped to propel this show to astronomical recognisability. And that is the costumes. Designed back for the original production by the now legendary theatre designer Gabriella Slade, these colourful, unique and incredibly sparkly costumes have withstood the test of time and still look absolutely phenomenal. Each is different, taking inspiration from the period in which each queen was married to Henry VIII and this makes each one truly recognisable.
The colours do work really well together, it was slightly sad to not have Boleyn’s iconic green in the line-up (understudy performance) but the other costumes more than made up for this, even if the rainbow was incomplete. It’s an open secret that Howard’s pink number is not only my favourite costume, but it’s one of the few from musical theatre that I actively really want for myself, so if Gabriella Slade happens to read this, please get in contact!
Lighting is my next port of call and this will be quick. There are no notes needed here, lighting is absolutely on point, the use of colours is so striking at so many different points, such as the hot pink used for Howard and the neon green during ‘Haus of Holbein’, the use of spotlighting is so on point and I love the way everything is used so effectively. It adds intensity to all of the right places and highlights the costumes used. What a match made in theatrical heaven. Similarly, the sound was used perfectly, mixed well and alongside the sound of the queens themselves, was beautifully immersive.
Finally, the set. The set is probably the most divisive element of SIX, some saying it’s too minimal and some enjoying it. I can’t say I’ve formed a solid decision myself, as I see both sides and often jump between the two. On the one hand, there’s the argument that the set isn’t very much, it could be busier and there could be actual set pieces, as the current set-up is pretty much a set of stairs and some elevated platforms. The other side believe that this is perfect as it allows the Queens, the Ladies in Waiting and the costumes to be highlighted, which could all be distracted from by an elaborate construction for them to navigate. I tend to lean towards the ‘set is perfect’ argument, but I can certainly appreciate both sides. I enjoy the use of the LED strips within it and Cleves’ throne which emerges during her song, and this all comes together to make this one of the most technically flawless shows around.
And the cast. The extraordinary ladies that make SIX what it is. When I reviewed this musical on the West End, I specifically highlighted the actress playing Boleyn, which is somewhat ironic as one of the roles filled with an understudy in this production. My two favourite queens this time came in the form of Aragon, played by Nicole Louise Lewis, and Howard, played by Izi Maxwell (alternate). Beginning with Lewis, her Aragon performance was wonderfully powerful, very cheeky and I loved hearing her accent come in throughout the show. An incredible voice complements her stage presence into an all around outstanding performance.
Maxwell as Howard is another fantastic performance and I am so happy that I was able to catch her Howard as she portrays the beheaded queen so well. Whether it’s her background acting or the showstopping number in ‘All You Wanna Do’, Maxwell does her performance justice and has a voice, in my opinion, unrivalled on the stage. I do also want to give an extra mention to Kenedy Small playing Cleves who did something I never thought possible – I actually enjoyed Cleves’ song ‘Get Down’, which is notably one of the two songs I don’t like. It sounds minimal, but this is definitely an achievement!
SIX has forever cemented a place within my heart as one of the greatest musicals I have ever seen, and revisiting it for the second time was as brilliant. Did it hold up to the performances I saw in the West End? Well, I enjoyed it just as much but I don’t think any production will ever live up to the very first time I got to experience this show. If I could go back and relive my first time seeing this, I would snatch up the chance. And for those who haven’t seen this show yet, get on it!
Rating: ★★★★★
SIX is playing at the Lyceum Theatre until August 10th, & touring the U.K. until August 9th 2025
