Heard, Booked, Travelled. Entered, Watched, Reviewed. “Listen up, let me tell you a story”, about one of London, and the world’s, most popular theatre shows currently open. SIX has taken the world by storm since first opening in the West End in 2019 and has since led to a U.K. production and tour, Broadway production and two tours, as well as shows in other countries and on cruise ships. The histo-remix has been selling out theatres everywhere since opening, particularly with students and young audiences, and I recently joined the Queendom to see what all the hype was about.
SIX tells the story of the wives of King Henry VIII, who have got together to form a band following their time as Henry’s partner. However, the queens quickly descend into argument, all competing to lead their crew, and deciding to select their leader as the queen who had the worst experience with the English monarch. Each queen then pitches their claim in true musical fashion, to finally determine who deserves to lead SIX.
This show has been one of the hot topics in theatre circles for years now. Premiering at Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, the musical has become an iconic masterpiece, both for its revolutionary content, and inclusive and diverse nature. SIX is an all-female and non-binary cast, which often extends into technical and creative roles as well and is easily one of the most diverse casts in West End history, which is great to see on top of the phenomenal show that they present. The concept of this show is empowering & is a true feminist statement, without using this as a gimmick. The show highlights how all we ever learn about these queens is that they were ‘the wives of Henry VIII’, completely ignoring the people that they are, and the show does wonders for remedying this, showing audiences the true uniqueness of each queen. The technical aspects of this show are simplistic but executed really well, and the costumes are next level. Each queen has their own bold colour, style and historical influences that make the queens so easy to distinguish from one another from the very first note.
The cast of SIX are all amazing, from the principal queens, to the two alternates on that evening (Rachel Rawlinson as Seymour and Leah Vassell as Parr). The cast harmonises brilliantly and all work really well with one another, for such a powerful vocal result. Whilst all of the queens were amazing, I do want to give special mention to Baylie Carson as Boleyn, who you can tell loves their role (they had the biggest smile I have ever seen on the West End throughout their entire performance)!
SIX is masterful. It’s a phenomenal statement and powerful production that is timeless and iconic in every single way a show can be. The cast and creatives have produced something very special, and I am sure this show will be gracing stages worldwide for many more years to come. I 100% recommend this show, especially for students and I hope SIX will one day come to our Steel City.
Rating: ★★★★★
SIX is currently playing at the Vaudeville Theatre in the West End, as well as touring the U.K. (tour location information can be found at https://www.sixthemusical.com/uk-tour/tickets)
