Last Updated on November 4, 2021
Girl Power Musical SIX with an all-new cast
SIX a ‘pop-feminist’ musical written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, started out as a Cambridge University student production at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. It has since gone on to be a global phenomenon with productions in London’s West End, in New York at Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway and is due to open in Australia this December at the Sydney Opera House. SIX has also been nominated for five Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. It won the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Whatsonstage, and it is now the second most-streamed musical theatre album in the world, second only to Hamilton!
I really don’t know how I’ve managed to miss seeing this iconic all-female musical, which is the talk of the town, until now! But finally, I caught it with its all-new cast, including six fabulous new Queens at its new West End home, the Vaudeville Theatre last night, co-directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage.
In true rock concert style, a group of six diverse, sassy women (think girl band…the Spice Girls meet Little Mix) suitably representative of today’s young woman, take the stage dressed head to toe in spangly doublets and fishnet-hose looking like something out of a video game. The tight female backing band are perched on rosters at the back of the stage, also styled in leather studded attire, with costumes designed by Gabriella Slade.
They introduce themselves Queen by Queen – Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Katherine and Catherine before taking you on an 80-minute fast track historical journey through the trials and the tribulations of these six wives who as they point out made Henry VIII more famous than most other Kings.
This talented group of young women are all as ballsy as each other, each possessing a rollicking voice and bucket loads of personality. The narrative is fairly straightforward, there’s no jeopardy as we all know the story, but here the fight is on to win the crown of the wife with the saddest story, the one who suffered the most. There are no holds barred, as they are virtually fighting in the round, before finally reaching the conclusion that they would be better off working together. With the knowledge that there were no happy endings, they make the decision to go on to write their own finale, coming together for their exuberant final numbers, SIX and MegaSIX. Themes of female empowerment filter through, although in reality the concept of feminism is spread a little thin.
Marlow and Moss, both Millennials have written a tightly constructed show. It’s historically on point, smart and very witty. There are a series of silly, but very funny rhyming lines, ‘I tried to elope but the Pope said nope’ from the streetwise Ann Boleyn (Courtney Bowman) and Katherine Howard (Sophie Isaacs), who responds with “Couldn’t wait any more to get my corset on the floor”. The music feels very noughties influenced, a mix of R&B, Hip Hop rhymes, a Shakira style Latin number and Euro-pop fusion, which definitely seems to get the crowd going.The audience absolutely loved it. SIX ticks all the right boxes and make for a great girl’s night out. It’s is sure to be a continuing success for the time to come.
SIX
Vaudeville Theatre
404 Strand,
London,
WC2R 0NH
Currently booking to Sunday 1 May 2022
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 8pm
Saturday at 4pm & 8pm
Sunday at 4pm & 7pm
Extra performances:
Thursday 28 October 2021 at 4pm
Thursday 11 November at 4pm
Thursday 17 February 2022 at 4pm
Thursday 7 April 2022 at 4pm
Thursday 14 April 2022 at 4pm
Sing-along show Sunday January 23 at 7pm
Audio Described 28 November at 4pm
Captioned 5 December at 4pm British Sign Language 12 December at 4pm
Relaxed Performance 9 January at 4pm
Christmas Schedule Tuesday 21 December – 8pm Wednesday 22 December – 4pm & 8pm Thursday 23 December – 4pm & 8pm Friday 24 December – 4pm Saturday 25 December – No performances Sunday 26 December – 4pm & 7pm Monday 27 December – 7pm Tuesday 28 December – 4pm & 8pm Wednesday 29 December – 8pm Thursday 30 December – 4pm & 8pm Friday 31 December – 8pm Saturday 1 January – No performances Sunday 2 January – 4pm & 7pm
Duration: 80 minutes no interval
recommendation for ages10+
Tickets: from £23.00
No booking fee if booked in person at the box office.
Box office: 0330 333 4814 www.nimaxtheatres.com All tickets include a £1.50 Theatre Restoration Levy
Looking for something different in the West End of London? We also recommend Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical – check our review
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