You know the show you’re watching has entered the collective cultural consciousness when the young kids in the row behind are enthusiastically singing along in full voice – and it’s not even a sing-along performance. Such is the international success of SIX the Musical and its most famous refrain ‘divorced, beheaded and died … etc’.
The West End production is now at home in the Vaudeville Theatre on The Strand and continues to dazzle the audience with its high-energy dance routines, fabulously sparkly costumes and strong girl-power performances. This is Tudor history – or ‘herstory’ as they say – given a very modern makeover.
The show’s story is so well-known by now that there’s no need for a spoiler alert. Created by Cambridge University students Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, this is the personal story of each of Henry VIII’s six wives, told through song, dance and a little bit of dialogue. The Queens turn back the clock and reclaim their crowns to recount their unhappy stories of love, loss and the infamous husband they all had in common.
There’s a lot of sass and sparkle here as each queen tells her story, but not a lot of substance. Some of the key elements get lost in tricksy lyrics compounded by rather muffled delivery. It’s also a shame that this brilliant opportunity to celebrate feminism and the sisterhood is reduced to a competition to see who suffered most as the bride of Henry. It’s a tight show, coming in at around 80 minutes, so there would be scope for a little more depth in the storyline. The tragedy here – and there’s plenty of it – just gets lost as we skip and stomp into the next song.
The Queens are played with flair by Jaz Robinson as Catherine of Aragon, Thao Therese Nguyen as Anne Boleyn, Hana Stewart as Jane Seymour, Dionne Ward-Anderson as Anna of Cleves, Caitlyn De Kuyper as Katherine Howard with a long pink ponytail and Amelia Kinu Muus as Catherine Parr. They each have their strengths and deliver vibrant, confident performances that keep the audience engaged. Their harmonies are strong, the solos generally impressive and the energy levels are pounding.
Musically, this plays like a hen’s party set list with echoes of all your favourite pop divas from Beyoncé to Adele. The bold playing from the classy five-piece on-stage band, The Ladies in Waiting, gives it a clubby feeling. Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s choreography matches the pace, with slick routines that combine concert swagger with a nod to the Queens’ Tudor origins, even in the tight confines of the Vaudeville’s small mainstage.
Visually, the show is a treat. Gabriella Slade’s costumes cleverly merge historical silhouettes with glittering modern glam, turning corsets into pop-star chic. Tim Deiling’s lighting design adds polish, with a palette that pulses and shifts to suit each Queen’s style.
From its modest beginnings at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe, SIX the Musical has gone on to amazing global success. It has received over 35 international awards, including Tony Awards for the Best Original Score and Best Costume Design, and it can be seen on stages around the world.
Read: Don’t miss in June – your monthly guide to the brightest and best arts in London
A date with the Queens is a fabulous, fun night out with more sparkles than Pride Month. The power of the vocals and the passion of the performers makes this a right royal treat.
SIX the Musical
Vaudeville Theatre, The Strand
Writer: Toby Marlow
Writer and Director: Lucy Moss
Director: Jamie Armitage
Choreographer: Carrie-Anne Ingrouille
Set Design: Emma Bailey
Costume Design: Gabriella Slade
Lighting Design: Tim Deiling
Sound Design: Paul Gatehouse
Orchestrator: Tom Curran
Cast: Jaz Robinson, Thao Therese Nguyen, Hana Stewart, Dionne Ward-Anderson, Caitlyn De Kuyper, Amelia Kinu Muus
Ladies in Waiting: Beth Jerem, Sinéad Rodger, Alice Angliss, Emma Jemima, Kelly Morris
SIX the Musical will be performed until 28 June 2025.
