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Six the Musical Tour Review 2022
After YEARS of listening to the Soundtrack we finally got to see Six the Musical when the tour came to Norwich!
In this blog post we review the UK Tour of Six the Musical in detail…
What Is Six the Musical About?
Six the Musical is a British modern retelling of the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives. The one-act musical runs for around 75 minutes, and it has short dialogue scenes between the songs. Performed by the six wives as a fictional competition, the show opens with all six wives introducing themselves.
They introduce themselves in a chronological order through a pop song. During the introduction, the six wives welcome the audience to their performance and inform them about the plot.
The first contestant to perform is Catherine of Aragon. She recounts how loyal she was to Henry VII during their relationship until he wished to annul their marriage and move her to a nunnery. It was at this time that Henry VIII started lusting after Anne Boleyn much to the anger of Catherine of Aragon.
The next performer is Anne who ridicules Catherine about how Henry VIII wanted her (Anne) instead of Catherine. As the performance continues, Anne begins to complain about Henry’s infidelity. She decides to start flirting with other men to make him jealous. This leads to her arrest and execution. Like Catherine, Anne also declares herself the winner after her performance. But other queens interrupt her before she finishes the first line.
Next, Jane Seymour performs an emotional ballad followed by Anna of Cleves performing the song “Get Down.” Katherine Howard follows Jane, who sings about her past relationship with Henry in the song “All You Wanna Do.”
Catherine Parr is the last of the six wives to perform. She sings about leaving her true love for an arranged marriage with Henry before speaking about her life after his death. At the end of the performance, the six wives decide to cancel the singing contest. They come together and rewrite their stories by singing a fictional account of how their lives would have been.
They perform an encore number called ”Megasix.” This serves up as a mashup of all the songs in the performance.
Who Wrote Six the Musical?
Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow wrote Six the Musical while at Cambridge University. The Cambridge University Arts Society selected Toby Marlow in late 2016 to write a new musical. This new musical was to be performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The idea of the six came to Toby while studying in his final year. The concept occurred to him while in a poetry class. He involved his friend, Lucy Moss, and despite uncertainties, they wrote part of the show while studying for their final exams.
Toby read “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” by Antonia Fraser and also reviewed Lucy Worsley documentary series “Six Wives.” It took 10 days for the pair to establish a foundation for the show. They fashioned characters after various real-life pop stars.
How Historically Accurate Is Six?
The basic history of the musical is pretty accurate. Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon in 1509 but had their marriage annulled in 1533. This part of Catherine’s performance is in the musical as told in “No Way.”
In the song, Catherine sings, “If you thought it would be funny to send me to a nunnery, honey, there is no way.” This line is historically accurate. Henry VIII forced Catherine to join a nunnery, but she fought against it. She lived the rest of her days claiming to be the legitimate queen of England.
Part of the reason why Henry annulled the marriage was Catherine’s inability to give him a male heir. This led to an affair with Anne Boleyn. Catherine of Aragon died in 1536 aged 50 years.
Is Six the Musical Suitable for Kids?
The musical is typically recommended for ages 6 and above but personally we think it’s most suited for Children over the age of 9.
How Long Is Six the Musical?
Six the Musical has a running time of 75 minutes, with no interval. Although most of the show is typically sung-through, there are a few short dialogue scenes between select songs.
Final Thoughts…
The tour cast of Six the Musical were incredible! we took both our daughters (9 and 10) and they loved it throughout!! The standout performer had to be Lauren Drew (Catherine of Aragon) who has a voice worthy of Broadway!
If Six the Musical is stopping at a theatre near you we HIGHLY recommend that you book tickets! we can honestly say it’s one of the best musicals we have seen in several years!.
Further Reading…
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