“Six The Musical” is a modern take on Henry VIII’s six wives. The premise of the musical starts with queens each singing a solo song to compete for who had it worse when it came to their relationship with King Henry VIII. However, the end of the musical sees each of them reclaiming their stories and identities outside of being known as one King Henry’s six wives.
Streaming the musical soundtrack constantly does not compare to the experience of seeing it live. Hearing the vocals live caused chills, which could never be replicated by a recording. It made the performance even more unforgettable.
“Six” has a completely different feeling from most other musicals, which helps it to truly stand out. It has a story just like every other musical, but in Six there are plenty of moments where the characters break the fourth wall. In fact, the fourth wall is basically absent in Six.
A lot of the moments where they directly interacted with the audience were simply hilarious to see. During the song “Get Down,” the character Anne of Cleves asked an audience member to dance. She then commented, “We’ll work on that later.” This cause laughter throughout the audience.
The set design was another unique aspect of this show. The set was generally simple. It was a set of stairs where the band was stationed, and sometimes the queens would sit or stand. However, the backdrop made out of lights added an entirely different feel for each scene.
For some songs like “No Way,” the lights looked like the inside of a church with stained glass windows and a few crosses. Another song, “Get Down,” had a moment where the lights looked like a throne for Anne of Cleves. For such a simple looking set, it was breathtaking to see the differences in lighting for each song.
The lighting combined with the amazing performers definitely made this show amazing. The queens were incredibly in sync when it came to both the choreography and the harmonies.
For example, with the first song of the show “Ex-Wives,” the harmonies were all so crisp and clean. It started off the show in the best way. Then, as the show continued on, the performers remained in synch both vocally and physically during each song.
A specific part of choreography that stuck out was during Katherine Howard’s song “All You Wanna Do.” This song talks about her past with men and how she was constantly sexualized and touched. In the choreography for this dance, there are several moments where the other queens are touching Howard.
There is even a scene where Howard shrugs them off before they grab her once again. The symbolism and implication behind such simple choreography was impactful and enjoyable to see.
Another impactful point in the show was the final song, “Six.” The overall message of the song is very empowering. The entire song is about the queens retaking their stories instead of being defined by their ex-husband. The message of not letting another person define you is so important, and it is the perfect way to end an outstanding show.
