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SIX
25th October 2022 - 29th October 2022
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Reigning on Broadway and in the West End, the international smash hit musical SIX makes its royal return to Malvern following its previous sell-out success!
Winner of the 2022 Whatsonstage Award for ‘Best West End Show’ with a Gold-Disk winning album, this sell-out Tudor take-off has ‘an incredibly strong and powerful message’ (The Australian) and is ‘pure entertainment’ (The New York Times).
From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. These Queens may have green sleeves but their lipstick is rebellious red.
Think you know the rhyme, think again…
Divorced. Beheaded. LIVE!
★★★★★
‘The most uplifting new British musical I have ever had the privilege to watch’
Evening Standard
★★★★★
‘Exhilarating entertainment from six killer Queens.
They will, they will rock you!’
Daily Express
★★★★★
‘A royal treat’
Daily Telegraph
★★★★★
‘Smart. Sassy. I’d give this ridiculously fun musical six stars if I could”
Sunday Express
Recommended Age: 10+
Running Time: Approx 80 mins (no interval)
Show Info: Contains Flashing Lights and Strobes
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Event Reviews
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Sarah
INCREDIBLE…Superb energy, history re told along with a subtle message of it’s ok to be different and not defined! Not to be missed.
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View From the Stalls
The "six" of the title are, of course, the six wives of Henry VIII with their various destinies described here as Divorced * Beheaded * Live rather than the usual version. For on stage are the living incarnations of the six Queens as you have never seen them before as history - or rather her-story - is given a thorough upgrade to bring it well and truly into the 21st century. Anyone who enjoys the type of education imparted by the talented team at Horrible Histories will already know what to expect - traditional facts and figures neatly wrapped up in cleverly-written songs using modern terminology and expressions, here served up live on stage by the 6 feisty and independent-thinking Queens and their Ladies In Waiting (aka the all-female 4-piece band).
And so it comes to pass that Aragon, Boleyn, Seymour, Cleves, Howard and Parr each have a story to tell and in a competition to convince the audience that they are the most worthy - and hard done by - of the wives, each has a song of their own. Those songs come after the rousing opening number which sets the scene perfectly, as if the audience is participating in a Spice Girls concert rather than a history lesson, which is exactly as it should be as you immediately know this is going to be something very different indeed. And clearly, from the packed theatre and the energetic and vocal response from the audience , this was a much anticipated and welcome show back, in fact, for a second outing as it was first performed here in those old Pre-Covid days (2019!). In addition to the songs, the wives jostle on stage trading insults in their attempt to outdo one other, in particular Boleyn for whom nothing surely can be more dramatic than losing her head.
Not all the Queens are from home-grown stock, of course, with Henry marrying a Spaniard and a German-only speaking German (there were truly weird times, absolutely ripe for mockery!) and the ensemble song "Haus Of Holben", with its Teutonic disco beat, is absolutely hilarious, superbly performed by the entire cast. Reminiscent of the sort of stuff we used to see in TV's Eurotrash and worthy of being a Eurovistion entry for Germany. Indeed to be fair were all the songs - whether they were fast-paced anthems or the slower laments of Seymour and Parr, these Queens can certainly bang out a tune!
After the six individual songs, the Queens are back together again for the rapturous finale - then the encore and the encore's encore with everyone on their feet singing and clapping and giving the show the send-off it truly deserved.
And then it was all over. Leaving the audience drained and wanting more but not getting it (as with all the best shows). Where did those 80 minutes go? Who knows but what you do know is, imperceptibly and with a smile on your face, you came away knowing far more about these ladies than you ever did before and that is very clever of the writers. To the extent that people came away from the theatre muttering "I never knew she did that...". Well now, thanks to this utterly brilliant show, you do! Very, very funny, informative, superbly choreographed and performed - what more could you ask for?
The show only premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe a few of years ago and has already been a massive hit in the West End and in the States - a coup then for Malvern to get a second bite of the cherry. Fortunately - and bravely - the writers and producers of the show have kept to the original premise of having an 80-minute performance about the Queens only, rejecting calls from some quarters to add a second half, increase the length to have a more "standard" theatre running time and, heaven forbid, introduce this Henry character into the mix (who, according to the ladies, wasn't quite as "big" as he might have seemed…!).
So now that we are back to having a male monarch, a word of advice to His Majesty and his successors - beware the females in your lives - they can be a lot more feisty than you imagine!
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Courie Amado Juneau
SiX, written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, has taken the world of musicals by storm since it was first performed in 2018. After seeing it tonight I can understand why.
The show tells the story of Henry VIII’s wives, but taking a modern spin on the way the story is told. The wives each take turns in presenting their story, in the format of a pop concert, trying to portray themselves as the one who suffered most at the hands of their husband. The one who garners the most sympathy will become the lead singer of the band.
The Queens collectively introduce themselves as Six before launching us into the opening number “Ex-Wives”. An exhilarating start which breathlessly segues into an introduction of the band, called Ladies In Waiting (carrying on the Tudor theme and onstage throughout). This show has obviously been rigorously researched as evidenced by “Greensleeves” being woven into Anne Boleyn’s song (legend has it that Henry wrote the song for her).
The first two Queens, Catherine of Aragon (Chloe Hart) and Anne Boleyn (Jennifer Caldwell) were the funniest in their personal interplay together and they had powerful, witty songs – Boleyn’s was “Don’t Lose Ur Head”. But Jane Seymour (Natalie Pilkington) singing “Heart of Stone” gave (for me) the emotional zenith of the evening with a power ballad of excruciating beauty.
“Haus of Holbein” (introducing Anna of Cleves (Jessica Niles) brought a huge grin to my face with the neon green edged ruffs and sunglasses. To compose a song in the House music style and have it sit seamlessly with the other songs in a musical setting shows a deft touch that does the creators credit!
Our final Queens (Katherine Howard, Leesa Tulley and Catherine Parr, Alana M Robinson) rounded out the musical evidence for the prosecution (of Henry) with two more emotionally charged barnstormers before the final ensemble number (more on that later)…
The costumes were stunning and had subtle allusions to each wife’s fate (Boleyn and Howard wore chokers, signifying their beheading) as well as, naturally, green sleeves for Boleyn. Not only visually striking but beautiful too.
The set was minimalist (basically a set of panels edged with lights) yet effectively employed to convey a church door and cross (for a religious moment) whilst hinting at a talent show backdrop. It also mirrored the theme of the dresses, tying the whole production together nicely. For a show to have no costume or scenery changes and yet to hold our attention throughout is a testament to the quality of the music, script and performances. Impressive!
In the end the ex-wives pooled their resources and came together to reclaim their own voices from history, recognising their importance as individuals in their own right, not just as adjuncts of their husband’s legend. Uplifting stuff.
A sparkling production from all concerned on every level. I enjoyed it far more than I imagined I would (given that I’m stuck in the 50s-70s music wise). I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing it again. SiX of the best – a spankingly good show!
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Julie Bellerby - Fairy Powered Productions
This production was very uplifting and energetic, and amazingly performed by the artists. This was definitely girl power at its finest!
Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the show is about the six wives of Henry the VIII who battle it out with a singing contest to find who had the worst time at his hands. Costumes designed by Gabriella Slade were stunning, depicting each ‘Queens’ character with a futuristic sexy look.
The six girls were all very strong, superb singers, pitch perfect, it is impossible to choose one girl who shone more than the others, a well matched team. The 80 minute run without an interval was demanding on the performers, but ran seamlessly throughout.
The stage setting was minimalistic and subtle behind the girls and had the ‘ladies in waiting’ band on a raised staging. Very good musicians, wonderful to see an all-female cast.
With lots of feel good factor, the production took you out of reality, you were transported to a different plane with a surreal situation which would have been entertaining at any point of history, if only that were possible.
You should see this production, amazing performance, I wish I could give SIX stars!
