We all know how it goes, right? The simple rhyme to remember Henry VIII’s wives? “Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.” Yeah, that one.
It gave us what we assumed was all the information back when it was a simple answer to a question at school, but have you ever wondered what else there is to know about Henry VIII’s six wives? SIX the musical offers the insight we never knew we were missing.
The musical, by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, follows the six wives - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr - as they’re transformed into a girl band in order to share their tales. The all-singing, all-dancing show remixes five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an incredible celebration of girl power.
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I’d been lucky enough to see SIX before, days before the UK went into lockdown back in 2020 and to say I’ve been a big fan ever since is an understatement. The soundtrack undoubtedly helped me through lockdown and I jumped at the chance to see the show again on a bigger scale. I’m certainly glad I did.
The cast consists of just the six queens, understudies and an all female, four piece live band called The Ladies in Waiting. This serves to reinforce SIX’s message throughout the show about the power of women - and it’s even taken one step further by offering the band their own moments in the spotlight during the evening.
SIX gives the wives a voice they didn’t have in the past, when the story became all about Henry VIII, leaving the accounts of their lives centred around their husband’s. However, while the show is no doubt based on a serious topic, the performance is thrilling and entertaining to the last second.
We’re told from the off that every Tudor rose has its thorn and there’s no doubt that these six queens certainly prove their point as they go head to head in an X Factor-style competition in order to crown the lead singer of the band - by seeing which of Henry VIII’s wives suffered the most.
They each put forward their case with incredible songs, from Catherine of Aragon’s (Chlöe Hart) defiant No Way and the cheeky - and very catchy - Don’t Lose Ur Head from Anne Boleyn (Jennifer Caldwell) to Catherine Parr’s (Alana M Robinson) I Don’t Need Your Love, which, while initially a romantic message, she turns into a list of the queen’s accomplishments.
Jane Seymour’s (Casey Al-Shaqsy) ballad Heart of Stone about her love for Henry and her newborn son brought a change of tempo - and tears to my eyes. Anna Cleves (Grace Melville) brings a dose of hilarity when it is quickly pointed out that she won’t win the competition - especially not after she sings about her comfortable life tucked away in a palace with no man to answer to after Henry has divorced her because she "didn’t look like her profile picture".
Katherine Howard’s (Jaina Brock-Patel) All You Wanna Do was perhaps the most powerful moment of the evening. The pop song, which regales the audience with tidbits about her relationship with powerful men, soon twists and turns when we discover the attentions were uncomfortable and unwanted.
Catherine Parr is portrayed wonderfully by Alana M Robinson, helping the other queens see their own value and sets up the closing of the show. There’s power in the story of the one who survived.
Emma Bailey’s neon set design, which features Tudor architectural details and ever-changing lights that lead the way, is off-set by Gabriella Slade’s sequined costumes. Each of the queens has a colour scheme and silhouette of their own, helping them to stand out from the crowd easily.
I’d watch SIX every night of the week if I could. SIX runs at the Liverpool Empire until Saturday, April 16. You can get tickets here .
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