Six (musical)

The six queens consort introduce themselves through biographical pop songs and explain that their band's lead singer will be whoever they determine had the worst experience at the hands of their shared ex-husband, Henry VIII ("Ex-Wives"). Catherine of Aragon recounts how Henry wished to annul their marriage and place her in a nunnery when he began pursuing Anne Boleyn, despite her loyalty to him ("No Way"). The queens introduce Anne Boleyn ("The One You've Been Waiting For"), who boasts about how Henry wanted her instead of Catherine, but then complains of Henry's infidelity, which led to Anne's own flirtations with other men, which were the grounds for her beheading ("Don't Lose Ur Head"). Jane Seymour steps up to take her turn, but is ridiculed for having had an easy time with Henry. However, while admitting she may have been the only wife Henry truly loved, Jane claims that Henry's love was conditional, only guaranteed because she produced a male heir, and that she stood by him despite his many faults ("Heart of Stone"). Themes relating to ideas of female beauty and the sacrifices expected are explored in Hans Holbein's portrait studio. The queens parody a dating app by presenting a choice of potential brides ("Haus of Holbein"). Henry chooses Anna of Cleves for his fourth wife, but soon rejects her and annuls the marriage, claiming she failed to resemble her "profile picture". She makes a show of complaining about living in a palace in Richmond with an enormous fortune and no husband telling her what to do but ends up bragging about her life instead ("Get Down"). The other queens question this, and Anna admits her lavish lifestyle lacked actual tragedy then drops out of the competition. The queens next mock Katherine Howard claiming she is "the least relevant Catherine," but in retaliation she exposes flaws in the others' claims to winning. Katherine recounts her romantic history, having had many suitors even as a child, and at first relishes her attractiveness before later revealing the emotional trauma and sexual abuse she faced in each of these relationships ("All You Wanna Do"). As the queens continue to fight over who the true winner is, the final wife, Catherine Parr, questions the point of the competition, which defines them by their connection to Henry rather than as individuals. They nonetheless continue to argue. Frustrated, Parr details her separation from her lover, Sir Thomas Seymour, and arranged marriage to Henry; however, instead of simply complaining about her situation, she acknowledges her accomplishments independent of Henry ("I Don't Need Your Love"). The other queens, realizing they have been robbed of their individuality, abandon the contest and declare that they do not need Henry's love to feel validated as people ("I Don't Need Your Love (Remix)"). They use their remaining moments onstage to rewrite their stories, singing together as a group rather than as solo artists, and writing their own 'happily ever afters', imagining that Henry had never married them ("Six"). They then perform a mashup of the main songs that appeared earlier in the show ("The Megasix"). == Development ==

. In late 2016, Toby Marlow was selected by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society to create and write a new musical that would be presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017. Marlow, who was in their final year at Cambridge University, created a concept for a musical that would involve re-telling the story of King Henry VIII's ex-wives. They partnered with another student, Lucy Moss, who began working on a concept for the musical together. As they began working on the musical, Marlow researched the ex-wives stories by reading Antonia Fraser's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, while Moss viewed a documentary series, Six Wives by Lucy Worsley. They also watched and drew inspiration from the 2011 Beyoncé concert and story-telling performance, Live at Roseland: Elements of 4. The foundation for the musical was written over the course of approximately 10 nonconsecutive days. • Anne Boleyn: modelled on Avril Lavigne and Lily Allen • Jane Seymour: modelled on Adele, Sia, and Celine Dion. • Anna of Cleves: modelled on Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. • Katherine Howard: modelled on Britney Spears and Ariana Grande. • Catherine Parr: modelled on Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé. == Production history ==

Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2017) The world premiere production of Six took place at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as a presentation by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society. The cast included Renée Lamb as Catherine of Aragon, Christina Modestou as Anne Boleyn, Natalie Paris as Jane Seymour, Genesis Lynea as Anna of Cleves, Aimie Atkinson as Katherine Howard, and Izuka Hoyle as Catherine Parr. UK tour (2018) Six embarked on a brief tour across the UK between 11 July 2018 and 30 December 2018. West End (2019–present) Six officially made its West End open-ended-run premiere at the Arts Theatre on 17 January 2019. Performances were suspended in March 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 5 December 2020, Six resumed performances, this time playing at the Lyric Theatre. Despite the COVID-19 preventative measures implemented in London theatres, performances were once again forced to stop on 14 December 2020. On 21 May 2021, Six reopened for a second time at the Lyric Theatre. The musical finished its residency at the Lyric Theatre on 29 August 2021. It then transferred West End theatres and reopened at the Vaudeville Theatre on 29 September 2021. In April 2025, a production of Six starring the original West End cast opened for a limited run in cinemas across the UK and Ireland. The production was filmed in June 2022 live from the Vaudeville Theatre. Pre-Broadway tour (2019) Six made its North American premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in May 2019, as a "likely Broadway tryout". The cast included Adrianna Hicks as Catherine of Aragon, Andrea Macasaet as Anne Boleyn, Abby Mueller as Jane Seymour, Brittney Mack as Anne of Cleves, Samantha Pauly as Catherine Howard, and Anna Uzele as Catherine Parr. The production opened on 14 May 2019, played for an extended run and broke box office records. It was announced in August 2019 that the production would tour and transfer to Broadway. In late August 2019, the tour moved to the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It made its Canadian premiere at Edmonton's Citadel Theatre in November 2019. A final performance series was given at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota. Norwegian Cruise Line productions (2019–2024) Six was performed on Norwegian Cruise Line ships beginning in September 2019 on the Norwegian Bliss, with a second production beginning in November 2019 on the Norwegian Breakaway. The Productions were paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Performances resumed in September 2021 on the Norwegian Breakaway and in October 2021 on the Norwegian Bliss. The productions closed in January and February 2024 respectively. UK and international tour (2019–present) The cast for the first UK long-running tour included Lauren Drew as Catherine of Aragon, Maddison Bulleyment as Anne Boleyn, Lauren Byrne as Jane Seymour, Shekinah McFarlane as Anna of Cleves, Jodie Steele as Katherine Howard, and Athena Collins as Catherine Parr. The tour opened on 24 October 2019 at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford. Amidst the pandemic, plans emerged for a drive-in style tour across the UK beginning in June 2020. However, those plans were cancelled due to further COVID-19 shutdown restrictions. On 8 June 2021, the UK tour resumed, with performances beginning in Canterbury. The tour expanded into an international tour in 2023, featuring international stops interspersed with performances on the UK tour. To date, the tour has visited South Korea, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, Spain and China. Australia (2020–2023; 2024–2025; 2026–present) Six had its Australian premiere at the Sydney Opera House in January 2020 starring Chloé Zuel (Aragon), Kala Gare (Boleyn), Loren Hunter (Seymour), Kiana Daniele (Cleves), Courtney Monsma (Howard), and Vidya Makan (Parr). The production was originally planned to tour to Melbourne's Comedy Theatre in mid 2020 and Adelaide's Her Majesty's Theatre in late 2020 as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival but the performances were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian production is produced by Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Linda Bewick. The production reopened on 19 December 2021, at the Sydney Opera House and ran through to 2 April 2022. Gare, Hunter, Daniele, Makan, Oka and Quan returned to the show, and joined by Phoenix Jackson Mendoza and Chelsea Dawson, replacing Zuel and Monsma as Aragon and Howard respectively. It then continued its Australian tour in Canberra, with stops in Adelaide and Melbourne, before returning to Sydney again, with Perth and Brisbane to follow. The show closed in February 2023 after its last run in Brisbane, with all cast members departing. On 28 November 2023, it was announced that Six would be returning to Australia for another tour starting from August 2024 in Melbourne and then going to Sydney from October 2024 and Brisbane from January 2025. Broadway (2021–present) Six began Broadway previews on 13 February 2020 at the Lena Horne Theatre (then known as the Brooks Atkinson Theatre). Six resumed Broadway previews on 17 September 2021, and it opened officially on 3 October. The first new musical to open on Broadway since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Variety, its opening night was a celebration for Broadway theatre. Moss and Armitage directed the production, with choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, set design by Emma Bailey, costumes by Gabriella Slade and lighting by Tim Deiling. The original Broadway cast was the same as the 2019 North American tour cast. To promote the show, the cast performed at the 2021 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. A cast album of the Broadway production was released. The live recording from the opening night was released 6 May 2022. In January 2026 it was announced that TikTok influencer, Dylan Mulvaney had been cast in the role of Anne Boleyn. The announcement was subject to a significant backlash from right wing and gender-critical accounts on social media, which resulted in the musical's X account being locked to non-followers and comments being turned off on its Instagram post announcing the casting. Mulvaney will vacate the role in May 2026. North American touring productions (2022–2023; 2022–present) A US national tour of Six was planned to begin at Chicago's Broadway Playhouse, but was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour, later dubbed the "Aragon" tour, began performances at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago on 29 March 2022. The cast was Khaila Wilcoxon as Aragon, Storm Lever as Boleyn, Jasmine Forsberg as Seymour, Olivia Donalson as Cleves, Didi Romero as Howard and Gabriela Carrillo as Parr. The West End Seymour, Natalie Paris, joined the tour, reprising her role, in 2023. The tour ended in July 2023, and the original tour cast moved to the ongoing Broadway production in December 2023. A second overlapping US national tour, dubbed the "Boleyn" tour began performances at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on 20 September 2022. The cast was Gerianne Pérez as Aragon, Alexandra "Zan" Berube as Boleyn, Amina Faye as Seymour, Terica Marie as Cleves, Aline Mayagoitia as Howard and Sydney Parra as Parr. In April 2024, a new cast for the "Boleyn" tour was announced including Cassie Silva as Anne Boleyn, Kristina Leopold as Catherine of Aragon, and Kelly Denice Taylor as Jane Seymour. Canadian productions (2023–2024) A Canadian production of Six played first at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton between 12 August 2023 and 10 September 2023. and then transferred to the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto where it began on 23 September 2023 and closed on 26 May 2024. International productions Six had its Asian premiere at the Shinhan Card Artium in South Korea, the musical's first non-English production, opening on 10 March 2023, with the cast of the UK tour performing the roles for three weeks. Beginning 31 March 2023, a Korean cast began performances. The Madách Theatre in Budapest, Hungary, presented a non-replica staging that opened on 14 October 2023. A Polish non-replica production opened at Teatr Syrena in Warsaw on 9 September 2023. It was directed and choreographed by Ewelina Adamska-Porczyk. A Japanese production began performances with multiple actors splitting the roles, including Emiko Suzuki and Sonim as Catherine of Aragon, Meimi Tamura and Maho Minamoto as Anne Boleyn, Mahya Harada and Harumi as Jane Seymour, Eliana and Marie Sugaya as Anna of Cleves, Airi Suzuki and Erika Toyohara as Katherine Howard and Sora Kazuki and Ruki Saito as Catherine Parr. Most of the cast are set to perform a one-week engagement at the Vaudeville Theatre in the West End (where Six currently plays in London) in November 2025 in Japanese, becoming the first foreign language production of the show to be performed in the West End. A Croatian production was planned for May 2025. == Cast and characters ==

Notable replacements West End • Catherine of Aragon: Amy Di Bartolomeo • Anne Boleyn: Courtney Bowman • Katherine Howard: Sophie Isaacs • Catherine Parr: Danielle Steers Broadway • Anne Boleyn: Dylan Mulvaney • Jane Seymour: Jasmine Forsberg • Katherine Howard: Didi Romero, Abigail Barlow Taylor Iman Jones Supporting players Included on-stage is the back-up band, known as "The Ladies in Waiting". The band provides part of the accompaniment and are costumed and assume the persona of a "historical" lady-in-waiting. the band consists of drummer María, bassist Bessie, guitarist Maggie and keyboardist Joan. According to Playbill, the on-stage band members, "execute a myriad of musical cues, acting choices, and subtle choreography that further immerse the audience into the concert experience and underscore the razor-sharp wit of the show’s libretto." ==Musical numbers==

• "Ex-Wives" – Company • "Ex-Wives (Reprise)" – Company † • "No Way" – Catherine of Aragon and Company • "The One You've Been Waiting For" – Company † • "Don't Lose Ur Head" – Anne Boleyn and Company • "Heart of Stone" – Jane Seymour and Company • "Haus of Holbein" – Company • "Get Down" – Anna of Cleves and Company • "All You Wanna Do" – Katherine Howard and Company • "I Don't Need Your Love" – Catherine Parr • "I Don't Need Your Love (Remix)" – Catherine Parr and Company †† • "Six" – Company • "The Megasix" – Company † • "Playout" – The Ladies in Waiting † † Not included on the studio cast recording. †† Included as part of "I Don't Need Your Love" on the studio cast recording. Cast recordings Studio cast recording Six (Studio Cast Recording) is a studio album that was released digitally and on CD on 31 August 2018 through 6 Music, Loudmouth Music, and Ex-Wives Ltd. The recording was released on vinyl for the first time on 11 March 2022. The studio cast included, Renée Lamb (Catherine of Aragon), Christina Modestou (Anne Boleyn), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Genesis Lynea (Anna of Cleves), Aimie Atkinson (Katherine Howard), Izuka Hoyle (Catherine Parr). The recording peaked at number four on the UK Soundtracks chart, ten on the UK Compilation Chart, 65 on the UK Album Downloads Chart, and number two on the US Cast Albums chart. It was certified platinum in the UK in 2025, "Don't Lose Ur Head" was certified Silver in 2022 and "Ex-Wives" was certified Gold in 2026. An instrumental "sing-along" version was released on 30 July 2019. Live original Broadway cast recording Six: Live on Opening Night (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is a live album recorded by the original Broadway cast on their official opening night at the then Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 3 October 2021. This was the first time in Broadway history that an original cast recorded their musical's production album live. The cast recording was released digitally on 6 May 2022. It includes all of the musical numbers in the show, as well as a bonus song by the Broadway alternates. The recording was released on CD and vinyl. ==Concept==

All six of King Henry VIII's wives are in a band and they are competing to see which queen had the worst fate to see who got to lead the band. They each tell their stories through song and towards the end after Katherine Howard's song they start to argue. But Catherine Parr ends this bickering by saying that they should stop comparing themselves and find something in common with each other, other than their husband. The musical end with Catherine Parr's song and the song 'SIX' all about what they would've liked their lives to be like without King Henry. Casting Marlow and Moss lamented the lack of gender diversity within the theatre industry, which caused them to focus on themes of queerness while developing the show. They wanted a cast that was predominantly female or non-binary and the story itself to feature queer narratives in a space which normally didn't. Researchers and writers such as Suzannah Lipscomb and Gareth Russell have identified themselves as fans of the show. Audio production Rather than the more typical head-worn microphones used in most musicals, the Queens use hand-held radio microphones. Their costumes have a loop to hold these when not in use. Marlow and Moss said that they chose to use handheld microphones "to present a unique experience, something that referenced Beyoncé at Roseland". The Queens also wear in-ear monitors. == Reception ==

In a review of the Arts Theatre production, Dominic Cavendish of The Telegraph called the show "gloriously – persuasively – coherent, confident and inventive". Lyn Gardner of The Guardian wrote, "It may be cloaked in silliness, but Six makes some serious points about female victimhood and survival." In a review of the Chicago production, Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune praised the show as "dynamic" and a "blast", with a "sense of humor and spirited radicalism." Marlow and Moss are "gifted comic writers", he said, and he praised the "musical force of the intensely committed and talented actresses" in the Chicago cast. Jones suggested the show could use 10 more minutes of material that gets away from the plot's singing contest conceit, and toward the emotional center of the characters. He also thought the orchestration of the songs could be more substantial. Jones said Six has an audience that is ready for it, in part because it gets to a complex historical paradox and treats it with verve, the memories of women in history being tied to the life of a man. Hedy Weiss of WTTW praised the musical as "sensational", singling out each performer in the Chicago cast. Weiss also thought the show makes a convincing case for each character, and in addition to praising the writers, noted the "dynamite direction by Moss and Jamie Armitage, and powerhouse music direction by Roberta Duchak" as well as, "Gabriella Slade’s glittering costumes... and Tim Deiling’s arena-style lighting". According to Rachel Weinberg of BroadwayWorld, "Six carries out [a] joyful and anachronistic takedown of the patriarchy" through the performances of a "brilliant" cast and a book and score with an inventive and sensational compositional method. Jesse Green of The New York Times wrote that the musical is "pure entertainment", the writing is "wickedly smart", the "terrific singers" of the Chicago cast sell the show "unstintingly", and the production values "befit a splashy North American premiere with Broadway backing." The reviews for the 2021 Broadway production were positive. Green's New York Times review of the Broadway production labeled it a "Critic's Pick", calling it a "rollicking, reverberant blast from the past". Frank Rizzo of Variety said, "It may not be Masterpiece Theatre, but this 'Six' is a solid '10' for joy." Johnny Oleksinski of New York Post gave the show three stars out of a possible four calling the songs "whip-smart and catchy". ==Honours and awards==

Original West End production Original Broadway production ==Adaptations==

SIX The Musical Live! - Filmed stage production In June 2022, it was announced that there would be a live recording of the stage production. All of the original West End cast members returned to reprise their roles. The professionally filmed live recording, later titled SIX The Musical Live!, released on 6 April 2025 in UK and Ireland cinemas by Universal Pictures. The film will be released in theaters in the US on 14 August 2026. The film broke several box office records, including the highest opening day figure for a musical ever and became the third highest single day gross for an event film ever. It also opened on the widest screen count for an event film, across 700 venues, surpassing Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. Cinemas across the country have added many more screenings due to popular demand. Potential film adaptation In October 2020, co-creators Moss and Marlow confirmed that they were "in talks" about a potential film adaptation of the musical. 2025 Single On 3 April 2025, a single titled "My Girls", written by both Marlow and Moss, and performed by SVN, the Original West End cast's related pop/R&B themed band formed back in the year of 2020 was released to celebrate the film’s release. ==Notes==