Six (musical)
Six is a musical with music, book, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. It is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented in the form of a singing competition/pop concert. In the show, the wives take turns telling their stories to determine who suffered the most from their shared husband, but ultimately seek to reclaim their individual identities and rewrite their stories.
The musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, where it was performed by students from Cambridge University. Six premiered in the West End at the Arts Theatre in January 2019, and has since embarked on a UK tour. It premiered in North America in May 2019 and on Broadway in February 2020. Following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it officially opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 3 October 2021 and has since launched additional touring companies.
A filmed stage production titled SIX The Musical Live!, featuring the original West End cast, was released in UK & Ireland cinemas by Universal Pictures on 6 April 2025. An international release date is set to be announced.
Plot
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. 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. The queens introduce Anne Boleyn, 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. 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.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. 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. 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's "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.
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. The other queens, realizing they have been robbed of their individuality, abandon the contest and declare that they don't need Henry's love to feel validated as people. 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. They then perform a mashup of the main songs that appeared earlier in the show.
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.
In developing the characters, Marlow and Moss were inspired by several real-life pop stars who were used as a composite and musical inspiration for the characters. The six ex-wives and their corresponding pop star inspirations are:
- Catherine of Aragon: modelled on Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson
- 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 musical ran from 3 to 27 August, 2017. The cast consisted primarily of students from Cambridge University. Megan Gilbert originated the role of Catherine of Aragon, Ash Weir originated Anne Boleyn. Holly Musgrave originated the role of Jane Seymour and Oliver Wickham not only originated, but was the first non-binary cast member to play Anna of Cleves. Katherine Howard was modelled after Toby Marlow's sister Annabel Marlow, who originated the role. Shimali De Silva originated the role of Catherine Parr; she was also the first South Asian cast member to play Catherine Parr. The production's run was sold-out, and led to the musical being invited to return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018. Although the show did not win any major awards at the Fringe, it received positive reviews and buzz, and expressions of commercial interest.West End (2017)
Following the success of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe production, Marlow and Moss brought Six back to Cambridge, where it attracted the attention of producer Kenny Wax, who went on to partner with George Stiles and Wendy and Andy Barnes, to produce the show. Six had its first professional production at the Arts Theatre in London's West End, for six Monday night performances beginning on 18 December 2017. 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. Paris and Atkinson reprised their roles as Jane Seymour and Katherine Howard, respectively, with Jarnéia Richard-Noel, Millie O'Connell, Alexia McIntosh, and Maiya Quansah-Breed joining the cast. The tour included performances at the Norwich Playhouse, and return engagements at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Arts Theatre in London.West End (2019–present)
Six officially made its West End open-ended-run premiere at the Arts Theatre on 17 January 2019. All of the cast members from the 2018 touring production reprised their roles in the original West End production, which was directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage. 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.