Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. If that’s all you know about Henry VIII and his six wives, then strap yourselves in. The fun and witty show, SIX the Musical, is currently playing at the Comedy Theatre, and it’s an absolutely thrilling ride. See Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr take the mic and belt out their stories for all to hear.
SIX the Musical
After completing a record-breaking, 15-week run at the Sydney Opera House in December last year, SIX the Musical is finally playing in Melbourne.
Once the show starts, you feel like you’re not watching a theatre show, but a live pop concert. The six queens are absolutely fierce, dominating the stage with their powerful vocals and sharp dance moves. The stage itself is quite bare, letting the women shine on their own, with occasional accessories like sunglasses used to great effect. The six wives are great at working up the crowd, getting the audience to clap and scream, and truly helping you feel like you’re at a concert.
This historical remix is anything but boring. In a tight 75 minutes, the Tudors take inspiration from iconic performers like Beyoncé, Ariana Grande and Britney Spears to tell the audience about their lives. Each wife gets roughly the same amount of time to shine, moving in chronological order from Catherine of Aragon to Catherine Parr. As they argue, both through song and through banter, over who had it worse when married to Henry VIII, you’ll learn a bit more about the lesser-known queens, and see them from a new perspective.
Pop princesses on stage
The strong cast is made up of a mixture of artists reprising their role from the original Sydney show and newcomers. Newcomer Phoenix Jackson Mendoza starts the show with a fierce bang as Catherine of Aragon, and fellow newbie Chelsea Dawson effortlessly moves from bright and bubbly to distraught in her depiction of Katherine Howard. Meanwhile, swing performer Shannen Alyce Quan delivers a powerful performance as Catherine Parr, in place of Vidya Makan.
Rocking out on stage alongside the talented singers is the band, Ladies in Waiting. Members of the band also get their moments to shine, and masterfully take the crowd from the slower pace of an emotional ballad to the frenetic pace of Eurodance.
More about SIX
This phenomenal musical started out as a student production at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. Since then, it has expanded its reign around the globe, taking over the West End and Broadway. It won two Tony Awards, and was nominated for five Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical, and played sold-out shows in London’s West End. Its Studio Album has also dominated the Internet, with over 450 million streams worldwide, and over 3 billion views on TikTok.