Six (musical)
Six is a British musical comedy with book, music, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. The musical is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII presented as a pop concert, as the wives take turns singing and telling their story to see who suffered the most due to Henry and should, therefore, become the group's lead singer. The musical was first presented by Cambridge University students at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017. It has since gone on to professional productions in the West End, on Broadway and internationally . Plot. The six Queens introduce themselves performing at a pop concert, telling the audience that the position of the band's lead singer will be the prize for whoever they determine had the worst experience at the hands of their common 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 lusting after Anne Boleyn despite being loyal to him during their marriage, much to her anger ("No Way"). In turn, Anne mocks Catherine about how Henry wanted her instead but then complains of the  infidelity Henry partook in, which led to Anne flirting with other men to make him jealous and ending up beheaded in return ("Don't Lose Ur Head"). Jane Seymour announces it is her turn to partake in the contest, but is mocked for having had an easy time with Henry. However, while admitting she may have been the only one Henry truly loved, Jane claims that his love was conditional on her having produced a male heir and that she had stood by him despite knowing his many faults ("Heart of Stone"). Themes relating to ideas of female beauty are  explored in Hans Holbein's painting studio, where the Queens parody a dating app by presenting a choice of three women for Henry to marry ("Haus of Holbein"). He chooses Anna of Cleves but soon rejects her and annuls the marriage after seeing her non-resemblance to her portrait. She makes a show of complaining about living in a beautiful palace in Richmond with an enormous fortune and no man to tell her what to do, but in reality, ends up bragging about it ("Get Down"). The Queens question this, and Anna decides to drop out of the competition in  favour of returning to her lavish lifestyle. The Queens then belittle Katherine Howard for being "the least relevant Catherine", but she in retaliation mentions flaws in the other Queens' reasons for winning. She then recounts her romantic history, having had many suitors even as a child, and at first relishes her attractiveness; however, she soon reveals the emotional trauma and abuse she faced in each of these relationships ("All You Wanna Do"). As the Queens continue to fight over who is the true winner, Catherine Parr questions the point of the competition which defines them by their connection to Henry  rather than as individuals. The Queens, however, do not listen and continue to argue. Frustrated, Parr tells of her separation from her lover, Sir Thomas Seymour, and arranged marriage with Henry, but instead of lamenting about it, she acknowledges her accomplishments independent of Henry ("I Don't Need Your Love"). The other Queens, realising 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. They use their remaining moments on stage to rewrite their stories, singing together as a group rather than as solo artists , and writing their own "happily ever afters" ("Six"). This song has the women tell how their story would have turned out if Henry was never involved. Musical numbers. † Not included on the Studio Cast Recording. †† Included as part of "I Don't Need Your Love" on the Studio Cast Recording. Development. Toby Marlow was selected in late 2016 by Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society to write a new musical to be performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe the next summer. The idea for what became "Six" came to Marlow while studying in his final year at Cambridge University. The initial  six wives' concert concept occurred to him in a poetry class, and Marlow decided to get his friend Lucy Moss involved. Despite uncertainties, the pair wrote part of the show while studying for their final exams. Marlow researched by reading Antonia Fraser's "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", while Moss viewed a documentary series, "Six Wives" by Lucy Worsley. At their first writing session together, they watched a 2011 Beyoncé concert and story-telling performance, "". Over the course of approximately 10 nonconsecutive days, Marlow and Moss established the foundation for the show. The writers fashioned the characters after a  variety of real-life pop stars: 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. Productions. Edinburgh Fringe. The world premiere production of "Six" took place at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, presented by Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society. Although the production did not win any major awards, it was well-received and sold out of  tickets at the festival. Its popularity led to "Six" being invited back to Edinburgh Fringe the next summer, this time in one of the festival's larger venues. Professional debut and UK tour (2018). The Edinburgh production and a subsequent showing back in Cambridge attracted the attention of producers Kenny Wax and Global Musicals. The show was initially booked for four performances at the Arts Theatre in the West End of London, making its professional debut on 18 December 2017. The production was eventually increased to six performances. A studio recording was released on 13 September 2018 featuring the original  Arts Theatre cast. "Six" began its first UK tour on 11 July at the Norwich Playhouse with a mix of new and returning cast members from the original Arts Theatre production. It returned to the Edinburgh Fringe on 1 August 2018. The production briefly transferred back to London to the Arts Theatre, opening on 30 August 2018 before closing on 14 October and continuing its UK tour. The UK tour ended on 30 December 2018 in Glasgow. West End (2019–present). The musical re-opened for an initial 16-week run at the Arts Theatre on 17 January 2019. Directed  by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage with choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, set design by Emma Bailey, and musical supervision by Joe Beighton, the initial run was planned to be extended until January 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the production was paused starting in March 2020. The show became one of the first to reopen on the West End. It reopened briefly at the Lyric Theatre on 5 December 2020, with plans to return to the Arts Theatre the following year. Due to the ongoing pandemic, audiences were socially distanced, with capacity limited to 50%, face coverings and  temperature checks required, and contact tracing rules in place. In mid-December, all London theatres were again required to close. The show reopened for the second time since its initial closure at the Lyric on 21 May 2021 with the above measures still in place. The production finished its residency at the Lyric Theatre on 29 August 2021, and reopened at the nearby Vaudeville Theatre on 29 September. North American tour (2019). "Six" had its North American premiere at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) in May 2019. Directed by Jamie Armitage and Lucy Moss, the Chicago premiere was produced by  Six's London producers with the addition of Broadway producer Kevin McCollum. According to Chris Jones, the Chicago production was a likely Broadway tryout. The production broke box office records for CST and its run at the theatre was eventually extended and a Broadway booking set for 2020. The musical moved to the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts in late August and made its Canadian premiere at Edmonton's Citadel Theatre in November before finishing its tour at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota on 22 December 2019, prior to its Broadway debut. Norwegian  Cruise Line (2019–present). On 6 August 2019, Norwegian Cruise Line announced that they would be showing performances of "Six" on three of their ships. The first production began in September 2019 on the "Norwegian Bliss", with a second production on the "Norwegian Breakaway" beginning in November 2019. A third production was scheduled to begin on the "Norwegian Breakaway" in April 2020. The productions were put on pause in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The "Norwegian Breakaway" and "Norwegian Bliss" productions restarted in September 2021 and October 2021, respectively. UK tour (2019–present). A second UK tour was  officially announced on 5 September 2019. The production opened on 24 October 2019 at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, starring Lauren Drew, Maddison Bulleyment, Lauren Byrne, Shekinah McFarlane, Jodie Steele, and Athena Collins. The tour was scheduled to run until 25 July 2020, concluding its run at the Birmingham Hippodrome. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down theaters however, a deal was struck between the Society of London Theatre and U.K. actors union Equity; ensuring that West End and touring performers who are currently under contract will be able to continue on those preexisting terms and restart rehearsals or  performances with revised dates once the shutdown ends. In June 2020, a drive-in-style tour production was planned. It was later cancelled before opening due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2021, it was announced that the tour would resume starting on 8 June in Canterbury. Drew, Bulleyment, McFarlane, and the alternates returned for the production. They were joined by Caitlin Tipping, Vicki Manser, Elèna Gyasi, and Natalie Pilkington as Jane Seymour, Katherine Howard, Catherine Parr, and as swing, respectively. The cast change date for UK tour had been set as 6 March 2022, and would take place  in Guildford, with the new cast announced on 1 February 2022. The cast will star Chloe Hart (Aragon), Jennifer Caldwell (Boleyn), Casey Al-Shaqsy (Seymour), Aiesha Pease (Cleves), Jaina Brock-Patel (Howard), and Alana M Robinson (Parr). Caldwell previously understudied the role of Anne Boleyn as well as Katherine Howard in the previous cast of the UK tour. The cast change was delayed until the tenth March due to outbreaks of COVID-19 in the replacement cast. Australia and New Zealand (2020/2021–present). "Six" had its Australian premiere at the Sydney Opera House, in January 2020. 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 December 19, 2021, at the Sydney Opera House and will run through April 2, 2022. It will then continue its Australian tour in Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Brisbane along with a stop in New Zealand. Broadway (2020/2021–present). "Six" began Broadway previews on 13 February 2020  at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. On the day of its scheduled Broadway opening, 12 March 2020, all Broadway theatres were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, it was announced that "Six" would resume Broadway preview performances starting on 17 September 2021, and it officially opened on 3 October. The first new musical to open on Broadway since the beginning of the pandemic, according to "Variety" its opening night was both a celebration for Broadway theatre and a testament to the show's novel use of social media to propel it to international sensation pre-Broadway, especially among  young people. Moss and Armitage directed the production, with choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, set design by Emma Bailey, costumes by Gabriella Slade, sound by Paul Gatehouse, lighting by Tim Deiling, and orchestrations by Tom Curran. The original Broadway cast was the same as the 2019 North American tour cast with the addition of two swings. In promotion of the show, the cast performed at the 2021 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. On April 29, 2022, it was announced that a cast album of the original Broadway cast would be released in the future. US Tours (2022). At the original  Chicago production's final show on 4 August 2019, it was announced that "Six" would return to the city at the Broadway Playhouse. It was scheduled to begin 5 October 2021, after two postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The production was then rescheduled for the larger CIBC Theatre to run from 29 March to 3 July 2022, and will be the start of a new US Tour - referred to as the “Aragon” tour. A second US tour – called the “Boleyn” tour was announced on 28 February 2022, and is scheduled to launch at The Smith Center in Las Vegas , Nevada on September 20, 2022. Principal cast. Notable West End replacements. Show co-creator Toby Marlow filled in as Catherine Parr for two West End performances on 28 July 2019 due to a cast-wide illness. Supporting players. Included on-stage are the back-up band, known as "The Ladies in Waiting". This revises the usual musical set-up where all the accompanying musicians are out of sight in the pit. The on-stage band provides part the accompaniment and are costumed and assume the persona of a "historical" lady-in-waiting. 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." 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 "Broadway World", ""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". Awards. Original Broadway production. The original Broadway production was in previews starting 13 February 2020, and was set to open the day New York City's stay-at-home order was announced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Historical accuracy. The show is based on historical figures with varying degrees of accuracy. Generally, the show is quite sympathetic towards its characters: for instance, it  portrays Katherine Howard as a survivor of rape, which is debated amongst historians. Researchers and writers such as Suzannah Lipscomb and Gareth Russell have identified themselves as fans of the show.