I used to feel that SIX was my guity pleasure. I think it's fair to say that I no longer feel guilty about loving this exceptional show by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Yesterday, the latest UK touring version of this musical exploded onto the stage at a sold-out Embassy Theatre in Skegness and it was clear that I am not alone in my love for this wonderfully wacky, irreverent musical with an audience age range that defies definition. The show is brash, loud and at times VERY naughty but I love it.
The cast performing on the current UK tour in Skegness
The premise is simple - Henry VIII's six wives but as a pop concert. Girl Power meets the Tudor dynasty. It is the raw simplicity of this concept that belies its clever, witty and fabulous realisation. Owing to tight restrictions on photography and video recording, I happily complied with the request of the venue to forego my usual show time routine of shooting photos as I watch and review the show simultaneously. The only photography permitted comes right at the end of the show as the six queens return for an encore and my iPhone lacks the capacity for clear, sharp and original photography. Though I will include a snippet of video that I shot during the encore at the end of the review. I apologise for the lack of original photography this time out. I will try not to let it happen too often!
I am not sorry (or should that be "Sorry [Not Sorry]"?) that I had to watch the show with a clear vision and not through the camera lens. I was able to witness some excellent delicate and nifty footwork from the cast which I might otherwise have missed, courtesy of choreographer Carrie Anne Ingrouille. So swift and well-timed the intricacies would have been lost on me as I peered through my camera.
Directors Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage have done an outstanding job of bring six very different characters to the stage and giving each their moment to shine. Both set and lighting design are as good, if not better than many touring concerts by big name pop groups and the costumes designed by Gabriella Slade are positively iconic. From the moment the curtains open and the beat drops, the pace is relentless and never drops without narrative cause. The band, under the musical direction of Sarah Dyer, blend effortlessly into the background but are the rhythmic spine supporting the entire show and are unsung heroes.
The show actually only consists of ten songs, though it feels like there are more. Each of the ex-wives is invited to sing their story as a faux contest is set up to decide whose tale of woe is most deserving to be the ultimate queen. There is a real blend of styles and sound but the effervescent, infectious nature of their pop heritage ensures that you learn much about each woman in turn.
The show begins with the simple rhyme "Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived". The dramatic lighting grabs your attention and demands focus before creating some insane blended harmony in the show's opening number, "Ex Wives". It sets the stage for the re-imagining of the life stories for the twenty-first century driving fiercely towards the premise of the show and demonstrating the humour which will be a signature throughout. Would the real wives really describe their fate as being "unfriended"? I doubt it. This gives way to the first solo from Catherine of Aragon, played by Nicole Louise Lewis. Lewis performs "No Way" and is possessed fo a fine voice reminiscent of Jennifer Hudson and similar divas. Her riffs send shivers down the spines of her audience and the bar is set extremely high for the coming show.
My personal favourite is always "Don't Lose Your Head" sung by Anne Boleyn, played by Laura Dawn Pyatt. It is a cheeky, infectious song that reminds the audience of the work of performers like Lilly Allen as it bounces around stage with the "Sorry (Not Sorry)" refrain. Jane Seymour, or more correctly Erin Caldwell, provides a true spine-tingling moment when she slows things right down to tell the tale of her death in the beautiful ballad "Heart of Stone". Caldwell absolutely nails the song and leaves the audience in the belief that HEnry may well have TRULY loved her had she lived after providing him with a son and heir.
Another step change occurs as European techno electronica hammers out the witty number "Haus of Holbein" to inform us of the way in which Henry selected his bride after seeing her portrait (presented here as a profile pic) and metaphorically swiping right only to find that pictures can lie. All six queens perform the tune which segues into "Get Down" sung as a dirty R&B grind by Kennedy Small as Anna of Cleves. Nicky Minaj would be proud of this number and the accompanying dance routine as Small teases the audience and rips off the top layer of her costume, thankfully avoiding a Janet Jackson-style wardrobe malfunction.
Strangely, I find the tale of Katherine Howard quite unsettling as the basis for a sarcastic pop parody that might be echoed in the rise of some of the leading pop princesses of the 1990s. Exposed at a very young age to the attentions of men, but wanted and unwanted, Howard is the victim of sexual exploitation whether she really accepts it or not and the ensuing bubblegum pop song "All I Wanna Do" transports the audience away from the horror of what really happened. Lou Henry gives a stunning performance in this role of a girl who is fit and she knows it.
Last, but not least, it is the turn of Aoife Haakenson as Catherine Parr, the survivor, who becomes the voice of reason through, "I Don't Need Your Love". Somebody compared this number to Alicia Keys or Emilie Sande, and they are not wrong to do so. When all six queens realise that for centuries they have merely been remembered as the wives of one man who lived a rich life of excess, they band together and choose to rewrite history as "herstory" and do so brilliantly through the song "SIX". The erasure of women throughout history is widely acknowledged by the writers of this show and by giving them voices, albeit anachronistic voices, they remind audiences that there is world of female stories to explore and deservedly so. The six queens remind us that the public do at least remember them, whereas the wives of the previous Henrys are lost to history and they are still household names at least.
In a glorious celebration of the redemptive power of great music and an exciting concert format, twenty-first century fans can learn more than they bargain for, enhancing the appeal of this extremely clever show. It is no surprise that all performances of SIX have sold out in advance at The Embassy Theatre in Skegness. Had they not, I for one would have been queuing for another ticket to watch it all over again this week - such is the power of the production. Congratulations to Magna Vitae for bringing suchh an immensely accomplished and deserving musical to Skegness for the first time. They deserve to see sold-out signs over the doors of the theatre.
Andy Evans 25 October 2023
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The cast at Skegness 25/10/2023
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