Lighting up the Festival Theatre with blazing fanfares and soaring energy, six Queens pose a tongue-in-cheek question for the crowd: “Remember us from your GCSEs?” From a Fringe debut to an international blockbuster musical, Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage’s SIX reclaims the infamous stories of Henry VIII’s wives through infectious electropop, in a glittery celebration of girl power.
Each Queen stands tall in gloriously loud and intricate costumes, which merge period pieces with spunky spikes and fishnets. The gig-style atmosphere is immediate — under backdrops of stained glass windows and joined by an on-stage band called the ‘Ladies in Waiting,’ the Queens banter with the crowd before each taking to the mic to prove they suffered the most at the hands of Henry VIII.
The cast are powerhouses, dancing in mesmerising sync all while channeling the individual, distinct personalities of their Queens. Aragon (Madison Swan) starts the competition with an unapologetic resistance, in a fierce performance of ‘No Way’ under fiery orange-red lighting. Each wife gets more than a moment to shine. The narrative intertwines their stories and experiences, through the face-off between Aragon and Boleyn (Izi Maxwell), or how the group mock how Parr (Eloise Lord, playing the only wife who ‘survived’) pretends to have a sob story.
Techno, hip-hop, and bubblegum pop numbers imitate the styles of A-List divas. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ witty writing incoporates rapid-fire one-liners, cheeky innuendos, and countless beheading-related puns. Other more sincere and reflective ballads convey heavier topics of deep-rooted trauma and exploitation. The different genres convey the personalities of the Queens — from Maxwell’s matter-of-fact Boleyn or the brilliantly bold Cleves (Hannah Victoria), to the mournful, reflective Seymour (Laura Dawkes).
The standout performance is the chilling ‘All You Wanna Do.’ Seemingly a formulaic electro-pop track, Lizzie Emery portrays the vulnerability and manipulation experienced by Howard as she becomes a victim of grooming and sexual objectification. Beneath buzzing synths and racing drum machines, Howard’s femme fatale archetype splinters and unravels. The number marks the turning point when the Queens realise their shared suffering caused by Henry VIII.
If the ‘competition’ format initially feels surface-level and shallow, the second half exposes the flaws of pitting the wives against each other — the Queens realise how their identities became blurred and lost to time, and how their legacies are defined by their trauma. Instead, the final megamix unites the six in shining solidarity, an ode to women throughout history whose voices were twisted, eroded and forgotten.
SIX the Musical is running until 26 September at the Festival Theatre. Buy tickets here.
Image by Pamela Raith Photography, provided to The Student for press use.
