Six The Musical, the pop rock musical, ends in theaters tomorrow. The audience was not as big as Hadestown, but still about six moviegoers, six, ha! Anyway, it is about the SIX wives of Henry VIII, stepping out of history books and onto a pop stage. The story of Henry VIII has been seen in the historical series, The Tudors (2007-2010). A number of great actresses played the SIX with Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII. There is also The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) adapting the Phillipa Gregory book. Natalie Portman played Anne Boleyn and her sister, Mary, was portrayed by Scarlett Johansson. Eric Bana played the king.
There is a featurette before the film, it focuses on the creators, music, book, and lyrics by Toby Marlow, they/them actress for tv and some film, she filled in for a sick castmember in the role of Catherine Parr, and Lucy Moss who directed a London production of Legally Blonde The Musical. The SIX actresses are filmed talking about production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017 and also Hampton Court Palace, the home of Henry VIII. It premiered on the West End at the Arts Theatre in 2019.
The 2019 Broadway production won two Tonys; one for Best Score for Moss and Marlow and Best Costume which went to Gabriella Slade. They are dressed in flashy outfits, part Vegas, part Spice Girls, and a hint of the English Renaissance. Oh, Kirsten Maldonado from Pentatonix just finished her Broadway run as Anne Boleyn. The West End cast are filmed for the movie. It is directed by Liz Clare who also directed Six: The Fully Animated Musical (2020). It basically a single stage, ringed tiers with the all female band, the Ladies in Waiting, at the top.
There is rows of lights in the back like a pop stage, but no change of scenary. This is just the actresses singing for the entire show. The queens are introduced in the opening number, "Ex-Wives." with their signature phrases. There is Catherine of Aragon (Jarneia Richard-Noel), Divorced!, she probably has the most period-like outfit, black and gold, with a spiked crown. Anne Boleyn (Millie O'Connell), Beheaded!, a flashy, green dress made of patches with tiny buns held by spikes and a B necklace. Jane Seymour (Natalie Paris), Died!, she wears a dress that has black sleeves and skirt with a white mid-section. These are the wives I know about in history.
Next, also Divorced!, Anna of Cleves (Alexia McIntosh), wearing a dress made of red and black bands and also black shorts. Her crown looks like a spiked headband. She is rejected because of her looks! Katherine Howard (Aimie Atkinson) is also Beheaded!, she has a black and pink outfit with a spiked band for her pink ponytail and a K necklace. Lastly, Survived!, is Catherine Parr (Maiya Quansah-Breed), half of her hair is parted by a spiked clip, she has a blue outfit with poofy sleeves and dark blue and black leggins. The color and style is good to separate the different queens.
Catherine of Aragon starts off with her annulment to the king, living with another woman, puts up with his son from another woman, so she sings, "No Way." Anne Boleyn is sent from France and living with his wife, she's "Sorry, but not sorry' in the song, "Don't Lose Ur Head"! There are different song styles; a ballad by Jane Seymour about her love for Henry VIII and it switches to EDM with puffs and sunglasses in Germany with "House of Holbein" for Anna of Cloves. This is empowering for women and girls, great!, but really not for anyone else.
The musical doesn't offer much insight into why Henry VIII moves to wife to wife except that he wants a royal heir and just isn't interested in one relationship. Also very little history, funny asides to the queens, but all of the history has to come in with the audience. Probably not for the musical, but I think a shadowy portrait of Henry VIII should hang in the back until the queens find their independence and take it down. There is a reprise of each queens' songs at the end. A pop concert, dancing and singing, it must be an exhausting show. I don't think of any song, but the intro will stay with me. Six The Musical Live! brings the power of the stage and singers to the big screen!
Four Crowns out of Five!
#SixTheMusicalLive, #LizClare, #TobyMarlow, #LucyMoss, #GabriellaSlade, #JarneiaRichardNoel, #MillieOConnell, #NatalieParis, #AlexiaMcIntosh, #AimieAtkinson, #MaiyaQuansahBreed, #LadiesInWaiting
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