This is our review of Six at Liverpool‘s Empire Theatre. So, let’s take a look at Six!
Description Of Six
From the West End onto Broadway amidst Buckingham Palace, the international smash-hit musical Six is on tour! This is a multi-award-winning show with a superb soundtrack that has climbed the charts everywhere! And this sell-out Tudor take-off has a very strong and powerful message while pushing boundaries and redefining genres. We meet everybody from Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses. So, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales. Furthermore, they remix 500 years of historical heartbreak into a 75-minute celebration of modern-day girl power. Yes, these Queens might have green sleeves, but their lipstick remains a rebellious red. Think you know the rhyme? Think again!
Analysis Of Six
Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived. This is what many think of when they consider Henry VIII’s eight wives. But each of these women has so much more to offer than a synopsis of how life with Henry ended. In some cases, literally. This show manages to educate, relive and also rewrite with a huge personality shining through all six feisty females. We have Chlöe Hart as Catherine Of Aragon, Jennifer Caldwell as Anne Boleyn and Casey Al-Shaqsy as Jane Seymour. Not forgetting Grace Melville as Anne Of Cleves, Jaina Brock-Patel and Katherine Howard and Alana M Robinson as Catherine Parr. Each has a tale to tell, but the show itself isn’t so much a story as it is a performance. Indeed, they play to us, the audience, through direct questions and interactive moments.
Yet the main interactivity comes between the half-dozen Henriettas. There are plenty of roof-raising songs, ranging from rock ballads to slow dance numbers to heartwrenching tracks. All six stand out for various reasons, from simply seeking love to having a sexy and seductive side. Beneath their high-octane activity is a desire to go down as the best of all of Henry VIII’s wives. But they soon realise that their efforts are for nought if history remembers them all solely due to Henry. Yet they also point out that, actually, we only really remember Henry himself because of his six wives. And therefore their legacy is as strong as his, if not greater.
Summary Of Six
Between the brilliant backing music, the awesome vocals, the attention-grabbing costumes and the dazzling lights, this is tremendous. And it’s a fresh take on a famous chapter of British monarchy history, with lots of clever humour to boot. Some attendees were unnecessarily over the top with whooping and hollering, and this did occasionally distract from the performance. Otherwise, though, Six is well worth watching, and its modest running time means that the show flies by. As my guest said afterwards, “if only we had this show when we were at school!” A must for any historians, but especially for those wishing to study history from a new perspective. Let’s talk about Six, indeed!
Notes
Target Audience: 12+
Content: Infrequent Sexual References & Mild Language
Recommendation?: Yes
