SIX Queens Unite and Rewrite their Legacy

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived – in other words the fates of Henry VIII’s wives. This spirited group of six came back to life to put on an incredible show and reclaim their legacies, letting everyone know that they’re more than just a footnote in history, in fact they prefer the term “Her-Story.” 

As the curtains opened, and the queens sang “Ex-Wives” together, the audience members soon realized that SIX was framed as a concert rather than a classical theatrical production, but this choice by directors Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage may have been one of the coolest things that ever came from Broadway! What better way to correct the history books than to revive the very women whose stories were erased, and they get to interact with the audience? It was brilliant!  

So, after finishing the opening number, the actresses frame the show as a competition. They let the audience know that each queen (or member of the band) will get a turn to sing a heart-felt power ballad that tells the story of her life, marriage to Henry, trauma, and ultimately her death. Then they tell the crowd that they will get to vote for whichever queen is their favorite – this can be who they relate to most, liked most, or felt the most pity for. With this in mind, some of the queens will use unique tactics to get the viewers to vote for them. 

All in all, everything about the show was brilliant – I would even go as far as to say the show earned SIX stars. The costume design by Gabriella Slade was BEAUTIFUL, and the scenic design and lighting design by Emma Bailey and Tim Deiling, respectively, were breathtaking. 

But the best part of the show was only made possible by Tara Rubin and Peter Van Dam who headed the casting. The cast for the North American tour was absolute perfection. 

So, let’s talk about what goes into the casting process for this show in particular. Each queen has a pop singer that their vocals are inspired by. The playbill even has a page seen below with historical information about the queen and who their “queenspiration” was. So, when it comes to choosing an actress, they make sure their vocal range fits. But more interestingly, when it comes to rehearsing this show, all the leads and the understudies are trained in all six roles so they could potentially go on for any of the roles at any point, especially the understudies. 

In historical order, here’s the cast and why/how they made the show a success: 

Gerianne Pérez as Catherine of Aragon (or the first wife) starts the show off strong with “No Way,” which tells of her reaction to Henry divorcing her after several years of marriage. He’s leaving the church for a mistress, and she wasn’t satisfied. Throughout the show Catherine reminds the other queens that she was the first and endured Henry for the longest amount of time. Pérez commands the stage at every possible moment. She is fierce and confident and does an amazing job including Beyonce elements to her outfit, song, and overall style.  

Zan Berube as Anne Boleyn (the second wife) is absolutely hilarious. Berube’s comedic timing is unmatched. Anne Boleyn constantly reminds the other queens and the audience that she was beheaded and experienced real physical pain at the hands of Henry. In her song, “Don’t Lose Your Head,” Boleyn tells how she went from the Queen’s court to the queen. Her animated and playful nature really added a fun element to the show. 

Amina Faye playing Jane Seymour (wife #3) balances out the show with a sentimental ballad where she reveals that Henry only truly loved her. She didn’t get divorced or beheaded; she died giving Henry the son he had been waiting for. Faye had flawless vocals which did a phenomenal job emulating Adele. Her steady emotions were heart-wrenching. 

Tercia Marie playing Anna of Cleeves (wife #4) brought the energy to the show! She sings a power anthem, “Get Down,” which describes how men, including King Henry, used her throughout her life. But she brings such an elated energy to the group and the song isn’t sad, it’s actually very danceable and had many audience members shimmying in their seats. Marie brings pure joy to the show and even changes costumes in the middle of her song. She is poised and confident yet self-aware, funny, and charismatic too. Anna of Cleeves’ song makes the show more relatable to the modern age as anyone with experience on dating apps can laugh at how she describes her time with Henry. 

Kathrine Howard as Aline Mayagoitia (wife #5) brought a layered performance that showed how multifaceted the queens were and made the show much more multi-dimensional in general. Mayagoitia is the definition of “girl-boss” as she illustrates Kathrine Howard’s pain but also makes sure that Katherine’s pain isn’t her whole story, which was a beautiful element to have in the show. Her upbeat song, “All You Wanna Do,” was packed full of emotion and enthusiasm. 

Sydney Parra as Catherine Parr (the final wife) was the bow on the gift that is experiencing SIX live. She is the eternal feminist throughout the duration of the show. She portrays a quiet yet mighty leader who unites all the queens in the band together. She shifts the narrative from pitting women against one another to women lifting each other up. Parra is sincere and maintains a strong-natured persona. Her song, “I Don’t Need Your Love,” is a massive hit and rolls right into the conclusion of the show.  

Six as a show is more of an experience than anything else. Once the show ends the queen exits stage right and the audience members all get on their feet. Then suddenly, music starts playing again, and the crowd turns around to see the queens re-entering from stage left. The show ends uniting the queens and the concert ends uniting the audience. Everyone walks away with a newfound confidence and positive outlook on their tribulations. Overall, the show truly deserves six stars. The costumes are amazing, the set is beautiful, the songs are all bops, the lighting is astonishing. The show is perfect and definitely something to see if given the chance.