Six

Six

Book, Music & Lyrics by Tony Marlow and Lucy Moss

Directors Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage

Photos Kala Gare

Theatre Royal until October 1

Reviewed by Ron Lee, CSP

What happens when you cross The Spice Girls with Madame Defarge? Of course, you get a musical about Henry the Eighth's wives. Six, which has opened at the Theatre Royal, is a modern musical about history, divorce and beheading, a high-energy romp that's ultimately about the past, present and future power of women.

A significant and appealing aspect of this production is that the cast and band are racially diverse; they aren’t all Caucasian. However, they’re not gender diverse.

The musical and character inspirations are modelled on well-known performers.

Catherine of Aragon, played by Phoenix Jackson Mendoza, was inspired by Beyoncé and Shakira. Kala Gare as Anne Boleyn was influenced by Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne. Loren Hunter’s Jane Seymour was based on Adele and Sia. Nicki Minaj and Rihanna inspired Anne of Cleves, played by Kiana Daniele. Chelsea Dawson’s Katherine Howard came from Ariana Granda and Britney Spears. Vidya Makan, as Catherine Parr, drew from Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé.

Choreographer Carrie-Anne Ingrouille ensures that the pace is non-stop apart from the performance of the slower songs.

Put six women who loved the same man in one place and bitchy comments are inevitable. To keep millennials’ attention, the comments are short, sharp and snappy: “Nice neck”.

There’s even a nod to another musical, Little Shop of Horrors - “Suddenly Seymour”.

The show is as much a concert as it is musical theatre, and it will appeal to younger people who are not traditional theatre-goers. In that regard, it would be great to see more quality productions like Six.