The Guardian
"An absolute blast - smart, exhilarating and irresistibly fun."
Six is the pop concert that rewrote the rules of musical theatre. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, it hands the microphone to the six wives of Henry VIII and lets them tell their own stories, reframing five centuries of history as a glittering, defiant girl-group showdown. Since opening in the West End it has become a genuine global phenomenon, and it plays at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand.
The premise is gloriously simple. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived: the schoolroom rhyme most people know is only the ending. Backed by their all-female band, the Ladies in Waiting, each queen steps up in turn to make her case for who was treated worst by their notorious husband, and who therefore deserves to front the band. What starts as a competition turns into a celebration of reclaiming your own story.
Why it’s worth the watch
Six packs more energy into 75 minutes than most shows manage in three hours. Here is why it has taken off:
- The songs. Each queen gets a number modelled on a modern pop icon, from Beyonce to Adele, so the score plays like a greatest-hits set, with ‘Ex-Wives’, ‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’ and ‘All You Wanna Do’ among them.
- The length. At 75 minutes with no interval, it is a perfect night out that leaves time for dinner or drinks on either side.
- The wit. Marlow and Moss’s lyrics are razor-sharp and genuinely funny, which is why the show won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
- The concert energy. It is staged like a live gig, so the whole theatre ends up on its feet.
