Who doesn’t want the six wives of Henry VIII to start a girl band? Well now due to the huge success of Hamilton the doors have been opened for Six to have its take on the musical genre in the West-End. Performing in the Arts Theatre London Six feels modern and refreshing, comparable more to a fantasy concert than a classic musical as each queen has their own song to persuade us that they suffered the most during their fateful marriages.

Much of the delight from watching comes from the competitive attitudes and one-up-manship present until the finale – “bet that didn’t hurt as much as a severed head”- and the genre hopping nature of the music packed into the 75-minute run-time. Creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Marlow gained “queenspiration” from the likes of Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys and Nicki Minaj leading to a collection which all could belong on the charts yet contain brilliant references to Tudor life in modern language: “tried to elope but the pope said nope” in Anne Boleyn’s cheeky Britpop inspired song “Don’t Lose Your Head” before we are assured everything’s “totes God’s will”. As a result, the soundtrack has catchy quality which leads me to feel no shame as I play it on repeat for hours.

It’s openly feminist agenda of women reclaiming their stories from the primary school rhyme ‘Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, survived’ grabs your interest from the opening song “Ex-wives” and is only piqued further by the punked up Tudor costumes and precise choreography. All this despite having very little educational value and only questionably passing Bechdel test but, then again, how can I question it? I was completely sucked into its uplifting and girl power message despite these niggling flaws.

However, the show is sold by the actresses channelling the wives. The show is carried by the six women playing the queens who are only joined on stage by their 4-piece all-female band and all convey utter confidence and comedic timing as well as hitting the pain and emotion needed – expertly demonstrated in Jane Seymour’s Adele moment about her broken heart. Their performances along with the rest of production made Six well worthy of the 5 Olivier Awards it was nominated for in the summer and an excellent night out for those around London.

Tickets for Six are available at https://tickets.sixthemusical.com. Article written by Eleanor Kirkland, Esher College