Okay. So you’ve read Antonia Fraser’s biography of the six wives of Henry the Eighth. (Um, what?) And you’ve seen “The Tudors” on PBS, starring Jonathan Rhys-Myers, right? Er, so wait, you mos def know the refrain “divorced, married, died/divorced, married, survived,” correct?
Doesn’t matter if you’ve read, heard or watched all or none of the above. Stand not upon the order of going but get thee at once to “Six,” the razzle-dazzle, Vegas-y type revue of the royal marriages that make Charles and Diana’s union seem as boring as Winnie-the-Pooh.
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss have imbued each of Henry’s wives with the sensibilities of a Gen Z’er, the stroppiness of Queen Bey (that’s short for Beyoncé, you commoners) and vocal styles ranging from Adele and Shakira to Ariana Grande and Alicia Keys.
First off, there’s wife #1, a fly-looking Catherine of Aragon (Adrianna Hicks), a Roman Catholic from Spain who was threatened with life in a nunnery when Henry tired of her. She’s followed by wife #2, Anne Boleyn (Andrea Macauset) whose “Don’t Lose Ur Head” presages losing her own head. The other four wives follow, with Brittney Mack, wife #4, as a standout, delivering “Haus of Holbein” with the ‘tude of Nicki Minaj.
The glory of “Six” is that it offers you something most musicals lack: a brain. As well as energetic, crowd-pleasing choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, and an all-woman backup band rocking “Greensleeves” as you’ve never heard it.
Great excuse to have a fun night out on Broadway—and catch up on your history. And you better do it soon, before “Six” become history.
Love your reviews. And I'm jealous of how much life you pack into your life.;)