In the wake of the hugely successful musical Hamilton, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, came up with a cool idea: what if a show focused on the wives of the infamous Henry VIII? Six was born.  

By Miles Salter

Photos by Pamela Raith Photography

The conceit is this: each of the wives will show the others that they had it worse. Henry’s behaviour with his wives was not great – there were mistresses, divorce and, um, let’s not forget two beheadings. Henry’s rage also led to the destruction of the Monasteries in England – an act of terrible vandalism that still echoes through the centuries. The king never gets a look in during the show, but his presence is felt in the background.  

Six isn’t particularly profound, and some of the songs weren’t especially strong, but it’s chirpy, energetic and frequently funny, with numerous gags related to the word ‘head’. The ‘House of Holbein’ sequence, exploring the Germanic roots of Anne of Cleves, showed a kind of house music disco with the actors wearing daft sunglasses. What was interesting was the number of female audience members, from ages 15 to 70.

The subtext of Six, and what really makes it work, is female agency, a subject that has taken on a visceral power in recent years. Those screams from the girls in the stalls are about standing up for feminine power, demanding respect and expecting parity. The excellent backing band (dubbed ‘Ladies in Waiting’) were all female. This approach has also been taken in recent years by Beyoncé and Olivia Rodrigo, among others. After all, why should the blokes have all the fun? The producers even wrote a six point manifesto (sorry, womanifesto) that included the line ‘we will show that women can tell stories together that are interesting, engaging, clever and funny…’ Six is an energising show – my fifteen-year-old daughter loved it, and it’s great that she can see a show that has such a positive message. This run was sold out – the show returns to York next summer.  

Six was performed at Grand Opera House, York on Thursday 13 October 2022.