Six the Musical, which began life as a student show at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe before going on to Broadway and the West End (where it is still playing at the Arts Theatre), is coming to Newcastle as part of a 33-venue tour, including a Christmas season at The Lowry in Salford.
Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the show presents the six wives of Henry VIII as pop princesses who are taking to the mic to tell their own personal tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st-century girl power.
As the BTG's Sandra Giorgetti says in her review, the show is essentially a rock concert:
There is no story here, but the songs joyfully subvert our King-led understanding of history by pushing Henry VIII into the shadows and putting his wives in the spotlight to tell their version of events.
It has been nominated for six Whatsonstage Awards—Best New Musical, Best Off-West End Production, Best Original Cast Recording, Best Choreography, Best Lighting Design and Best Costume Design—and five Olivier Awards—Best New Musical, Outstanding Achievement in Music, Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical, Best Theatre Choreographer and Best Costume Design.
The touring cast, which has just been announced, will be Lauren Drew (Catherine of Aragon), Maddison Bulleyment (Anne Boleyn), Lauren Byrne (Jane Seymour), Shekinah McFarlane (Anna of Cleves), Jodie Steele (Katherine Howard) and Athena Collins (Catherine Parr), with Alternates Jennifer Caldwell, Cassandra Lee and Harriet Watson. The cast are backed by the show’s all-female band, The Ladies in Waiting.
Six the Musical—Live in Concert comes to Newcastle Theatre Royal 22–27 June 2020.