SIX

UK, 2025, 81 minutes, Colour.

Aimie Atkinson, Alexia McIntosh, Millie O’Connell, Natalie Paris, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Jarneia Richard-Noel

Directed by Liz Clare.

Six (stylised SIX ) is a musical with music, book, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. It is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented in the form of a singing competition/pop concert. In the show, the wives take turns telling their stories to determine who suffered the most from their shared husband, but ultimately seek to reclaim their individual identities and rewrite their stories.

That is the opening of the Wikipedia article. What follows is an enormous amount of information, much more than anticipated, on the various productions of musicals since 2017, in the UK, covid history, the US, an enormous range of world tours including Australia.

Six has been very popular with those who have come to know the music and lyrics, and this film version, produced in London in 2022, was released in 2025 with some success with fans of the musical.

Interesting information suggests how each of the six wives of Henry VIII was influenced by contemporary singers and dancers:

• Catherine of Aragon: modelled on Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson
• Anne Boleyn: modelled on Avril Lavigne and Lily Allen
• Jane Seymour: modelled on Adele, Sia, and Celine Dion.
• Anna of Cleves: modelled on Nicki Minaj and Rihanna.
• Katherine Howard: modelled on Britney Spears and Ariana Grande.
• Catherine Parr: modelled on Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé.

The running time is quite brief, the focus is on the stage, the six singer-dancers, four piece band with women musicians, colourful costumes, an exuberant singing and dancing style (with some quiet moments), giving some information about each of Henry VIII’s six wives, the King himself and his behaviour, the fate of Katherine of Aragon, still angry with being discarded), Henry VIII’s role in the Reformation with the issue of his divorce, a rather flighty Anne Boleyn almost boasting about her execution, a rather more staid Jane Seymour who gave birth to the desired male heir, Edward VI, but who died young. Anne of Cleves was rejected because she was ugly but she compensates here by exuberant singing and dancing. Katherine Howard came late into the group of Henry VIII’s wives and, as seen above, she seems somewhat slight, modelled on Ariana Grande. Catherine Parr was the survivor.

Not exactly a history lesson but it does raise the issues of Henry VIII, the issues of succession, his wives, the Reformation.