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There’s relationship drama, there’s beautiful ladies, and there’s an entire lot of glitter. Reality TV? No, it’s the Tudors. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ writing is the type of genius you’ll be able to’t assist however love. Six is intelligent, witty, and empowering in addition, with a brand new forged of queens ticking all of the packing containers and hitting all of the excessive notes. It’s an absolute gem of a present, and has deservedly gained a whole lot of recognition since its first displaying on the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017. Six gives a collection of simple bangers mixed with high-energy choreography, which this new forged delivers with absolute delight. The format is such that the highlight is shared…
Rating
Unmissable!
Sovereign spouses set to stun. Six places the wives of Henry VIII within the highlight and has audiences screaming ‘yas, queen!’
There’s relationship drama, there’s beautiful ladies, and there’s an entire lot of glitter. Reality TV? No, it’s the Tudors. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ writing is the type of genius you’ll be able to’t assist however love. Six is intelligent, witty, and empowering in addition, with a brand new forged of queens ticking all of the packing containers and hitting all of the excessive notes.
It’s an absolute gem of a present, and has deservedly gained a whole lot of recognition since its first displaying on the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017. Six gives a collection of simple bangers mixed with high-energy choreography, which this new forged delivers with absolute delight. The format is such that the highlight is shared equally between the celebrities, and it was an actual deal with to have six sturdy vocalists showcased and given their second. The use of a proficient all-female band – cleverly named the Ladies in Waiting – made me realise I had by no means even thought of the gender steadiness of theatre musicians earlier than.
The manufacturing has developed successfully from its unique fringe origins to this bigger West End stage; it retains viewers interplay and fast jibes, however the concert-style format permits it to fill an entire theatre. There are quips aplenty, nevertheless the steadiness between laughter, music, and story development is solidly maintained, leaving not a uninteresting second.
Gabriella Slade‘s costume design deserves heavy praise: as a lover of all that glitters, I was taken from the moment the queens stepped on stage, and before the remarkable attention to detail became truly apparent. Anne Boleyn (Baylie Carson) wears literal green sleeves, the later wives wear their roman numerals as earrings, and Catherine Parr’s (Roxanne Couch) sleeves puff up into crown shapes. Possibly the largest cheer of the evening went to Anne of Cleves’ (Dionne Ward-Anderson) spicy crimson bodysuit, and the luminous ruffs of the neon rave House of Holbein get my seal of approval. This use of costume is each visually extremely spectacular and splendidly considerate.
The present strikes confidently between ranges of emotion, from silliness to sincerity, retaining issues enjoyable however not farcical. There just isn’t a second in which a single forged member fades into the background or pauses from emoting on the tales unfolding earlier than them, be they horny or slaughterous. Six is a cabaret of various genres and affectations packed into a comparatively quick runtime; the forged members are clearly proud to be taking this stage, giving their performances a sense of sincerity. Towards the tip of the story there’s a shift in tone from silliness and bickering to a way of gravity concerning the six wives’ fates, culminating in a celebration of their (albeit barely reimagined) individuality. It is troublesome to fault such a robust ratio of puns to feminist historical past!
Six is relentlessly humorous and makes combining historical past and glamour on stage look straightforward. We are additionally reminded that these characters have been residing ladies, pulling them from the clutches of a patriarchal narrative. This new forged refreshes and revitalises an already spectacular present, retaining the crown on the subject of female-centric perceptions of historical past. Technically sturdy and flawlessly carried out, this manufacturing is positively one for the historical past books.
Written by: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
Directed by: Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage
Six performs at Vaudeville Theatre and is at the moment reserving till 29 October 2023. Further data and bookings will be discovered right here.