ajhlovestheatre

SIX

by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss

directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage 

Vaudeville Theatre, London – open-ended run

running time: 80 minutes no interval

https://sixthemusical.com/london/

Another year, another sextet of glittering Queens assume the crowns in Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s banging musical/pop concert hybrid. This time around though, Six hits a little different from the last couple of cast changes. This reimagining of the wives of Henry VIII as a fierce girl group, a permanent fixture in the West End and on Broadway, has always been exhilarating (how could it not be with this profligacy of great pop songs, authentic wit, female empowerment and glossy production values) but lately Moss and Jamie Armitage’s staging had seemed to have lost a little of its edge and specificity. 

It’s therefore joyous to report that the 2025 company brings back a certain detail and individuality to the principal roles that hadn’t always been evident since the original team gave up their bejewelled Steampunk corsetry and high heeled boots. While nobody is going to see Six for nuance, it’s a subtly more satisfying experience when it’s not just about the sass, sparkle and vocal pyrotechnics (all of which are still, fabulously, present and correct of course) and that’s what we get here. It feels like the show has quietly (not that there’s much quiet about Six) regained its heart: these Queens aren’t just belting and strutting, they’re also listening to each other and investing their stories with a touch more drama and genuine pathos than we’ve seen in recent years.

This is one of the strongest London casts to date, a multinational bunch of contrasting women (all of whom, bar one, have previous experience with the show) who nail their individual characterisations before coming together to form a tight, dynamic ensemble. Thao Therese Nguyen’s loose-limbed, adorably batty Anne Boleyn is the sole holdover from last years company while Dionne Ward-Anderson returns as a feisty, histrionic Anna of Cleves and seems to have acquired even more irresistible comic chops than in her previous stint in the role…she was excellent before but now she’s a bona fide firecracker.

Jaz Robinson’s Canadian-accented Aragon fields a sweet but powerful voice with a breathtaking range. Cooler and less manic than some of her predecessors, she brings a unique regality which makes it all the funnier when her facade starts to crack. Hana Stewart, an esteemed standby for a couple of years who also appeared in the Broadway production, brings an affecting sincerity to Jane Seymour and delivers a superlative, power-packed rendition of  ‘Heart Of Stone’, the only ballad in the score. 

Perhaps inevitably, an Aussie Katherine Howard suggests the Minogue sisters but that actually works terrifically well. Caitlyn De Kuyper, looking like the most exquisite porcelain doll, is funny and enchanting but has a curious detached quality which pays off devastatingly in her solo ‘All You Wanna Do’, a bop that darkens and deepens as it progresses into its tale of systematic abuse and is dramatically the most accomplished number in the show. De Kuyper absolutely nails the stark change of tone from playful to disturbing.

In a company of fine voices, Amelia Kinu Muus as Parr stands out with a honeyed belt capable of descending into something down-and-dirty before flipping up into an almost classical flute-like purity. She also invests the surviving wife with a winning combination of warmth, fire and heartbreak; she’s the only Queen not to have done the show before but this is a remarkable Six debut. 

Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s whirling, stomping choreography remains as dazzling as ever, and the complex vocal harmonies have seldom sounded as fine as they do right now. All the technical elements remain tip top – the show is a gleaming, technicolour eyeful – but Paul Gatehouse’s sound design feels more crystal clear than ever, showcasing bold new notes, some thunderous and some surprisingly delicate, in Tom Curran’s orchestrations and the work of Beth Jerem’s cracking all-female band.

It’s wonderful to see this beloved West End staple roaring back to such glorious life. The reign doesn’t just continue, it delights and surprises. A total pleasure.