By Ryan Leeds
Who doesn’t love a great competition? Between singing contests, fashion design, bake-offs, and drag races, we’re compelled to watch and root for our favorites. Even more thrilling is when we’re seated in a dark theater along with the contestants.
Two Brits, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, offer a royal showdown with SIX, a glossy pop musical based on Henry VIII’s ex-wives. Marlow, a senior at Cambridge University, partnered with Moss on a school project that would be presented at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. SIX would go on to play the West End, throughout the UK, US, and eventually find its way to Broadway in February 2020. (Because opening night was scheduled for March 12, 2020, the night when the COVID-19 pandemic closed theaters, it officially opened on October 3, 2021).
Marie Daniel in “SIX” on Broadway. Photo by Joan Marcus.
The queens are still reigning on Broadway, where each of Henry’s lovers conveys their unfortunate tales of woe through song in 80 minutes of pop bliss that doubles both as entertainment and a history lesson. Through divorces, beheadings, natural deaths, and emotional distress, these leading ladies ponder who had it worst. The audience will decide.
Those seeking a big Broadway spectacle aren’t likely to find it here. While the show is smartly crafted, historically accurate, female-forward, and lots of fun, it’s little more than a well-produced concert and could easily be enjoyed just as much at a theater in your local city.
Still, the show has legions of local fans who are repeat customers. That brand of New York enthusiasm and loyalty is tough to replicate anywhere else.
SIX plays at the Lena Horne Theatre.
‘SIX’ takeaway
Much like Hamilton and any Stephen Sondheim musical, SIX is chock-full of lyrics that convey the story. A quick listen to familiarize yourself with the score before attending will enhance your live performance experience. A studio cast recording was released in 2019. A “Live on Opening Night” of the original Broadway cast is also available, which is a rare find.
