Six The Musical - Liverpool Playhouse - 8th January 2023
- Wendy
- Jan 9, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 17, 2023
Divorced, Beheaded, Died.... Divorced, Beheaded, Survived! And today, Liverpool they were SIX!!
I've seen this masterpiece of a show a total of four times including this visit. Let me tell you, I'll keep going back until I know all the choreography and can perform in the show myself!!!
I'm a massive fan of shorter shows and Six comes in at 1 hour 20 minutes without an interval which is a perfect length for a 1 act show. For someone who has ADHD and Autism, I can struggle to focus on long acts or shows in general but this was SO easy to concentrate on. This is definitely down to the fact that it is so fast paced and there's no drop in energy from beginning to end which is a credit to the cast and Ladies in Waiting (the band)!
Let's start with the cast. I've seen 3 different casts including the original UK tour cast and all have been outstandingly fabulous with sass, class and vocals to die for! HOWEVER, I will say... this cast was the standout for me, 100%! They put their own unique spin on the songs which I always love to hear and were SO engaging throughout. The cast and ladies in waiting were as follows:
Catherine of Aragon - Chlöe Hart
Anne Boleyn - Jennifer Caldwell
Jane Seymour - Casey Al-Shaqsy
Anna of Cleves - Jessica Niles
Katherine Howard - Rebecca Wickes
Catherine Parr - Alana M Robinson
Musical Director/Keys: Caitlin Morgan
Guitar: Laura Browne
Bass: Ashley Young
Drums: Migdalia Van Der Hoven
Associate Musical Director: Grace Alexander
I can't pick out a standout queen as they were all amazing, however I LOVED the northern twang that Anne Boleyn had, it was such a dry use of comedic timing which is reyt up my street as northerner myself!
I've already got tickets booked for Manchester in July, but I'm sure there was news of this cast going to South Korea for the debut there... I know another great cast will come it's in place but I'll be sad not to see these queens again if it is true!
If you've not seen the show before, the concept is simple. The six wives of Henry VIII battle it out to try and crown the queen who had the most torment, torture, grief and upset throughout their reign. They do this by cracking out some epic diva-filled songs written by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss. Each song has hints and splashes of popular songs which keen ears will notice throughout. All songs sound distinctly Musical Theatre but also have a sound of Diva Pop too!
I'm a sucker for a ballad and my favourite song is "Heart of Stone" sung by Jane Seymour. Casey Al-Shaqsy's rendition was so powerful. She stood in the spotlight, and sang her heart out. She didn't need to move, there was no choreography and she still had the audience hooked throughout! It's the only real ballad throughout the show and it comes half way through which is a nice break from the up-tempo bops in the rest of the show.
Costumes in Six are elegant, regal and absolutely fierce! Each queen has a set look (I didn't see a swing this time, but I'm sure they have their own looks too!) and each has a tiara placed in their hair with different styles. I could be wrong, but it feels like the costumes also link to the songs they sing, for example Jane Seymour has a flowy skirt-style costume and Anna of Cleves has thigh high boots and a real hip-hop style look which is in the same style of her song.
The choreography throughout is simple, yet effective and all queens remain on stage throughout the show (apart from after Anna of Cleves has a reveal!! NO SPOILERS!) and each queen is centre of attention for their song with the other queens performing as backup. The final song, aptly called "Six", has some great choreography that I can confidently say I was performing from my seat! I think it would be great if they released a video tutorial for this and got everyone involved at the end! Just a thought Toby and Lucy!! 😉
Overall, this show is a sass-filled, diva focused pop romp through the lives of each wife of Henry VIII. There's emotional moments, there's plenty of laughs and I'm really not surprised that Six is taking the world by STORM with productions in London, New York, Boston, Australia PLUS a US and UK tour!
The queens allow you to take photos and videos of the Mega Six medley at the end of the show. If you want to see this, head to my new TikTok account! (Link below!)
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