The North American Tour Boleyn Company of SIX. Photo by Joan Marcus.
God Save the Slay Queens
If history repeats itself, then perhaps the 16th century English royal court was something like The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Drama, divorce, affairs, beheadings… well, that last part might be different.
Six reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII as empowered pop princesses. First performed in the UK in 2017, it eventually made its way to Broadway and became a Tony-winning sensation. The high-concept, snarky, and self-aware show will appeal to history nerds, yet it’s catchy enough for viral viewing on TikTok. In fact, the eighty-minute show, which has no intermission, feels more like a pop concert… or a singing competition. Imagine Britain’s Got Talent with a Renaissance twist.
Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived. For centuries, the wives of Henry the VIII have been historical footnotes — side characters in a powerful man’s story. But for one night, the queens will compete to be the star of their own show. The winner will prove that she had the worst time as Henry’s bride.
Our first contestant is Catherine (or Catarina) of Aragon (Chaini Masonet), whose costume and musical style is inspired by Beyonce and Shakira. Her song, “No Way,” has a Latin flavor — perhaps a nod to Catherine’s Spanish roots. It’s a high-energy, high-BPM start to the royal affair. Channeling Beyonce’s “Hold Up,” Catherine confronts her ex-husband for his infidelity and his scheme to annul their marriage. The lyrics set the historical record straight with some amusing rhymes, like: “So you read a Bible verse that I’m cursed / ‘Cause I was your brother’s wife / You say it’s a pity ’cause quoting Leviticus / I’ll end up kidiless all my life.”
Next up is the lady who caused all the trouble — the homewrecker of renaissance England, Anne Boleyn (Gaby Albo). Wearing a poison green outfit, Anne struts and sings a sassy, Avril Lavigne-style pop punk number: “Don’t Lose Ur Head.” Anne recounts her ill-fated whirlwind romance with Henry, which was a major problem for the Catholic Church: “The rules were so outdated / Us two wanted to get X-rated / Soon, ex-communicated / Everybody chill, it’s totes God’s will.”
The third queen holds a special place of honor — Henry’s “true love,” Jane Seymour (Kelly Denice Taylor). She was the only one of Henry’s wives to produce a male heir, Price Edward VI. Sadly, Seymour didn’t live to see her son’s brief (and troubled) reign as king. Her song, “Heart of Stone,” is a sweeping Adele-style ballad and it’s the best-known song from the show.
Each queen has her own district style informed by English history and pop sensibility. The German-born Anna of Cleves (Danielle Mendoza) performs a medley of Eurodance (“Haus of Holbein”) and braggadocious pop rap (“Get Down”) that somehow links 16th century portraiture with Tinder profile swipes. (Henry first saw Anna in a portrait; he rejected her because she “didn’t look like her profile picture”). Katherine Howard (Alize Cruz) cribs from Britney Spears in a sordid story of abuse (“All You Wanna Do”). The final queen, Catherine Parr (Tasia Jungbauer), delivers a swaying anthem to sisterhood and survival (“I Don’t Need Your Love”).
The stories of England’s six slay queens are brought to life by excellent costumes and effects. Each performer sports a unique, retro-futuristic look, something like a Japanese idol group wearing corsets and big collars. Each queen also has their own color palette, matched by the stage lights during their song.
Six is a musical journey through history… er, herstory… that you won’t soon forget. Like Hamilton, it takes some creative liberties and breathes new life into those crazy characters from your humanities textbooks. Finally, these queens can hold court and get the royal treatment they deserve.
Six runs from now until Feb 2nd. Tickets can be purchased at https://fabulousfox.evenue.net/events/FOX21JAN25. Prices range from $62 to $125 — not bad for a show that’s fit for a queen. | Rob Von Nordheim
