“Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived,” blare the six first words of the musical “Six” to ominous electronic music, summarizing the grim fates of King Henry VIII’s wives, whose stories the musical reimagines through pop anthems. Luckily for those of us at the show tonight, though, those wives are “Divorced. Beheaded. Li-i-i-i-i-ive!”
“Six,” playing at the National Theatre from November 12th through December 1st, 2024, aims “to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st-century girl power,” according to the theater. It posthumously pays tribute to Henry VIII’s six wives, who were subjected to immense abuse. This empowering philosophy is best captured in the opening song “Ex-Wives,” with the lyrics: “So I picked up a pen and a microphone / history’s about to get overthrown.”
But the musical is more than just a lighthearted romp that empowers the wives and ignores Henry. As the night continues, the wives enter a competition to determine which of them should be deemed “the queen with the most hardships to withstand.” The musical does not shy away from depicting the degrading conditions that women faced at the time, especially in later songs like “All You Wanna Do,” which highlights Catherine Howard’s beheading after the king uncovers her premarital affairs. The greatest strength of “Six” is how it balances tragedy with its clever, modern and upbeat medium.
“Every Tudor rose has its thorns,” of course, and in “Six,” each of Henry VIII’s wives gets the chance to tell her own story with dignity through catchy, moving and empowering songs. Each song is inspired by a different pop icon, giving every performance its own unique style.
In “No Way,” Catherine of Aragon fights against Henry VIII’s attempts to annul their marriage, a struggle that eventually leads him to break from the Catholic church to divorce her. The song swings with an infectious beat inspired by her Spanish roots.
After Catherine comes Anne Boleyn, with the tongue-in-cheek number “Don’t Lose Ur Head” (Boleyn does). “Like, what was I meant to do?” is a common refrain.
Jane Seymour, who, unlike Anne and Catherine, had a son, continues the musical with “Heart of Stone,” a melancholy song accompanied by moving piano. In it, she expresses her determination to endure every one of her son Henry’s storms, vowing that he will eventually “find that [she’s] unshakeable” and her “love is set in stone.” According to the musical, Seymour was “the only one [Henry] truly loved,” though she tragically died 12 days after giving birth to their son.
After Seymour, Anna of Cleves bursts onto the stage as the new “queen of the castle” in “Get Down.” The song is followed by “All You Wanna Do,” which takes on the abuse and cruelty that Katherine Howard suffered before being beheaded at the Tower of London.
And finally, we have Catherine Parr, our sole survivor. She laments that she “never had a choice” in the marriage but tells us there’s so much more to her story. Catherine was an author and a woman with ideas and passions of her own. All of Henry VIII’s wives were. “Six” attempts to impart that message.
If you want to see Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr live, they’re at the National nightly through the end of the month.
