“Remember us from your GCSEs?” asks Anne Boleyn.
Of course, we do. It’s a sell-out show at the Grand Opera House tonight.
Made famous for their marriages, Henry VIII’s six wives come to York for a night of raucous celebration complete with bejewelled dresses, pop songs, and below-belt references – it’s basically the Tudor version of Girls Aloud.
True to its original concept, which was first seen at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017, the stage is full of women: an all-woman band – the Ladies in Waiting, accompany the six wives as they battle it out one-by-one to win the title of who was most hard done by.
It’s all rhinestones, fishnets, and terribly good fun. The cast opens with Ex-Wives where we get to hear the famous ‘Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.’
It quickly becomes clear that this is going to be an explosive performance, with stunning vocals across the board and a tight band to boot.
In the background, stained glass windows made from LED lights glow to the rhythm of No Way, sung by Catherine of Aragon (Chlóe Hart). Not much later, Anne Boleyn (Jennifer Caldwell) describes her marriage to Henry as ‘totes God’s will.’
Heads are bobbing, and shoulders are popping in the audience as the messy, ridiculous, and sometimes tragic stories are brought to life via infectiously catchy tunes.
While Catherine Parr (Alana M Robinson) doesn’t get as many funny jokes to tell, her soothing vocals briefly make the show feel like an Alicia Keys arena concert, which is fitting as the RnB singer was the ‘Queenspiration’ for Catherine Parr.
When it comes to the final song, the audience goes for the standing ovation – it’s been an 80-minute marathon of girl band choreography, massive pop songs, and cheeky jokes – no mean feat.
Though it’s not the feminist retelling of history that some people might expect, SIX! turns out to be the perfect way to spend an evening giggling with girlfriends in the comfort of the newly decorated Grand Opera House in York.
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