SIX looks more like a pop concert than a traditional West End musical. There is a live band, handheld microphones, spectacular costumes and six performers who barely seem to stop moving for 80 minutes.
Behind all that energy is a surprisingly complicated production. Here are five things you might not know about SIX.
1. The costumes mix Tudor history with modern pop stars
The Queens’ costumes aren’t simply colourful versions of Tudor dresses.
Costume designer Gabriella Slade researched portraits of the real women while also looking at contemporary pop performers. Catherine of Aragon’s look, for example, was influenced by Beyoncé, while Jane Seymour has links to Adele and Catherine Parr to Alicia Keys.
Look closely and you can spot Tudor style necklines, sleeves and corset shapes mixed with vinyl, metallic materials, studs and the sort of outfits you might expect to see at a major pop concert.
Each Queen also has her own colour, making it surprisingly easy to identify them even from the back.
2. The microphones get their own special treatment
The microphones are almost part of the costumes in SIX. Each Queen performs with one throughout much of the show.
Backstage footage from the West End production revealed that there is even a special machine used to clean the microphones between performances.
It is the sort of tiny practical detail you would never think about while watching the show, but with eight performances in a typical week, those microphones get plenty of use.
3. The understudies can rehearse the entire show backstage
Covering a role in SIX is a serious challenge. The performers need to know the songs, harmonies, choreography and countless small movements for different Queens.
The production has alternates and swings who may need to step into a role at short notice. Backstage footage has shown them practising along with the performance while the main cast are actually on stage.
The current London company includes three alternates as well as super swings who can cover roles when required.
So while six Queens are performing in front of you, there may be somebody behind the stage quietly doing the same choreography.
4. The band you can see on stage really is playing live
The musicians aren’t just part of the scenery.
SIX has a live band known as the Ladies in Waiting, continuing the show’s idea of turning Tudor history into a modern concert.
The musicians are deliberately visible rather than hidden away in an orchestra pit. That helps make the evening feel much more like seeing a girl group in concert than watching a conventional musical.
It also means the Queens interact with the musicians throughout the performance, making the band part of the show rather than simply its accompaniment.
5. The original costumes were nothing like the ones you see today
SIX had much humbler beginnings.
The show was created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss while they were students at Cambridge and was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017.
Original cast member Natalie Paris later remembered that her first costume included a Zara jumpsuit, a corset and heeled trainers. Anne Boleyn’s early tiara even came from Claire’s Accessories.
Compare that with today’s purpose designed costumes and international productions and it gives you an idea of just how far the show has travelled.
Seeing SIX in London
SIX currently plays at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand.
It is a particularly easy West End show to fit into a London day because it lasts around 80 minutes with no interval. The official age recommendation is 10+, although younger visitors should be aware that the production includes loud music, flashing lights, theatrical haze and strobe effects.
Tickets currently start from £34.50, depending on the performance and availability.
Official tickets: SIX the Musical London tickets
Next time you see it, watch the costumes, microphones and musicians a little more closely. There is far more going on than six Queens standing on a stage and singing about Henry VIII.
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