Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.
And for October, these queens are here live!
Finally, SIX has come to the Philippines. This unique musical stars the iconic wives of the historical figure, King Henry VIII, as they retell their story that goes beyond their identity as the king’s ex-wife.
The premise of the 2022 Tony Award® for Best Original Score is that the six ex-wives have gathered together to form a pop band, and the wife who lived the most miserable life will be crowned as the group’s lead singer.
Each queen takes the stage to sing out their story with a signature song befitting their personality, historical identity, and modern inspiration.
SIX the Musical can be watched at The Theatre at Solaire until October 20, 2024.
The Making of SIX
In 2016, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, two students from Cambridge University conceptualized and created SIX for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017.
What’s special about SIX is not just its premise, but also the creativity and inspiration behind the making of each of its star characters. From the hairstyle to the song choices, up to their hues, the characters of SIX have definitely been made with deep thought and homage to history and modern pop culture.
With such a creative and colorful musical gracing the Philippines, let’s dive in and get to know each royal diva both in history and in song.
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon is the first wife of King Henry VIII. She was a Spanish princess and has been married to him for the longest, which was 24 years.
Gold and black are the colors donned by Aragon, which represent power and prestige that is enjoyed by only the highest class during the Tudor period. Aside from historical symbolism, Aragon wears these colors as a reference to her ‘queenspiration’ Beyoncé. Gold is often the color of choice for Beyoncé and her dancers, and Aragon’s signature song also reflects Queen B’s pop hits, which are upbeat, energetic, and oozing with regal power.
The full crown she wears on her head is symbolic to the fact that she is more well-known than the other queens as her life in history has been widely recorded.
Aragon, known for her faith and loyalty to the crown, sang her woes at the betrayal of her husband.
Historically, Aragon was a woman of wisdom and leadership. She was said to have advocated for the lives of rebels for the sake of their families, created relief programs for the poor, and her devout faith to the Vatican.
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn was Henry VIII’s second wife, and she’s said to be the most famous wife among them—for being beheaded.
Boleyn is dressed in green, a reference to Greensleeves, a poem believed to be written by Henry for her. She was historically believed to be serious and seductive so the musical’s creators wanted to flip her image by giving her a playful look and punk-pop signature song, like her ‘queenspirations’ Avril Lavigne and Lily Allen.
Despite the fresh image, her song still tells of her flirtatious personality, resulting in infidelity during her marriage to Henry (which was only revenge for his own unfaithfulness). Her actions angered the king, and Boleyn was ordered to be beheaded. That’s why Boleyn’s costume covers her neck, as she wants to conceal the cut of her execution. She also wears a necklace with the initial ‘B’, an homage to the real Boleyn who wore similar initialed jewelry.
Aside from losing her head, Boleyn is also remembered for being the catalyst to England breaking off from the Vatican and becoming religiously independent.
Jane Seymour
Henry VIII’s third wife is Jane Seymour, famous for being the only wife to bear a royal son.
Seymour was believed to be a woman of purity and gentleness, which is why she wears white for her musical performance. Her costume is also the most modest of the six, with a full skirt and long sleeves.
In the musical, Seymour believes she is the only one that Henry has truly loved, but her misery begins when she realizes she is only loved because of their son. Prince Edward. Her signature song reflects her genteel nature, but her lyrics are those of a woman with a heart that is steadfast and unchanging—much like stone.
She is inspired by the queen of ballads, Adele and Celine Dion. In real life, Henry is buried alongside Seymour, at his request.
Anne of Cleves
After a funky historical parody of online dating, the fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, is introduced.
Cleves hails from Germany, and was selected to be the next wife of Henry VIII for political reasons. However, their marriage only lasted six months, and it’s because Henry felt “catfished”.
Cleves is famous for an unflattering reason: Henry believed his advisors exaggerated her beauty and he felt misled by her portrait, which uninspired him to consummate their marriage. In the musical, Cleves mocked Henry for his pettiness and sang a feisty song showing how confident and unbothered she was with the issue, much like her ‘queenspiration’ Rihanna.
With this depiction, red strongly suited Cleves as it represented strength and determination. Contrary to the first three queens wearing skirts, Cleves wore shorts, to show that she outlived Henry. The sleeves on her outer jacket also pays homage to the top she wears in her iconic portrait.
Historically, Cleves is said to be gentle and docile, unlike her musical representation.
Katherine Howard
Katherine Howard is the fifth wife of Henry VIII, and the second to be beheaded for adultery.
Howard sports an Ariana Grande high ponytail and a fun and fresh pink outfit, depicting the youthfulness of a little girl—since she was a minor when she was married to old Henry.
Despite Howard’s upbeat and playful tune of her signature song, it actually tells of her cheerless upbringing where she had been constantly taken advantage of by adult men, Henry included. Her characterization was based on sexualized teenage pop stars, similar to her ‘queenspirations’ Ariana Grande and Britney Spears. Her costume, a see-through skirt and translucent fishnet stockings represents how people only cared to see what was under her clothes.
In history, Howard was set to be executed after committing adultery with her distant cousin. Ironically, she was cousins with Anne Boleyn, the first queen to be beheaded.
Catherine Parr
Five down, and the final wife is Catherine Parr.
Parr is the wife with the second longest marriage with Henry VIII, which was 14 years until the king’s death.
Like Cleves, Parr didn’t wear a skirt but instead wore pants as symbolism that she outlived Henry. She donned blue as it represented her wisdom and intelligence and her overall fit was designed to be similar to Henry’s own clothing since she inherited his belongings after he died.
In the musical, Parr sang how she had her own achievements to be proud of, and that she shouldn’t be tied to his (Henry’s) story.
This woke the other queens to unite and reclaim their stories and be proud of their identities beyond a king’s ex-wife.
Historically, Parr is famous for being a feminist. She published her own books and empowered women in her time period to forge their own success.
Conclusion
History isn’t the most exciting subject to sit through, but when it’s told with modern pop songs and visual artistry then it can capture people’s attention!
What we can take away from the execution of SIX is that this musical reinforces the impact of colors and well-thought-out designs and that creating characters inspired by real historical accounts and modern personalities also creates an intangible connection with the crowd. Each queen brings in so many symbols and representations that it has become fun for both history buffs and pop culture fans to identify, making the experience meaningful and memorable.
SIX is a blast so make sure to not miss their royal presence in the Philippines, and get to live out herstory for yourself!
Get your tickets here!
You can also listen and enjoy the full album of our iconic queens here.
