Theatre Trip: Six

SIX

Arts Theatre

Date: 16 April (Tuesday), 8:00pm

Seats: Stalls Row A 7-8

(Seen with Jess!)

Alternates: Vicki Manser (Anne Boleyn), Grace Mouat (Jane Seymour), Courtney Stapleton (Catherine Parr)

Notes: It turns out Jess is much better at getting rush tickets than I am, as she managed to score a pair for Six last night - and second row to boot! We even ended up having one of the themed cocktails beforehand (I had Howard - gin and rose lemonade) in the theatre as we wanted a drink and were there with lots of time to spare.

I didn't know much about this show except one song (the opening number, Ex-Wives), and the concept - that the wives of Henry VIII got together and put on a pop concert. And this was such a pop concert!

It was another short show, 75 minutes without interval, and I can see why. It's set as a competition for the audience to decide which Queen had it worse, and they're all also each other's back up dancers, so it's basically a cardio workout with singing for the entire time - hard work. But they realise in the end that Henry didn't have to define them and they have a girl power ending.

The style of the show isn't what you would expect from a show about the wives of Henry VIII. The costumes are what I would call Tudor punk - Tudor inspired lines, and pearls but with exposed midriff, fishnet tights and chunky embellished boots. Very cool and of course practical for dancing in. Each costume also featured a look for their mics, as they used handheld mics to enhance the 'concert' vibe which they tucked away for more intense dance sequences. Each of the Queens also had a colour (gold, green, white, red, pink, and brown - in that order) which was featured in their outfit and their own songs.

I really liked the music. Lyrically, it was very clever with not only historical references but also popular references. And each Queen had her own style, with distinct musical influences listed in the program which mean that while it is a pop concert it's still diverse. Influences range from Beyonce to Adele to Lily Allen, so it's a whole spectrum of pop music in this show. There are also a few numbers which feature all of the Queens, mostly the ones which bookend the show. And every single song is a great jam - I've spent quite a lot of time listening to it since we saw the show, and dancing to all the fabulous bops!!!

Despite the fact we had all the alternates in various roles, I was really impressed by all the performers. There's so much exercise in that show, much more than a lot of others, and while some of them were dripping with sweat at times, they were flawless (well, except when Jane Seymour danced so hard that one of her earrings flew off!). I think my favourite vocally was Catherine Parr (Courtney Stapleton), who seemed to hide a bit in the beginning of the show, but blew me away with her vocals during her number. Another thing which was cool was the band, who were all female and stayed on stage the whole show. They weren't hiding at all and were even part of the action at times, which was very cool.

And my favourite queen? I thought that Catherine of Aragon and Anna of Cleves had the songs which most made me want to dance. I liked the characters of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard best (they were so sassy!), but I think if I got cast in the show, I'd be playing Jane Seymour. So I can't decide!