Six The Musical FAQ: Your top 15 questions answered

Posted on 12 May 2020

The West End's powerhouse musical SIX, which recently took home the 2020 Visionary Honours Award for Musical of the Year, will continue to dominate the London theatre box office once lockdown restrictions are loosened up. Here's everything you need to know about SIX The Musical in the meantime so you can get ready for the grand reopening!

What is SIX The Musical based on?

SIX is a British pop musical by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow that is loosely based off the lives Henry VIII's six wives (Catherine Parr, Catherine Howard, Anne of Cleves, Jane Seymour, Anne Boleyn, and Catherine of Aragon). The Tudor queens turned pop stars constantly try to one-up each other to determine who had the worst marriage with King Henry VIII. The winner of their pity party competition will become the leader of the band.

What is SIX The Musical about?

SIX The Musical is a modern retelling of Henry VIII's six wives and is presented as a pop concert. The wives take turns telling and singing their story to find out who will become the groups' lead singer based on who suffered the most during their marriage with the king. The show features a lot of hilarious moments, including a parody of Tinder in which Henry "swipes right" and matches with Anna of Cleves. This spectacular and colourful West End production is an absolute bundle of fun.

What is SIX The Musical rated?

SIX has a musical age rating of 10+ though it is recommended for ages 12 and up. Children under 10 years of age will not be admitted into the theatre.

Where is SIX The Musical playing in London?

SIX is now booking at the Arts Theatre in London's West End.

Who made SIX The Musical?

SIX was co-written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss and is co-directed by Moss and Jamie Armitage. The musical features set design by Emma Bailey, costume design by Gabriella Slade, choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, sound design by Paul Gatehouse, lighting design by Tim Deiling, orchestrations by Tom Curran, music supervision by Joe Beighton, and associate direction by Grace Taylor and Franny Anne Rafferty. It is produced in the West End by Kenny Wax, George Stiles, and Global Musicals Ltd and features casting by Pearson Casting.

When did SIX The Musical come out?

SIX received its world premiere in 2017 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a production presented by Cambridge University. It has since enjoyed a 2018 UK Tour, including a 2018 return to the Edinburgh Fringe, and an open-ended run at London's Art Theatre, where it is currently booking until January 2021.

How long does SIX The Musical last?

London's SIX The Musical running time is approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes with no interval.

How accurate is SIX The Musical?

What's surprising about SIX is that while it does take many creative liberties (e.g. the six wives of Henry VIII never formed a girl band), you can still learn a lot of history from the show. For example, the song "All You Wanna Do" details how heart-breaking Katherine Howard's life was and how several men took advantage of her and abused her. Meanwhile, in the cleverly titled "Don't Lose Your Head," we learn that Anne and Henry wrote love letters back and forth and that Anne seduced him and convinced him to break England away from the Catholic Church. Anne was late sent to the guillotine in real life...

How much are SIX The Musical tickets?

SIX musical tickets are available through London Theatre Direct from £28 and up. Try our interactive seating plan to get a comprehensive overview of price bands and restricted viewing information to ensure you book the best seats at the Arts Theatre at the best prices. 

What are some restaurants near SIX The Musical London?

Some good restaurants near the Arts Theatre in London include The Long Acre, Salvador and Amanda - Covent Garden, Spaghetti House Cranbourn Street, P.F. Change's Asian Table, Curry House CoCo Ichibanya, Tredwells, Five Guys, and Steak & Co. Covent Garden St. Martin's Lane, just to name a few.

Can you film SIX The Musical?

Audiences are discouraged from filming the show, as this goes against proper theatre etiquette. However, there is an exception to the rule. At the end of the show, the six Queens perform an encore number known as "Megasix", which is a mashup of all the show's songs excluding "Haus of Holbein". During this portion of the performance, audience members are encouraged to film the song, which is not included on the Studio Cast Recording album.

Who was in the SIX The Musical original West End cast?

The Original West End cast of SIX starred Aimie Atkinson (now starring in the West End's Pretty Woman musical) as Katherine Howard, Alexia McIntosh as Anna of Cleves, Jarnéia Richard-Noel as Catherine of Aragon, Maiya Quansah-Breed as Catherine Parr, Millie O'Connell as Anne Boleyn, and Natalie Paris as Jane Seymour.

Who is currently starring in SIX The Musical London?

The current SIX West End cast stars Jarnéia Richard-Noel as Catherine of Aragon, Courtney Bowman as Anne Boleyn, Natalie Paris as Jane Seymour, Alexia McIntosh as Anna of Cleves, Sophie Isaacs as Katherine Howard, and Danielle Steers as Catherine Parr.

What songs are in SIX The Musical?

Musical numbers in SIX include "Ex-Wives", "No Way", "Anne Boleyn (Interlude)", "Don't Lose Your Head", "Heart of Stone", "Haus of Holbein", "Get Down", "All You Wanna Do", I Don't Need Your Love", "Six", and "Megasix", the last of which is not a part of the tracklist on the SIX musical cast album.

Can I watch SIX The Musical online?

There is currently no official stream available for the West End production of SIX and a home video release has yet to be announced. Due to the show's overwhelming popularity, we may not see SIX The Musical on DVD or in digital format for a while.

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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

By Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels

Ephram is a jack of all trades and enjoys attending theatre, classical music concerts and the opera.