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cogency
31, Mar 2023

Six reigns in Philadelphia

by Corey Cohen
The Cultural Critic

The international smash hit Six is finally in Philadelphia and lives up to the hype. Six tells the story of the six wives of King Henry VIII through a concert format. This one-act show gives each of the six women a chance to tell their story and how they were treated poorly by their husband and their time. The concept was conceived six years ago by then Cambridge University students Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss. It follows the lead of Hamilton in telling a historical tale with the language and styles of our current culture. The characters speak in American accents and with modern terminology accessible to an audience, all while seeming authentic to the feelings of the historical figures. Six brilliantly characterizes each of the wives in a way we can all appreciate, even if we don’t know a thing about 16th century England.

The score of Six from Marlow & Moss is brilliant. The music is contemporary, not too different to what you might hear on top 40 stations. They intentionally gave each Queen consort a specific style, inspired by one or two present-day female artists. Catherine of Aragon’s style is modeled after Beyonce, Jane Seymour’s style is influenced by Adele, and Katherine Howard’s style is a cross between Britney Spears and Ariana Grande. Each character feels completely distinct, so while all the music sounds modern, the songs don’t sound remotely like each other. Every single song in Six is wildly catchy, making it a near impossibility to resist tapping your feet throughout. The lyrics are incredibly clever, providing ingenious wordplay, double entendres, and interwoven rhymes. There are references of everything from “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors to “Single Ladies” to “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” This isn’t just bubblegum pop with disposable lyrics, the lines are sharp and intelligent.

The cast on this tour of Six is excellent. Sometimes on tour you miss out on big names from the original production, but in this case, even Six on Broadway didn’t include anyone who took part in developing the show. The show was made to be an ensemble piece where no actress stands above the others and every performer can have her own take. Gerianne Perez as Catherine of Aragon shined immediately, Zan Berube as Anne Boleyn was hilariously zany, Amina Faye provided booming vocals, Terica Marie as Anna of Cleves was powerful and fierce, Aline Mayagoitia as Katherine Howard was provocative and sympathetic, and Sydney Parra as Catherine Parr was delightful. There wasn’t a single weak link in this cast; all of them nailed the vocals, acting, and choreography. Even on the production side you don’t lose anything on the tour, because the original set and band are minimalist already. There is no discernable difference between this production and Broadway, and that’s something to celebrate.

Six in Philadelphia is a joyous night at the theater. The story is inspiring, the music is magnificent, the lyrics are witty, and the performances are sensational. It’s one of the most clever new musicals in the last few years and an exuberant live experience. If you’ve heard the hype over Six online but aren’t sure if you’d enjoy it, you’ll almost certainly have a great time. Six is playing at the Academy of Music on the Kimmel Cultural Campus in Philadelphia through April 9.