You remember the classic childhood joke: Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7, 8, 9.
But why were the Six afraid of VIII? Because King Henry was a swine.
Six, with a national tour sit-down running through mid-July at Broadway in Chicago’s Nederlander Theatre, refers to the half-dozen wives of Henry VIII, who mostly met unpleasant ends at the king’s command, including two who were beheaded.
The musical, which traces its improbable roots to a 2019 premiere at Chicago Shakes, has become an enduring sensation thanks to its fast-paced (80 minutes, no intermission) staging and a hook-laden, girl-power, diva-pop, Tony Award-winning score that gives each of Hank’s exes a star turn on the mic with the stated goal of being voted the favorite wife by the audience.
The group’s true intent is more subversive, ultimately aiming a peppy dose of feminist empowerment directly at the show’s loyal devotees, many of them young and uninhibited enough to sing along. Like the tween behind me at Wednesday’s opening whose vocals competed with the queens onstage during the first number, “Ex-Wives,” which provides a catchy thumbnail sketch of where each one of the Six ended up (“Divorced, beheaded, died/Divorced, beheaded, survived”).
Six is a phenomenon with more staying power than any of Henry’s wives had back in the day. Beyond the engaging reality singing contest vibe (which manages to impart a few nuggets of the actual history), the sensational costumes, and the high-octane, all-female onstage backing band, it’s the talented Six themselves who keep the crowd moving in their seats and breaking out in joyous ovations whenever one of them hits a show-stopping note from the score by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, who also collaborated on the clever book.
Kristina Leopold and Danielle Mendoza (Catherine of Aragon and Anna of Cleves, respectively) are the alpha queens, bringing heightened, humorous melodrama and plenty of rizz to their roles, in addition to powerhouse vocal turns.
Cassie Silva is the class cut-up as Anne Boleyn, who constantly reminds the other wives that, however bad they had it, Henry had her decapitated. In this gruesome end Anne was joined, of course, by Katherine Howard, the penultimate wife, played on opening night by understudy Taylor Sage Evans. Evans made the most of the opportunity, vamping through the role in kick-ass Harley Quinn mode during both her solo number, “All You Wanna Do” and her buoyant backup dancing during the Anna of Cleves star turn, “Get Down.” (That number’s choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille pays hysterical homage to Mike Myers’ SNL Sprockets sketches.)
As Jane Seymour, who hemorrhaged to death after giving birth to Prince Edward, Kelly Denice Taylor brings gravitas to the proceedings with her plaintive ballad, “Heart of Stone.” Similarly, Adriana Scalice, as Catherine Parr, the wife who outlived Henry VIII, sets up the show’s big twist and related empowerment message.
“I Don’t Need Your Love,” Scalice sings with clarity and conviction. She and the other five wives make it crystal clear they don’t need their shared connection to a king to forge independent identities all their own.
Six runs through July 14 at the Nederlander Theatre.
For a full roundup of reviews of this show, visit Theatre in Chicago.
Photo by Joan Marcus
