The six wives of Henry VIII of England; most don’t really learn anything about them other than their names and maybe that they were divorced, beheaded, or died, except for one who survived. An award-winning musical is changing that.
SIX is an exhilarating musical that repackages history through a high-energy, concert-adjacent musical. The musical brings us into the lives of the six women who had the unfortunate fate of marrying King Henry VIII, but this time, the story is told from their perspective. This was all I knew when I took my seat on opening night.
The performers in SIX, as performed at Saenger Theater New Orleans, include Emma Elizabeth Smith as Catherine of Aragon, Nella Cole as Anne Boleyn, Kelly Denice Taylor as Jane Seymour, Hailey Alexis Lewis as Anne of Cleves, Alize’ Cruz as Katherine Howard, and Tasia Jungbauer as Catherine Parr. SIX won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.
Viewing SIX at the historic Saenger Theater on downtown Canal street was absolutely perfect. The interior architecture of the Saenger makes it seem as though the audience is watching the play through the eyes of a patron at a Greek theater. Statues and art decorate the space, creating a relaxing and ambient vibe throughout the theater. When you look up from your seat, you sit in awe because you see what appears to be a night sky with twinkling stars. It is the perfect place to see any show and truly elevates the experience for those who enjoy the theater.
As the preshow announcements came to a close, we entered the dynamic world of SIX.
A wave of nostalgia hits as the opening song began. It is how I imagine a girls’ group concert would sound in the late 2000’s to 2010’s. It felt like a modern movie; I would go so far as to compare the performance to the one at the 2022 Tony Awards. All the queens were inspired by pop queens such as Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and Sia. The songwriting and composition effectively demonstrated that comparison.
The songwriting was clearly written with intention and a message. The audience members were given a deep dive portrayal of each woman’s internal thoughts and experiences.
SIX is the type of musical that is comical, riveting, and engaging, but it also feeds curiosity, making you want to do your own research. It makes you question the basis of your own understanding.
Performance-wise, I was greatly satisfied. Each song felt like a testimony, not like a confessional at church, but as if the audience played the jury in the case of King Henry. Each actress contributed to showing how pop queens inspired their characters.
I was especially impressed by Tasia Jungbauer’s performance as Catherina Parr, the sixth wife of the King. Jungbauer encapsulated Parr’s character and the inspiration of pop queens. All the women gave a captivating performance.
SIX is an absolute must-see musical– the type that grabs your attention and holds it from beginning to end.
