Book, Lyrics & Music by Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss
At Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, until 4 October 2026
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: ***** (5)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly, 3MBS, Sat 1 Aug 2026. KH
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| SIX 2026-27 AUSTRALIAN CAST_PHOTO JAMES D. MORGAN _ GETTY IMAGES |
SIX sets the stage ablaze again with its opening, rocking song, Ex-Wives, that introduces and gives voice to the six wives of Henry VIII then proceeds to reframe and reimagine their “her-story” through a 21st century lens that references modern gender politics.
This outstanding, dynamic production returns to Melbourne with cast changes since its wild success in 2022 and again in 2024. With a musical repertoire inspired by pop divas including Beyonce, Adele, Shakira, Sia and girl groups, was conceived by talented UK duo, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (book, lyrics, music), and is fiercely directed by Moss with Jamie Armitage. A tight, all-female, four-piece band, Ladies in Waiting, and evocative set (Emma Bailey) and lighting (Tim Deiling) complete the atmosphere.
Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s crisp, vigorous choreography is fast-paced and sassy with plenty of hip bumps, pelvic rolls and sharp foot work, while Gabriellla Slade’s costumes provide another character with their gleaming bodices and skirts echoing Tudor attire, and their stiff fabrics and sharp lines referencing 16th century armour that provides protection for the women.
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived is a way to remember the wives, or one can listen to songs that illuminate their lives and marriages while mocking damning assumptions made by past historians about their characters. SIX depicts the wives as heroines, but they were victims of trauma, abuse and imprisonment in Henry’s court.
The conceit for this episodic musical is the wives competing in a twisted popularity contest to determine which queen suffered the worst woes as Henry’s spouse. It’s a close-run thing for some!
The first wife, strong-willed, Spanish Catholic, Catherine of Aragon, is played with passion by Sarah Murr, and her rousing song, No Way, is a declaration of war on the king who divorces her and breaks England from Catherine’s beloved Roman Catholic Church. And, yes, she hits that high C!
Infamous Anne Boleyn, trigger for both the divorce and the rift in the church, played by Mia Paris Scalise, is an impudent, waspish young woman whose perky pop song, Don’t Lose Ur Head, mocks her beheading and is littered with modern text-speak.
The remaining four wives were poorly documented, but that never stopped historians leaping to judgement. Jane Seymour, played this season by Cara Bessey, presents herself as the only queen Henry genuinely loved and Bessey’s heartfelt love ballad, Heart of Stone, moving.
Vivacious, saucy and sassy Kadesa Honeyhill is German Anna of Cleves, and her feisty, razor-edged song, Get Down, reveals a woman who, despite being damned as ugly, survived after divorce to live a comfortable life.
Angela Brischetto is Katherine Howard, whose song, All You Wanna Do, is resonant of Britney Spears’ music and life, expressing a teenage girl’s hopes for love being dashed each time she is abused by another predatory man.
The competition halts when Catherine Parr, played by Lorinda May Merrypor, interrupts the other queens’ rush of blood to challenge them about the soundness of their contest to determine who suffered the greatest trauma. Merrypor’s I Don’t Need Your Love is impassioned and poignant.
This pop-fuelled musical is ferocious, topical and resonates with contemporary audiences who leapt to a spontaneous standing ovation on opening night after the finale, MegaSIX, a thrilling remix for this girl group of queens.
By Kate Herbert
CAST:
Sarah Murr - Catherine of Aragon
Mia Paris Scalise - Anne Boleyn
Cara Bessey - Jane Seymour
Kaseda Honehill- Anna of Cleves
Angela Brischetto- Katherine Howard
Lorinda May Merrypor - Catherine Parr
Creative Team
Toby Marlow -Writer
Lucy Moss -Writer & Co-Director
Jamie Armitage -Co-Director
Carrie-Anne -Ingrouille Choreographer
Claire Healy -Musical Director
Set Design -Emma Bailey
Costume Design - Gabriellla Slade
Lighting Design -Tim Deiling
Paul Gatehouse- Sound Designer
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