Six the Musical

Overview

Hamilton isn't the only hit musical from the past few years that took a few cues from the past, paired a well-known chapter of history with toe-tapping tunes and made on-stage magic. Another theatre show that did just that: Six the Musical. First premiering back at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, then jumping to London's West End, this hit takes inspiration from one of the most famous sextets there's ever been — because even if you don't know much about Britain's past kings and queens, you likely know that Henry VIII had six wives.

The Tudor monarch's love life has inspired plenty of pop culture content over the years — including 00s TV series The Tudors and 2008 movie The Other Boleyn Girl — but this one takes the pop part rather seriously. It's presented as a pop concert, in fact, with Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr all taking to the microphone to tell their stories. Each woman's aim: to stake their claim as the wife who suffered the most at the king's hands, and to become the group's lead singer as a result.

A five-time nominee at the Olivier Awards, Six the Musical is heading to Melbourne from Friday, June 17–Sunday, August 7, playing the Comedy Theatre.

Hitting the stage: Kala Gare (Rent) as Anne Boleyn, Loren Hunter (Strictly Ballroom: The Musical) as Jane Seymour, Kiana Daniele (Dirty Dancing) as Anne of Cleves and Vidya Makan (Green Day's American Idiot) as Catherine Parr — all reprising parts they've been playing since 2020. They'll welcome new co-stars Phoenix Jackson Mendoza (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Chelsea Dawson (Shrek the Musical), as Catherine of Aragon and Catherine Howard, respectively.

Images: James D Morgan, Getty Images.