Theater Review: "SIX" Tour at The Bushnell

The touring company of SIX The Musical has stopped at the Bushnell in Hartford and the queens are bringing their dazzling girl power message to Connecticut. The British musical comedy was written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss.

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.

The premise of six wives of Henry VIII have gone from Tudor queens to modern pop icons. They now take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a euphoric celebration of 21st century girl power. Presented as a pop concert, as the Queens take turns singing and telling their story to see who suffered the most due to Henry and should become the group's lead singer.

While there is some effort to be historically accurate, the plot is probably not the point. Some of what is essentially a pop concert is derivative of Ru Paul’s Drag Race and “Hamilton,” and the female empowerment message in the final moments seemed a bit trite and rushed.

Despite the weakness of the book, I can’t deny that I enjoyed this musical experience very much. “Sorry, not sorry.”

The technical aspects of this musical experience are top notch, from the eye-popping lighting design by Tim Deiling to the regal scenic design by Emma Bailey and the impressive choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. The stunning, studded costumes designed by Gabriella Slade deserved the Tony Award that they earned in 2022.

The orchestrations by Tom Curran back the musical numbers that follow the lead of pop music. The musical tracks are backed by four live (masked) musicians dubbed “The Ladies in Waiting.”
The writing team won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Score. Moss was half of the show’s Tony - nominated directors, making her the youngest woman to direct a musical on Broadway.

The opening number “Ex-Wives” that was performed at the Tony Awards is even more exciting live. Catherine of Aragon tells her “herstory” with Henry in a Beyonce-inspired “No Way.” Anne Boleyn explains her life and death in “Don’t Lose Ur Head” channeling Avril Lavigne.

Jane Seymour’s strong ballad “Heart of Stone” was inspired by Adele and Sia. Anna of Cleves is featured in the comic “Haus of Holbein” and then solos on “Get Down,” with a touch of Nicki Minaj and Rihanna, “I’m the queen of the castle.” Katherine Howard exposes her abuse with “All You Wanna Do,” influenced by Ariana Grande and Britney Spears. Henry’s final queen Catherine Parr (with an homage to Alicia Keys) wraps up the concert with “I Don’t Need Your Love,” before the final “Six” by all of the queens.

Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage directed the cast of six wonderfully talented actresses that are a joy to watch. The cast is backed by five alternates, just in case.

Khaila Wilcoxon, who appeared in “Hadestown” on Broadway, plays the first queen, the long-suffering Aragon. Storm Lever, who played Duckling Donna in “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,” is a delight in the role of the beautiful and vapid Boleyn, sporting her trademark B on her costume. Boleyn wears green to pay homage to "Greensleeves", referring to the myth that Henry VIII composed the song for Anne; this composition is a motif throughout the score.

In her North American tour debut, Jasmine Forsberg is lovely as Seymour, who died in childbirth. Forsberg appeared in “A Grand Night for Singing” at Goodspeed. In her principal debut, Olivia Donalson makes the most of her role as Anna of Cleves and is often the comic relief. She was last seen in “Aladdin The Musical” on Broadway and on the first national tour.

Didi Romero, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, plays Howard and Gabriela Carrillo, a first-generation Mexican-American, makes her tour debut as Parr, the only queen who gets to wear pants.

Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage directed the cast of six wonderfully talented actresses that are a joy to watch. The cast is backed by five alternates, just in case.

SIX is presented without an intermission and runs a tidy 80 minutes. It continues at the Bushnell through Feb. 22. The next tour at the Bushnell will be “Tootsie” running Feb. 21 - 26.