Six is an entertaining pop musical show telling the story of the six wives of King Henry VIII. The six have decided to compete and let the audience determine who had the worst experience at the hands of their shared ex-husband. In the end, Catherine Parr, the final wife, points out that it was having six wives that made Henry VIII memorable for most people. Without them, he would be largely forgotten.
“Too many years lost in his story,” she sings. “We’re free to take our crowning glory.”
The Six national tour is currently at the Ordway in St. Paul, where it runs through June 28. This is the fourth time Six has played at the Ordway, starting with a pre-Broadway run in 2019. It was clear that many in the audience Wednesday were returning fans of the show.
The music, book, and lyrics are written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss; the show is directed by Moss and Jamie Armitage. The lighting design by Tim Deiling and the set design by Emma Baile create a dynamic backdrop for the performances of the talented actresses portraying Henry’s six wives (Emma Elizabeth Smith, Nella Cole, Kelly Denice Taylor, Hailey Alexis Lewis, Alize Cruz, and Tasia Jungbauer). The six queens strutted about freely to the choreography of Carrie-Anne Ingrouille as each took the spotlight to tell their own story. In short, their fates are summarized by the well-known line from the show: “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.”
Youth Performance Company presented a great production of the show’s teen edition in 2024; that’s where I was first introduced to the show and wanted to see more. Although I missed many of the jokes when I saw the show last night, I could certainly get the gist of them based on knowing the historical story. If you are planning to attend for the first time, I suggest you do a little research to familiarize yourself with the lyrics — but either way, you will see a highly entertaining, energetic show with a relevant message that each of these women was more individually than just one of six.
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