SIX REVIEW

EMPIRE THEATRE, LIVERPOOL – UNTIL SATURDAY 16TH APRIL 2022

REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN

5*****

The history or shall I say her-story of the six wives of King Henry VIII, raised the roof last night at the Empire Theatre, as the ex wives took to the stage. These Queens have been waiting for centuries to give some perspective of their bloody, messy and church reforming marriages. The Band of Wives (should have been called Little Six) have joined forces to tell the truth behind the Tudor tragedy, their way. The ex wives are competing to be crowned the ultimate Queen, assessed on how much they suffered at the hands of the Tudor Monarch, well known for his relationship record.

More of a concert atmosphere, then a musical, the tone is set from the opening number; it is loud, proud and fierce competition for RuPaul’s Drag Race. What follows are powerful, heart wrenching and witty tales of how they eventually ended up; divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded and survived. Each Queen gets a solo and backs each other, the ensemble is so good and there is no space between them. Think Spice Girls, reinvigorated with an educational twist.

The sensational Chlöe Hart is up first as Catherine of Aragon, showing her fierce determination, smashing the high notes alongside faultless dance moves with her energetic song No Way. Jennifer Caldwell plays Anne Boleyn and does her proud. She is feisty, cheeky and hilarious and her lyrics in Don’t Lose Ur Head are full of fun. Playing the doomed Jane Seymour is Casey Al-Shaqsy, slowing down the pace with an emotional heart wrenching song, Heart Of Stone. Grace Melville playing Anna of Cleaves, gets the audience back on their feet (literally, if you’re in the front row) and stops the show in its tracks with her fierce and uproarious Get Down. Keep an eye on her costume! Jaina Brock-Patel plays Katherine Howard and performs the Britney Spears inspired anthem, of passion, pain and anger in All You Wanna Do. Finishing up the show and the only wife to survive Henry’s romantic reign, is Catherine Parr played by Alana M Robinson. She inspires the others to see themselves in their own light, not Henry’s in her belter I Don’t Need Your Love.

What is a concert without a killer backing band? The band called the Ladies in Waiting, is onstage for the duration of the show, wearing tight, studded costumes that compliment the looks of the ex wives and comprises of four women; Anna Senger (Musical director/keys), Laura Browne (guitar), Migdalia Van Der Hoven (drums) and Ashley Young (bass).

Six is full of heart, exhilaration and is a celebration of girl power, and has a strong cult following. It stays with you long after the performance is over.