REVIEW: The SIX Wives of Henry VIII Hold Court At The Theatre Royal For A Fourth Sydney Season
SIX
By: Jade Kops Oct. 31, 2024
Wednesday 30th October 2024, Theatre Royal Sydney
Review: SIX, the Rock Musical Rewriting Her-Story, Returns To The Sydney Opera House Stage.
REVIEW: Smash Hit SIX Takes To the Theatre Royal Stage On Its Third Sydney Season
The rock concert musical history lesson, SIX, delights and educates for another Sydney season. With four new Queens crowned since their last visit to Sydney and some costume updates, Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow’s (both Music, Lyrics and Book) SIX remains a great contemporary ‘Cliff Notes’ take on Tudor history with a decidedly feminist twist.
From its beginnings at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, this pairing of the Six wives of Henry VIII with contemporary pop royalty to create a competition to see which wife had it worse, has gone on to take the world by storm, receiving five Laurence Olivier Award Nominations and eight Tony Award Nominations, taking out Best Original Score and Best Costume Design for the Broadway production in 2022. This current Sydney production is part of the Second Australian Tour indicating the show’s popularity in Australia.
For this new season, Kimberley Hodgson, Deirdre Khoo, Zelia Rose Kitoko and Giorgia Kennedy are the new queens to be crowned as Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anna of Cleves and Catherine Parr respectively. Chelsea Dawson, who joined the Queendom as Katherine Howard from the second season onward returns and Loren Hunter, who was Australia’s original Jane Seymour returns for her fourth season. The Ladies in Waiting Band sees Musical Director/Keys Claire Healy returning with a new ensemble of Heidi Maguire (assistant Musical Director/Keys), Kathryn Stammers (Drums), Danielle Colligan (Guitar) and Ann Metry (Bass).
For this season, it feels like there have been small tweeks made as the new Queens put their own stamp on their Royal women while returning Queens find new motivations and meaning as they’ve grown into their crowns. The music feels updated with queens given bolder final belts and updated tempos. Hodgson’s Aragon is feels grittier than her predecessors, tapping into more of the Beyonce inspiration. Khoo’s Boleyn has note of naivety entwined with the calculating nature. Kitoko’s Cleves is freer and more overt in her sexuality and less “street” than previous interpretations, bringing lithe movement to the role. Kennedy brings a new quieter energy to Parr. As the returning Queens, Dawson plays more into the ingénue victim of sexual predators, allowing Howard’s realization to be more pronounced and Hunter delivers an even more moving Heart of Stone while also ensuring that Seymour is seen as the Daggy wife with a plethora of corny jokes.
Costume Designer Gabriella Slade has also had the costumes for the Queens evolve. While the overall style that merges Tudor structure with modern materials remains, Aragon is given a double skirt, Seymour’s corset is modified, Cleves reveal is very different, and Parr now sports a peplum. Hosiery and footwear has also evolved with the most significant being Cleves over the knee boots and jewellery holds more messages with the plain hoops of old replaced with numerals and crowns also modified.
SIX was reviewed as a Must See in 2020 and it remains so in 2024. The underlying messages about the patriarchal society that blamed women, used women and treated them as possessions, still remains despite the progress made in the intervening five centuries since Henry VIII reigned. For those that missed the earlier seasons, do not miss this. For those that saw it before, go again as there is so much detail packed into the 80 minute show that you are bound to experience something new, and who can really pass up fabulous music and clever lyrics.
Photos: James D Morgan
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