Photos: The Cast of SIX Performs at Hampton Court Palace

Worldwide hit musical SIX, created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, played the first of three open-air concert performances at Hampton Court Palace last night, reuniting the original West End Queens and performing within the iconic main courtyard of their infamous ex-husband's former residence.

This production, staged in partnership with HEVENING istoric Royal Palaces - the independent charity which cares for Hampton Court Palace - saw the global musical phenomenon staged outdoors for the first time, in front of an audience of over 3,000.

SIX Live at Hampton Court Palace reunited the original West End line-up of Olivier Award nominated cast members; Jarnéia Richard-Noel (Catherine of Aragon), Millie O'Connell (Anne Boleyn), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Alexia McIntosh (Anna of Cleves), Aimie Atkinson (Katherine Howard) and Maiya Quansah-Breed (Catherine Parr).

The production was co-directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, with choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, musical supervision by Joe Beighton and costumes by Gabriella Slade based on the original staging with Scenic Design by Emma Bailey, Lighting Design by Tim Deiling, Sound Design by Paul Gatehouse and Orchestrations by Tom Curran.

Liz Young, Head of Events at Historic Royal Palaces, said: "Bringing the phenomenon that is SIX to Hampton Court Palace has been a long-term aspiration, and we're delighted that this summer loyal fans and newcomers alike will get the chance to experience the award-winning show in the very place where the lives, loves and legacies of these legendary Queens live on."

SIX has become a global phenomenon since its debut as a student production at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. Since then, and following the reopening of theatres across the world, performances have resumed in London's West End, on Broadway and in Sydney (as part of an Australia and New Zealand Tour), with a brand-new production opening in Chicago later this month, and a second North American Tour due to open in July.

A week ago on Broadway, SIX won two Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Costume Design of a Musical. SIX was nominated for five Olivier Awards including Best New Musical and Best Actress in a Supporting Role, for which the Hampton Court Palace cast were collectively nominated. It won the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2019, and was most recently awarded Best West End Show at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2022.

The music from SIX has also achieved global prominence, with its hit songs streamed over 340 million times across all platforms, with over 2 million views on YouTube and 3 billion views on TikTok, making it one of the world's most successful cast recordings in music history. In October 2021 the original studio cast recording was officially awarded Gold status, in an event streamed globally, live on TikTok.

Photo Credit: Pamela Raith