If you love musicals but find that a theatre trip is too expensive, I’d recommend seeing one of the filmed versions at the cinema instead. The latest filmed release is Six, which you all know is one of my all-time favourite musicals. It’s arguably one of the most popular, diverse and accessible shows around and after eight years, it’s still going strong. Here’s my Six the Musical Live review from the cinema.
PRE-FILM THOUGHTS
I’ve seen the show a bunch of times in the West End and on tour but I’m always excited to see a new crop of queens take on these roles. I mean, I’ve never seen a queen that I didn’t love because they always get the casting spot on! The film features the original West End cast from The Arts Theatre, which I was lucky enough to see back in October 2019. I can’t remember if I saw all six of these queens but I’m sure I saw most of them.
THE CAST
I’ve always loved that each of the six cast members is cohesive as a group but so different personality-wise. Jarnéia Richard-Noel as Catherine of Aragon gets the unofficial contest off to an upbeat start with No Way. I’ve always loved her tone on the song and her vocal range is impressive but she always adds so much charm and humour to the role.
Millie O’Connell as Anne Boleyn definitely plays up the comedic factor of her song, Don’t Lose Your Head. I’ve always found O’Connell to be such an engaging performer and that definitely comes across on the big screen as well as on stage.
Natalie Paris’ rendition of Heart of Stone as Jane Seymour is easily my favourite and I have to say, her range and voice have gotten stronger and stronger since her debut in the show. The amount of emotion she puts into her solo is just the right amount and I always love it when she pops up on Strictly singing a female anthem!
Alexia McIntosh as Anna of Cleves obviously brings the laughs and the party to the show. Get Down is easily the biggest bop in the show and I was thrilled that the audience member got their moment to shine too.
Aimie Atkinson’s All You Wanna Do as Katherine Howard is outstanding. It’s one of those songs that’s all fun to begin with until it takes a more serious turn, masked by a beat. Atkinson’s version always feels so sincere and real.
We finish it off with Maiya Quansah-Breed as Catherine Parr and I Don’t Need Your Love. She’s probably my favourite Parr, purely because her vocals are out of this world. I still wish her song was a little longer as the others get a full song and she doesn’t!
THE PRODUCTION
Let’s face it, everything about the show is epic which you can tell from my Six the Musical Live review. Ex-Wives is such a phenomenal opening song, I’ve always loved just how well it sets the scene. In one song, you know exactly the personality and vibe that each queen is going to bring. Haus of Holbein is always my favourite song in the entire show because it’s just so fun and unexpected. Six and the MegaSix wrap up the show just as well as Ex-Wives opens the show. It’s always just sad because you know it’s all over!
We all love the costumes and I’m glad they all got to wear the original ones because they’re outstanding. You get to pick your favourite queen based on which colour you prefer and it definitely adds to that girl group feeling about the show. You know, back in the day when each member had a distinctive colour or look?
Of course, I’m always going to prefer a live, stage version to a filmed version but it really did capture the magic of the show. My only gripe was that you often missed some of the choreography in the background as they would have a close-up shot of the soloist instead. As someone who’s into dance, you would just miss the odd bit.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In the audience were a lot of older people, some clearly Six fans already and some might have been seeing it for the first time. If you’re going into it hoping for a historically accurate piece, forget it. It’s definitely educational but I’m pretty sure they didn’t have sparkles, microphones or Laduca dance boots back in the 1500s.
If you’re looking for a slice of herstory and a fun night out, Six could be the musical for you. It’s full of modern music and pop culture references and I recommend it to anyone who likes musicals!
If you enjoyed my Six the Musical Live review, you can read my other theatre reviews here. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok too.
