Everything you need to know about 'Six the Musical' in the West End

Sophie Thomas20 May, 2022, 16:26

Not many musicals enjoy a meteoric rise to West End success quite like Six. Since 2017, the Six musical continues to grow in worldwide popularity and welcomes in a legion of fans who come for the music and stay for the messages of girlpower, independence and sisterhood.

Six is now at its “forever home,” the Vaudeville Theatre in London. You can see Six worldwide but there’s nothing like seeing an original production. From how to get Six tickets to when to see the Six musical, here’s your ultimate guide to Six in London.

Book Six tickets on London Theatre.

What is Six the Musical about?

The Six musical tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII like you've never heard before. At the start of the musical, the six women argue with one another as they try to make out they had it worse. But as they listen to their stories, they open their hearts to each other and realise it’s better to stick together.

Where is Six the Musical playing?

Six the Musical in London is at the Vaudeville Theatre. The Vaudeville Theatre is one of three theatres on the Strand: the Adelphi Theatre and the Savoy Theatre are close by. Previous shows at the Vaudeville Theatre include Constellations and Magic Goes Wrong.

Read our Six review on London Theatre.

How long is Six the Musical?

The Six musical running time is one hour and 40 minutes long. There’s no interval and it’s a one-act show.

What days is Six the Musical playing?

Six plays eight performances a week at the Vaudeville Theatre. Evening performances take place on Tuesday - Sunday. Matinee performances take place on Saturday and Sunday. For the complete performance schedule and show times, please visit the Six page to learn more.

When did Six the Musical Premiere?

Six the Musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017. The musical picked up interest of West End producers and the show came to the Arts Theatre. From this, Six shot into the musical theatre stratosphere. Read more about Six in our major productions section.

Who wrote Six the Musical?

The Six musical features an original story by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. The pair came up with the idea to create a musical based on Henry VIII’s wives while studying at the University of Cambridge. Early performances were staged while Marlow and Moss rounded off their studies. Toby Marlow even starred in a performance of Six, acting as an emergency stand-in for Catherine Parr.

Since Six, Lucy Moss’ credits include directing Legally Blonde at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

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Who is in Six the Musical?

The Six the Musical cast includes Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky as Catherine of Aragon, Baylie Carson as Anne Boleyn, Claudia Kariuki as Jane Seymour, Dionne Ward-Anderson as Anna of Cleves, Koko Basigara as Katherine Howard, and Roxanne Couch as Catherine Parr.

The alternates include Monique Ashe-Palmer, Danielle Rose, Leah Vassell, Esme Rothero and Rachel Rawlinson Between them, they play all six roles.

Six the Musical Characters

The Six characters are based on real women, Henry VIII’s six wives! You may know them from the primary school rhyme, “Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived,” but by the end, you’ll know the queens for themselves. Find out more about the Six the Musical characters.

Catherine of Aragon: Henry VIII’s first wife. She was married to Henry VIII from 1509 - 1523. Their divorce led to the creation of the Church of England. Beyoncé inspired the Catherine of Aragon Six character.

Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII’s second wife. The pair were wed from 1533 - 1536, until Anne Boleyn was beheaded on accusation of incest and adultery. Avril Lavigne inspired the Anne Boleyn Six character.

Jane Seymour: Henry VIII’s third wife. They were only married for one year, but Jane Seymour provided Henry VIII with his first son, Edward. Jane Seymour died in childbirth. Adele inspired the Jane Seymour Six character.

Anna of Cleves: Henry VIII’s fourth wife. Perhaps shockingly, the pair were only married for seven months, from January to July 1940. Rihanna and Nicki Minaj inspired the Anna of Cleves Six character.

Katherine Howard: Henry VIII’s fifth wife. The pair married days after and were wed from July 1540 to February 1542. She was beheaded due to her affairs. Ariana Grande and Britney Spears inspired the Katherine Howard Six character.

Catherine Parr: Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife. The pair were wed on 12 Jul. 1543 and were together to 28 Jan. 1547 when Henry VIII passed away. Alicia Keys inspired the Catherine Parr Six character.

Six the Musical songs

In Six the Musical, all the wives lead one song each, in which they sing about their experiences with Henry VIII. The Six company come together for the opening number, “Ex-Wives,” the middle song “Haus of Holbein,” and the finale “Six.” Here’s all the songs in Six:

"Ex-Wives" – The Queens
"No Way" – Catherine of Aragon
"Don't Lose Your Head" – Anne Boleyn
"Heart of Stone" – Jane Seymour
"Haus of Holbein" – Company
"Get Down" – Anna of Cleves
"All You Wanna Do" – Katherine Howard
"I Don't Need Your Love" – Catherine Parr
"Six" – The Queens

What awards has Six the Musical won?

It’s not just the Six fans that enjoy the show. Six earned the loyalty of theatre critics and awarding bodies. Here’s all the Olivier Awards and Tony Awards that Six was nominated for, with winning categories in bold.

Olivier Awards

Best New Musical
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Aimie Atkinson, Alexia McIntosh, Millie O'Connell, Natalie Paris, Maiya Quansah-Breed and Jarnéia Richard-Noel
Outstanding Achievement in Music: Joe Beighton, Tom Curran, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
Best Theatre Choreographer: Carrie-Anne Ingrouille
Best Costume Design: Gabriella Slade

Tony Awards

Best Musical
Best Costume Design in a Musical: Gabriella Slade Best Lighting Design in a Musical: Tim Deiling
Best Sound Design of a Musical: Paul Gatehouse
Best Direction of a Musical: Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage
Best Choreography: Carrie-Anne Ingrouille
Best Orchestrations: Tom Curran
Best Original Score: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss

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Major productions of Six the Musical

Even though Six the Musical started in the late 2010s, the Six queens are taking over the world. Check out the full list of Six the Musical productions around the world.

2017: Six the Musical premieres at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The original cast included Megan Gilbert as Catherine of Aragon, Ashleigh Weir as Anne Boleyn, Holly Musgrave as Jane Seymour, Tilda Wickham as Anna of Cleves, Annabel Marlow as Katherine Howard and Shimali de Silva as Catherine Parr.

2017: Six plays six performances at the Arts Theatre. The Six studio recording features the original Arts Theatre cast.

2018: Six the Musical begins performances at the Norwich Playhouse. The musical played for four nights ahead of its Edinburgh Fringe run.

2018: Six heads to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a second year. Six is a sell-out show and plays to thousands of audience members throughout the run.

2019: Six receives its West End premiere. The musical returns to the Arts Theatre for an initial 16-week run and plays to March 2020 — performances from March 2020 to January 2021 were cancelled due to the pandemic.

2019: The North American premiere of Six opens at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

2019: Six performances begin on three Norwegian Cruise Line ships.

2019: The first UK tour of Six begins. Six continues touring across the United Kingdom.

2020: Six receives its Australian premiere at Sydney Opera House. The production then moved to Canberra, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and New Zealand.

2020: Six begins Broadway performances. The original Six opening night was scheduled for 13 Mar. 2020, the night Broadway theatres shut due to the pandemic. Six reopened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 17 Sept. 2021.

2021: Six plays socially-distanced performances at the Lyric Theatre. It’s one of the first musicals to reopen after the pandemic.

2021: Six moves to its third West End home, the Vaudeville Theatre.

2022: The first Six US tour — dubbed the Aragon Tour — begins at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago.

Fun facts about Six the Musical

Even though Six is one of the newer West End musicals to take over the theatre world, it’s already history-making. Discover more about Six the Musical.

The Six cast recording was released in 2018, prior to performances at the Arts Theatre. A Broadway Six album was released in 2022, and includes 18 songs, including a cover of “Heart of Stone” by the Six alternates.
The Six megasix features at the end of the show. It compiles all of the songs in the musical into 90 seconds. Six audience members are encouraged to film the song and share their videos online.
Six director Lucy Moss made history as the youngest female to direct a musical on Broadway.