Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded and survived. This is a popular jingle many use to remember the order of Henry VIII’s six wives and how their lives ended. However, it is also a key part of the music in “Six,” the hit Broadway musical. I first saw the show in 2023 and loved it. When I saw that it was coming back to the Orpheum from Mar. 25 to 29, I couldn’t wait to attend again, and the show exceeded my expectations. Whether you love history, pop music or elaborate costumes, “Six” is a musical you can’t miss.

“Six” is an upbeat retelling of Henry VIII’s six wives’ lives as a singing competition and pop concert that is performed for about an hour. This retelling of history sets the queens in a girl band, with their ladies-in-waiting on the instruments, and they each sing about the events of their lives, competing for which queen had the most miserable life. The musical follows the order of their rule, starting with Catherine of Aragon, then moving through Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard before ending with Catherine Parr. After they all sing their individual stories, to wrap up the performance, they come together for one final number.

The first thing I love about “Six” is that from the get-go, the audience gets transported into a unique concert with a live band on stage and excellent singing. We get to hear all of the unique songs as the musical goes on, each inspired by a current pop icon, such as Beyonce, Ariana Grande and more, with the details of each queen’s story in the lyrics of her song. Some of the songs I enjoyed the most included Catherine of Aragon’s fierce “No Way” describing her stubbornness on the subject of her divorce, Anne Boleyn’s British pop-style “Don’t Lose Ur Head” talking on not caring about what others think, and the German-based, neon-themed “Haus of Holbein” about the famous painter Hans Holbein painting many princesses’ portraits all over Europe. These are all upbeat and high-energy, which makes them so much fun to watch on stage. My favorite song, however, because of its powerful story of overcoming hardship, is Catherine Parr’s empowering “I Don’t Need Your Love.” The song took me into her perspective and made me feel all of the emotions she must have felt at the time. It starts slow, recapping her story, then picks up and becomes a motivating, feminist lesson about taking control of her story. Additionally, another song I enjoyed came after all of the individual songs, when the queens come together at the conclusion of the show to sing “Six,” recapping all of their stories. The songs truly tell the queens’ stories in the best way possible, all in a unique style that is so fun to watch. 

Besides just good songs, “Six” also has amazing costuming. The outfits are stiff, plasticky and textured with things like sequins for a modern and pop look, while having a Renaissance flair with puff sleeves, peplum and more. Each queen has a hair accessory that represents a crown and has their hair styled in a modern way, like a high, sleek ponytail for Catherine Howard and half-up space buns for Anne Boleyn. My favorite outfit, however, is Catherine of Aragon’s ensemble. It is a gold bodysuit with puff sleeves, a peplum-like stiff skirt and chains hanging around the neck and skirt. Additionally, the bodice of the outfit resembles old Renaissance dresses. The gold in her outfit embodies her stubbornness and power as Henry’s first queen, and the accessories and details accent the outfit perfectly. The whole show provided the perfect mix of showcasing a captivating pop concert while also reminding the audience of their original time period in history.

While I loved the outfits, I also enjoyed the themes of the performance. The show explores multiple underlying themes, a major one being female empowerment. Besides just listening to the amazing music and understanding the queens’ stories, the audience also gets to watch how they eventually understand that by taking back their own power, they can change how people perceive them. Instead of just being known as wives to King Henry VIII, they can be known for their other accomplishments throughout their lives. Many other themes are present throughout the concert, including beauty and victimhood, discussions of “her-story” and questioning things that are originally believed, and they all add to the overall positive opinion I have of the musical. Not only is “Six” fun to watch, but it also has underlying themes that make the performance truly unforgettable.

Overall, “Six” was an amazing musical to attend. The music, costumes and themes were all unique and so fun to experience. The pop concert kept me entertained the entire time and wasn’t too short or too long. All of the music was super catchy and taught me facts I didn’t know before about all of the queens. Even though this is my second time seeing the production, I would definitely go watch it again and recommend it to others for the upbeat vibe and unique experience. By the time the curtains close, the audience is left with not only a memorable experience but a lesson to remember that we can always reclaim our power. The queens may have been divorced, beheaded and died, but their story will live on through the musical “Six.”