Is Six the Musical Accurate?

Now that Six is getting more popular, I don’t get quite as many blank stares when I mention it. Thankfully, the world at large is coming around to the six Tudor queens who are the ones we are really interested in. However, it still tends elicit many questions. I don’t mind the questions at all. As a Six fan and an historian, it checks all of my boxes, and makes me happy that people are interested. And at the top of the list of questions? Is Six the Musical accurate? So, today, I’m answering it for you!

In case you are brand new to Six the Musical, I will quickly break it down. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, it is a pop musical in the style of a concert, where Henry VIII’s six wives compete to lead their girl band. The Queen to convince the audience that she had the worst go of it with Henry will take the lead, and the musical is underway! There is interaction with the audience, jokes to keep you laughing, and even some audience participation. And what is truly unique is that you are allowed to film the last number of the show. (Though I do wonder if we will see more allow a tiny bit of filming, given that it was the best idea for free PR out there…) BUT, is Six the Musical accurate or not?

Is Six the Musical Accurate? 

Yes, and no. Did the six wives of Henry VIII live and exist together to form a girl band? Obviously not. Were any of his wives given the chance to speak for themselves and their story? Nope, of course not. (To quote Catherine Parr in the show, “Tudor womanhood: would recommend…”) Do the songs take liberties with the past in order to convey a particular message? Yes, yes they do. However, Six tells a more realistic view of history than most Tudor history books.

Changes in Six the Musical 

I would argue the biggest changes are Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour. Anne’s “Don’t Lose Ur Head” paints a Boleyn that is focused on enjoying partying and the fun life until her marriage to Henry dissolves. I’m not the biggest fan of this change, as it rather reduces Boleyn. The historical second queen was actually quite a studious and focused woman, and expected the women in her household to conduct themselves with the highest morals. She had an English translation of the Bible in several different rooms so that her Ladies could read God’s word for themselves. That isn’t to say that Six‘s Anne isn’t entertaining and “Don’t Lose Ur Head” isn’t a bop (as the youths say), but it loses a lot of Anne’s strengths.

Jane Seymour’s “Heart of Stone” is the other change that sits in an odd place for me. There isn’t really any proof that the actual Seymour was going to stand by Henry no matter what. Henry put her in her place a time or two, and she mostly just kept quiet. However, I think that this change was probably necessary for the show, as a ballad is needed at some point. (I also don’t love the idea of standing by someone no matter what, because the someone in this case was not a particularly great person and arguably was borderline abusive…) And I’ve seen both Grace Mouat and Abby Mueller perform this, and it is a powerful song none-the-less!

And of course, the histor-remix. History gets a remix in Six and these badass queens get to write their own endings. “It’s not what went down in history”, but it makes for a victorious and satisfying ending to one of the best musicals of this century. It’s pretty obvious that it is a brand-new change, and it is a fantastic one at that. Gold star for Cathy Parr, and all of the other queens!

Truths in Six the Musical 

One of the parts that I love about Six is that for most audience members, they do learn when they see the show. There are quippy one liners- ie. K Howard confirming that Catherine de Valois is in fact the wife of Henry V. However, I think that there are two queens that are given a needed boost. My absolute favourite K Howard, aka Katherine Howard, the fifth wife being the obvious. “All You Wanna Do” is theoretically a fun song, but is also fairly devastating, much like her life. Howard was abused and taken advantage of by several men in her life, and that seems to be forgotten a lot. She was a real person, who was essentially held captive to the wills of four different men. This song makes it heart-breakingly clear that Katherine’s life, though short, was immensely challenging and she shouldn’t be dismissed as “stupid” or “a whore”.

Catherine Parr also gets quite a favourable showing in Six. Marlow and Moss chose to focus on her accomplishments; as she sings: “Remember that I was a writer/ I wrote books and psalms and meditations/ Fought for female education/ So all my women could independently/ Study scripture/ I even got a woman to paint my picture”. Parr is often just “the one who survived”, and outside of specific biographies, that hasn’t seemed to change. I would argue that she has the most favourable treatment out of all the queens, as her more-than questionable treatment of the future Elizabeth I does not come up. In any case she

Want to Learn More About the Six Queens?

These six women are absolutely fascinating, and are the perfect historical deep dive. The first place to start learning about them? The programme from Six, if you are heading to the show! It features a quick breakdown of each queen, and what they were known for. I would certainly recommend quickly reading it before the show starts.

And once the show is over? I have a reading guide on the best books on the Tudor queens! Some queens have more books written about them than others, but it can still sometimes feel overwhelming when you go to pick one. And I will continue to update the post as I keep reading- I’ve got at least two, possibly three more Tudor queen studies on to-be-read list in the next three months.

Six the Musical is one of the cleverest and strongest musicals being performed right now, and I hope that you have the chance to go and see it! It is at the Arts Theatre in London until July 2020, there is a UK tour continuing into 2020, the NA cast is heading to Broadway, and an Australian cast will debut in 2020. These are badass and impressive woman, and a banging soundtrack that brings history to life.

So fellow Six lovers, what say you: is Six the Musical accurate? 

Cheers,
The Historian
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