SIX The Musical Live! is in cinemas across the UK and Ireland from 6 April 2025 – via Universal Pictures (UK).
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
From student halls to the big screen, let’s offer a bit of background on Six The Musical, just in case you have been in a dark cave during the last eight years. The global smash-hit, award-winning musical was written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss while they were students at the University of Cambridge. The modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII re-forms the queens into an all-female band – they step out of the shadow of their infamous husband and reclaim their own narrative.
Winner of over 35 international awards, including two 2022 Tony Awards, three WhatsOnStage awards and nominated for five Oliviers, Six remains a sell-out in the West End, on tour in the UK and throughout Europe. The musical is also currently playing at Broadway’s Lena Horne Theatre and the touring production continues to play cities throughout the US. An Australian tour launched in August 2024 and dates have been played in Manila and Singapore.
Now, a filmed version of the show directed by Liz Clare has been released in cinemas all over the UK and Ireland, meaning its fanbase can only grow and grow.
Recorded at London’s Vaudeville Theatre over four live performances from 27 June to 1 July 2022, the film features the original West End cast and begins with interviews with 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). Archival footage is interspersed, making it clear how much Six means to so many people – fans and creatives alike.
While there is nothing like being in the room where it happens, recordings of theatre performances give an audience the privilege of seeing things close up without a front-row seat. Many aspects of the production such as make-up details or a character reacting in the background can be appreciated in this film edition. It’s extraordinary to see Gabriella Slade’s costume design magnified right down to the earrings each queen wears, embellishing where they number in the order of Henry VIII’s wives.
Six is a comparatively short musical, with each queen having one song to make their pitch about why they had the hardest time being married to Henry, along with three ensemble numbers. For each of these, the cinematography combines with the score and production design to build on characterisation.
Jane Seymour’s song ‘Heart of Stone’, a slower number performed effortlessly by Natalie Paris, sees long shots without cuts and close-up angles to emphasise her heartache and the sadness of her story.
While you’re not actually in the room for this live gig, the film does its best to make you feel like you’re not missing out. The camera manages to mimic the moments where the fourth wall is broken, appearing to go into the audience on one occasion. This offers cinema viewers the point of view of a live audience member.
What is special about Six is its reclamation of history – or ‘herstory’. Each queen values themself and, by the end, each other. Some of the show’s most profound moments arise from the dialogue where the queens question the patriarchal world that surrounded them.
The cast members deliver flawless vocal performances and their visible enjoyment in performing these roles is infectious. We can thank Marlow and Moss for handing the power back to a group of 16th century women who had little control over their lives. In a musical that’s brimming with references to popular music, there’s bound to be something for everyone, and the film is a must-see.
Rebecca Sinclair
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