Six the Musical – Vaudeville Theatre

Picture: Pamela Raith

Six the Musical is booking at the Vaudeville Theatre, London until November 2024.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

For six (6) years, Six the Musical has been making GCSE-level history a West End delight. With multiple awards and international residencies under its belt, it has nothing left to prove. Cynics may still pick fault with the short running time or odd lyric that doesn’t quite match up to Sondheimian standards of rhyme, but there is no arguing that this show has had a major impact on the theatre landscape. All that is left for Six now is to get better and better, and this special sixth anniversary gala performance proved that is exactly what has been happening.

At a superficial level, not much has changed. Even though the diehard fans of the Queendom may have every lyric and beat committed to memory, writers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss have resisted the urge to throw in new songs. Emma Bailey’s set and Gabriella Slade’s costume designs are instantly recognisable and iconic. Rather, the main attractions of making a return trip to Six the Musical in 2024 are the polish and the cast.

As the show progresses, it is notable how immaculately slick are every transition and cue. The ‘Ladies In Waiting’ – Six’s name for its four-piece band – are note perfect, and are clearly enjoying the opportunity to rock out on such a fun pop score eight times a week. Even the finale ‘MegaSIX’ medley is perfectly timed to fit into the length allowance for a Twitter/X video. Although productions of Six thrive around the world – including a Tony Award-winning production on Broadway – there may be no better place to see this show in 2024 than London’s Vaudeville Theatre.

The current cast is phenomenal, each and every queen. All nail the show’s tone of camp cattiness yet are human enough to make its uplifting ending a joy. Nikki Bentley’s Catherine of Aragon in particular is incredibly likeable, and her ‘No Way’ a vocal masterclass. Thao Therese Nguyen is a clear audience favourite as Anne Boleyn. Though that role is brilliantly funny as-written, Nguyen infuses ‘Don’t Lose Ur Head’ with countless hilarious micro-expressions and turns it into a highlight of the evening. Kayleigh McKnight brings a welcome dignity to Jane Seymour, and in her hands ‘Heart of Stone’ has a tremendous emotional impact.

Of course, one of the most memorable reinterpretations of a historical character in Six must be its Anna of Cleves. Reca Oakley is a pure delight, and owns the stage during ‘Get Down’. As Katherine Howard, Inez Budd impeccably delivers some stunning vocal lines and, crucially, some of the zingiest put-downs of the whole show. Saving the brilliant Janiq Charles for last in her touching performance as Catherine Parr is truly the cherry on this Tudor cake. Her vocals are out of this world, and she is a commanding stage presence.

If you are yet to see Six the Musical live, I can understand the hesitation. Its fanbase skews on the younger side and you may be reluctant to pay West End prices to take a gamble on an 80-minute show. However, this melding of the pop and theatre worlds isn’t just a glimpse into the future of the medium, but a genuine thrill to experience in person. Alternatively, if you have seen the show in the past, you would be a fool to miss this stunning cast sing the ever-loving heck out of songs that have probably been stuck in your head ever since.

Ian Bowkett