Six is back for its fourth Australian tour in recent years, with producers loving the cost-effective and lean show that audiences flock to with gusto. While Six has been a fan favourite for many of its runs, there was perhaps a risk of a degree of malaise towards the show from fans especially amongst a clamouring for something new in the Australian theatre world (which has been granted in the last week). With that said, opening night was packed and buzzy for the show and there was a great deal of glitter and pizzazz in the audience as they awaited this production with six new queens taking to the stage.

I’ve summarised this production many times so won’t reinvent the wheel here: Six is not your typical piece of musical theatre. It starts more like a concert, with the six queens introducing themselves. The wives of King Henry VIII, all competing to decide who had the most dismal life.

Each queen takes turns at introducing their story, with power, passion and gusto, ably supported by an all-female four-piece band and stunning light show. In the end, the queens reclaim their story. They aren’t just the wives of Henry XII. Now, they are the stars of the show. They point out that instead of rewriting HIStory, they are making HERstory.

Stylistically, Six is very much in the vein of its contemporaries in new musical theatre. It’s not a completely sung-through musical like the megamusicals of the 70s and 80s and there’s not a whole lot of plot.

Instead, the structural cohesion relies heavily on the blend between different styles of music and between song, dialogue and even some rap. With only a bare-bones set, a lot of responsibility falls onto the six singers and four-piece band on stage and a lot of skill is required to ensure that the show holds together.

The six queens across the various Australian productions have often gone on to use this as a springboard for other things in the industry and this production also featured a range of up-and-coming stars as well as established theatre performers. While the musical may seem simple, it is deceptively complicated with the six performers having to stay on stage for the entire 80 minute runtime while singing, dancing and acting with high intensity.

Given the amount of times that the show has come to Sydney in recent years, the performance will naturally evoke comparisons to previous performers. It was an interesting comparison against the performers on stage in this production, with Sarah Murr kicking things off before Mia Paris Scalise, Cara Bessey, Kadesa Honeyhill, Angela Brischetto and Lorinda May Merrypor rounded out the queen casting.

The opening felt strangely flat, with the performers not quite showing the same level of flair and grit that the script demands but the energy picked up as the show continued. In this regard, Honeyhill really sparked the show’s resurgence in the second half as Anna of Cleves, with the German-tinged techno element of the show coming off very well and feeling very polished. That energy continued with a fantastic performance from Angela Brischetto as Catherine Howard with a fine Destiny’s Child-like quality to her voice, before Lorinda May Merrypor closed with some excellent introspective work.

While there were some strong moments, there were some points where this production felt slightly flat, especially at the start of the show where there were some pitchier moments and times where it felt like there was a bit of hesitation and disconnect with the band throughout the numbers which did break the audience’s focus a little bit. Additionally, some of the choreography felt strangely imprecise at times, which was a shame given it is such an integral part of this show. The rest of the elements of the show were strong, with little deviation from the script and original set, although there were some Australian references thrown in at times, which were nicely received. Despite the above, the show received a rapturous standing ovation at its end, reflecting the fact that the audience had an absolute blast when considering the night as a whole.

Overall, this is an excellent show and a perfectly constructed modern musical, which combines all the concise brevity with great songs and an interesting story. Unfortunately, in this production, some of the execution was lacking at times, even in spite of some star performances by some of the later queens. There’s still a lot of love for this show but perhaps it’s time for something new in Australian theatre after this run.

Rating: ★★★1/2

Six plays at the Theatre Royal until 20 December. For more information, click here.

Photo credit: James D. Morgan