Six at the Vaudeville Theatre (22/23 West End Cast)

I am certainly well-versed in the world of Six as this was my 12th time returning to the palace. This show never fails to disappoint and I have a memorable and unique experience each time due to the wonderful principle and swalt stars of every cast that I have been fortunate enough to have seen.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

My Review:

Whilst this was definitely not my first time at the palace, but it was my first time seeing this cast of Six and I can say with absolute certainty that I am completely in awe of the talent of this entire cast and was not disappointed. Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky as Catherine of Aragon showcased her brilliant voice beautifully during the entirety of No Way especially the riffable section and ending which were both amazing. The slightly out-of-it interpretation that she brings to Catherine of Aragon works perfectly throughout especially during the Anne Bo-Loser comment where she takes a moment after Anne to pause whilst she thinks of this insult. Speaking of Anne Bo-Loser I was lucky enough to see Danielle Rose in another one of her alternate roles (I saw her as Jane Seymour as part of the previous cast). As a Brummie myself it was amazing to hear an accent similar to mine being proudly embraced on a West End stage as this feels so uncommon to me. Her portrayal of Boleyn was just perfect for the role and the immature comedic nature of Boleyn was perfectly expressed whilst being accompanied by out-of-this-world vocals. I am so glad that I have seen her as Anne Boleyn as the vocals and acting during Don't Lose Your Head were brilliant and made this song immensely enjoyable to watch. The next wife is Jane Seymour (the only one he truly loved... RUDE) played by the phenomenal Claudia Kariuki. Her riffs and a general showcase of talent throughout Heart of Stone were mesmerising. Alongside this powerful and heartbreaking ballad, Claudia portrayed a unique Jane Seymour in my opinion as she brought forth a sarcastic side of Jane Seymour that I have not seen done by previous performers but still felt extremely fitting to the character and show. I am so happy that I have seen this unique portrayal of Jane Seymour as I was pleasantly shocked at truly how well it fits this character who is often only seen as the quieter, mature mom-type member of the Six Cast. Haus of Holbein notably deserves a mention as this hilarious song offers a moment of recovery after the gut-wrenching Heart of Stone and never fails to have me dying of laughter by the end when we are introduced to Anna of Cleves in what can only be described as a Tinder inspired moment of brilliance. I was fortunate to see Monique-Ashe Palmer as Anna of Cleves as she departs the show earlier than the rest of the cast. Her Get Down was just brilliant with amazing comedic timing throughout making this song entertaining overall and a comedic experience that was beautifully accompanied by vocals that I could never tire of hearing. Koko Basigara as Katherine Howard was stunning, her All You Wanna Do had me, and the rest of the audience, sitting in silence in sheer awe of the power and emotion she conveyed before we as an audience finally broke into applause. The effect she was able to have on every single audience member was amazing and I will never stop feeling grateful that I was able to see Koko perform as Katherine Howard live. Finally, we have Catherine Parr, the survivor, portrayed by Leah Vassell. Her I Don't Need Your Love and I Don't Need Your Love Reprise were fabulous. Leah's riffs were unexplainably incredible and her powerhouse vocals were brilliantly showcased.

Content Warnings:

Six does not have any content warnings as this show does not tend to trigger people so this section will be fairly short. Instead, I will mention the moments that I noted whilst watching the show that I felt may prove upsetting to some people:

The queens use miscarriages as a way to compete with each other
All You Wanna Do verbally and visually (through dance and movements) shows the sexual abuse that Katherine Howard experienced throughout her life
The show has obvious and less obvious sexual innuendos throughout

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)

- AnxiousTheatregoer