Venue: Theatre Royal (Sydney NSW), 25 Oct – 28 Dec, 2024
Creators: Toby Marlow, Lucy Moss
Directors: Jamie Armitage, Lucy Moss
Cast: Chelsea Dawson, Kimberley Hodgson, Loren Hunter, Giorgia Kennedy, Deirdre Khoo, Zelia Rose Kitoko
Images by James D. Morgan
Theatre review
Henry VIII’s wives compete to determine who had suffered the most. Turning them into queens of pop, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s 2017 musical Six configures these historical women into a contemporary girl group, to tell their tragic stories from the 16th century. A thoroughly exuberant work, with a particular youthful appeal, Six may not be able to say as much about feminism as it wishes, but Marlow and Moss’ proficiency at crafting pop perfection is undeniable.
Casting on this occasion is nothing short of exquisite, with each performer bringing colourful idiosyncrasy to the piece, yet introducing flawless chemistry to their efforts as a collective. Chelsea Dawson, Kimberley Hodgson, Loren Hunter, Giorgia Kennedy, Deirdre Khoo, and Zelia Rose Kitoko, are powerful as a team and individually endearing, all effortless at having us mesmerised with each of their moments at centre stage. The choice to deliver their lines in Australian accents proves a charming and memorable feature, for this revival of an enduring crowd-pleaser.
The musicians for this remount are similarly impeccable. Danielle Colligan, Claire Healy, Heidi Maguire, Ann Metry, and Kathryn Stammers are a formidable backup band, bringing unrelenting excitement, to a show determined to make us feel as though immersed in the setting of an arena concert.
The king’s wives may have been dispensable and objectified, but we can try to remember them in new ways, with their agency intact. Much as conditions all those centuries ago had unquestionably deprived many of their freedoms, we can see in Six that it is possible to find alternate interpretations to narratives, if only to inspire defiance, for a culture that persists with its need to keep women down.
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