Melbourne Reviews

Thank goodness for Six the Musical.

After a series of shows that are repurposing IP to capitalise on millennial nostalgia without much heart, SIX the Musical has returned to show everyone how compelling original content can be.

The 80-minute one-act concert-style production continues its runaway success story in 2026, nine years after Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss wrote the original concept.

SIX the Musical premiered in 2017 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and went on to sell-out shows in the UK and America and became the second highest-streamed cast recording in the world behind Hamilton.

The original run in Australia was halted due to the pandemic, but not even a plague could stop the momentum of the six queens and former wives of Henry VIII. Post pandemic, SIX has continued to thrive, gathering new audiences with its epic pop soundtrack of original songs by Moss and Marlow.

Set up as a competition between the former King of England’s six wives, the all-female cast and band exist in a reimagined steampunk version of Tudor-era England.

It’s an incredibly fun take on history and ensures that everyone is in on the joke. There’s no need to have any actual knowledge of Henry VIII – the performances and music are highly enjoyable even without context. Vocally, SIX is a huge undertaking. Singing this kind of score eight shows a week requires incredible physical stamina, and it did seem that some of the articulation and famous runs were lacking at times.

All the queens held court with expertly crafted characters, yet Kadesa Honeyhill stole the show as Anna of Cleves with her Beyonce-esque dance moves and nonchalant version of the queen who was divorced for not looking like her portrait. Lorinda May Merrypor showed off her incredibly impressive vocals as Catherine Parr and Cara Bessey brought more humour to the sometimes-solemn role of Jane Seymour in a fun twist.

The Tony Award-winning production proves it’s still queen of the castle when it comes to musicals. Injecting a much-needed dose of joy back into the genre, SIX is everything you could want from a musical. Short, sharp and snappy dialogue is combined with huge pop numbers, over-the-top costume design and a sprinkling of eurotrash to make one of the best nights out at the theatre.