The tragic fates of Henry VIII’s beleaguered wives can summed up in a short rhyme: “Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.”
But if you want a revisionist, anachronistic version of their rather grim history - we’d suggest you watch SIX at the Sands Theatre.
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss' acclaimed stage musical reimagines the lives of Catherine of Argon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howards and Catherine Parr as pop princesses with an argument to settle. Which one of them had it the worst?
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What ensues is a vibrant, short and snappy pop concert where the Queens take turns competing and comparing traumas through extravagant pop numbers, before eventually supporting one another via moving yet sassy confessions of shared suffering.
The result is a rollicking mix of 16th century marital politics with 21st century feminism that brims with incredibly catchy tunes that would've gone viral if the Tudor era had TikTok.
Naturally, the stars of the show are the Queens themselves, who are each represented by unique pop genres.
From the Beyonce-esque groove of Catherine, to the Adele-styled ballads of powerhouse Jane, to the 2000s pop-punk edge of Anne - each and everyone of these royal divas were majestic in their own right.
Witty and slick, thematically dense yet tremendously fun, SIX is an absolute joy despite its heavy premise. Is it entirely historically accurate? Kind of. Is it a celebration of sisterhood that your teen self would become obsessed with? Definitely.
Purchase your tickets here. SIX is presented by Base Entertainment Asia.
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