Broken Legs Blog

“This musical continues to entertain and educate audiences of all ages”

Prepare for history to be rewritten as the six wives of the Queendom descend on Nottingham as part of the UK tour of global sensation “SIX the Musical”. A tongue-in-cheek retelling of the six wives of Henry VIII, this musical continues to entertain and educate audiences of all ages, as the wives battle it out to be crowned the “best”, each taking turns to perform songs that explore their backstory and the hardships they were forced to endure. Overall, there is a moving message about the power of female friendship and how they refuse to be defined simply by the man that they married, providing an uplifting end to a show that will have you laughing throughout thanks to its sarcastic quips and catty put-downs. Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s music and lyrics shine as brightly as ever, and here are brought to life by a new cast that excel vocally whilst still managing to find new and interesting sides to their characters.

The show begins in dramatic fashion – we glimpse the silhouettes of each of our queens briefly, before each one is revealed in turn, along with the classic rendition of “Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived.” This is a show that exudes confidence, building expectations that it knows it will exceed during the course of the performance. Everything feels polished yet still seems fresh and exciting – despite this tour lasting for a long time (this cast began in September 2025 and will stay with the show until next January), there is no sense of routine or boredom here. Tim Deiling’s lighting design adds to the glamour, the back wall reminiscent of stained glass windows, jumping in time with the audio levels during songs, and changing colours to reflect the costumes worn by the wives. The music is provided by an all-female band referred to as ‘The Ladies in Waiting’, who are always in full view of the audience and often interact with the actors on stage via little smiles and nods. It is all incredibly collaborative, leaning into the strong themes of female empowerment and solidarity.

American musical star LaSasha Aldredge takes on the role of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife that Henry tried to ship off to a nunnery when she failed to provide a male heir. Aldredge is feisty, quick to throw out sharp-tongued comments to the other wives, yet all done in an incredibly witty fashion. When Aldredge chooses to opt up at the end of her song “No Way”, taking the higher harmony during the final chorus, the other wives shoot her a look of surprise mixed with admiration – it is moments like this that solidifies their friendship and makes them an easy group to care about.

Aldredge is immediately followed by Yna Montarde’s Anne Boleyn, who gets perhaps one of the most dramatic introductions that is immediately undercut by Montarde’s devil-may-care attitude and wonderfully funny delivery. You may not think you need to hear Boleyn’s “Don’t Lose Ur Head” in a Northern accent, but believe me, you are wrong. Montarde brings a whole new spin to the headless Queen, leaning into her accent during lines such as “he don’t wanna bang yeh, somebody hang yeh” which draw laughs from an audience who, by now, are mostly familiar with the original cast recording. She also takes great licence with Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s choreography to find more laughs – and you can be guaranteed that you will not be able to keep your eyes from Montarde’s hip thrusts during “Haus of Holbein”.

As Jane Seymour (the only one Henry truly loved), Emily Dawson brings a more emotional aspect to proceedings. Often Seymour’s song “Heart of Stone” is performed with a brave face and stiff upper lip (one of the lines talks about Seymour being unbreakable), yet Dawson finds moments to let this façade slide, allowing her voice to crack at certain points and even speaking some of the lyrics towards the end instead of keeping in time with the melody. It is beautifully done and adds hidden depths to the song, reminding us all that it’s ok to be sad and feel emotional, yet still maintain strength and independence. It is a message that is mirrored in Layla Chivandire’s “I don’t need your love”, in which Catherine Parr laments her lost relationship with Sir Thomas Seymour. Being in love with a man and being an empowered woman can co-exist, and it is an important message that theatre productions with a strong feminist edge can sometimes miss.

The show continues to excel in linking the historical accuracies of the Tudor period with modern day dating, as Anna of Cleves’ story mimics the realities of online apps, with Henry swiping through multiple women until finding his new German Queen, who he immediately dismisses when he discovers she looks nothing like her “profile pic”. As Cleves, Jodie Knight brings a lot of fun to the role with some excellent dance skills, yet sometimes affects her voice a little too much and we can miss some of the lyrics. One of the standout moments of the musical is the song “All You Wanna Do”, and, as Katherine Howard, Sammy Timbers does not disappoint. Where previous actors have leant into the exasperation at the repetitive romantic conquests, Timbers is more repulsed by the actions of her potential lovers, delivering the song in disgust as the other wives take on the roles of the men who try to seduce her, lots of hands and unwanted physical contact. It will make your skin crawl, and the denouement of the track leaves the audience in a stunned silence.

Overall, “SIX” continues to impress, and that is mostly down to Marlow and Moss’s excellent book and lyrics, which remain unchanged here from the original West End run. Almost 10 years after its premiere, the musical feels timeless, and the sheer range of audience members (from children to grandparents) prove that it has universal appeal. This is a show that could, and most likely will, continue to run and run. The characters are funny, the story is moving and the songs are so good that you will be singing them all the way home.

Tom Morley, April 2026

Review Round-up:

The English Everygirl: Six – A 5* review from when the show performed in Hull, with The English Everygirl saying “I’m not sure I’ll ever fall out of love with this production. Everything about it is always top-notch”

All About Theatre UK: Six – Another 5* review, this time from Manchester, with All About Theatre calling this show “fast, fearless and packed with attitude”

Black Country Radio: Six – And finally, Black Country Radio reviewed the show in Wolverhampton, saying this show “is a behemoth of a production which doesn’t rely on anything other than pure, driven talent to succeed”