Ever since Hamilton busted down the doors of Broadway expectations in 2015, musicals have sounded a little bit different. There’s been a willingness to be more experimental with historical dramas, finding ways to make them more accessible to general audiences. Whereas Lin-Manuel Miranda used hip-hop to convey the timelessness of American democracy, few shows have found ways to apply similar styles to quite as effective of a story. That is, until the Tony-winning musical Six came along and brought with it the “historemix,” where you’re destined to hear a rave version of “Green Sleeves” before the fervor of the opening number has died down. It’s a show whose infectiousness is clear with every one of its songs being destined for earworm status. With the show finally on tour, the recent stop at Segerstrom Theater proved why it’s been one of the biggest revisions of history this past decade. What it may lack in a compelling story it more than makes up for with phenomenal energy.
By this point, most scholars of British history know the rhyme that lines the opening number by heart. The six wives of Henry VIII each had different endings at the behest of a man in desperate want of an heir. It’s a story that could be framed as either a sympathetic tragedy or a villain origin story depending on who’s asked. For the creative team behind Six, the idea is something a bit more… fun. For a story where over half the characters are presumed dead, it’s got so much heart and soul that the joyous nature is bound to overshadow the pain that lies at the center of every song. It’s a story about feeling cheated by a man so powerful that to know him is to become a target. The choices to frame the story as such may seem confusing at first, but given that this is a distinctly English story, the idea of making it a Europop smash is the only way this could go down.
Even if it’s from overseas, the theme of having lives ruined by men is something very relevant to a Post-Me Too Movement where women are speaking up and putting harassment to justice. Sure, this isn’t revisionist in the sense that Henry VIII is hunted down and given due diligence, but it’s still a quest to make history an engrossing experience. The novel approach to appeal to its audience via a concert set-up is also novel, managing to separate itself from the competition while also producing a fantastically minimalist show. Outside of the band and a dazzling array of backing lights and props, this show is all about the women. There’s no seventh actor nor is there time to waste. Once the lights go up, it’s showtime.
The concert set-up is easily the show’s greatest feature. As the Six actors take to the front of the stage, the spotlights highlight them as they recall that famous phrase: divorce, beheaded died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Audiences have been waiting years for this moment, and it’s clear that the actors are wanting to feed off that energy. Any loud cheers and clapping are encouraged. The more deafening the better. With shiny costumes, it’s easy to see these historical stand-ins as representing pop divas of the past 40 years, each with their own notorious struggles. Much like how Britney Spears’ story could be seen as victimhood, the quest for Six is to use the subconscious connection to pop culture to inform how we could view history. These people’s lives may seem sad but, as most of the repertoire would want audiences to believe, what if there was something greater than the old martyr tale?
Quite frankly, Six lives and dies off of its simplicity. For those wanting to see it more as a concert, this is likely to be one of the greatest shows of the year. Every number has so much personality and humor behind it that its popularity begins to make sense. They have the girl power thing down to a T. Their outfits are destined for great Halloween costumes and the dance numbers may never reach the heights of more conventional Broadway, but they still have that pop sensibility to at least reflect the thrills of perfectly timed twirls and kicks. These actors know their game very well and it’s easy to get lost in the sugary texture that’s put into the show… if you only go for the song numbers that are clearly the most thought-out and best-constructed part of the show.
If there’s a conflict with Six, even its acceptably short run time, it’s that the rest of the show is lacking the momentum to make a good show into something iconic. Yes, the concept is undeniably smart. The idea of women taking back the narrative is important and this could’ve been one of the least preachy takes. However, it does feel like the show sacrifices greater thought for entertainment and in the process created a story that feels completely half-hearted. Even by the ending, the actors admit that the structure was intentionally a mess, parodying the familiar trope of media pitting women against each other for the audience to gawk at. It’s good enough if contemporary jokes that reference online language and memes are your thing. However, it immediately dates the show and seeks to turn the nuance of these figures into petty jokes. Unless one comes with a documented understanding of who’s who, there’s a good chance that the indistinguishable nature of the writing will leave you confused as to who is who and what makes any of them worth rooting for.
Unfortunately, the success of one feature is impacted by the kinks of the other. The interludes may present a lot of useful information, but the pacing and transitions tear down the belief that this is a well orchestrated concert experience. This feels like a work in progress one would see at a college, trying to find ways to make the little things finally click. It’s a shame because the songs are great, but without any sense of momentum in the dialogue scenes, there’s no way to see them using their limited resources as effectively. A soul-crushing ballad has the chance to be the showstopper it’s clearly meant to be, but because of how stagnant the preceding scene is, there’s no time to slow down and take in the singularity. Similarly, there’s no rhyme or reason to how the songs are ordered or how they create a greater story. It’s a collage with interesting ideas that show the limitations of a concert style. It works in theory, but Six is missing something that keeps its final encore from having its meaning match the infectious, confetti-shooting declaration it so wants to have.
For those who have kept the album in rotation, there’s a good chance that this will be an amazing night out. It’s definitely a form of theater that feels different and fresh. There’s a liveliness and connection to its audience that has the potential to make its empowerment themes resonate more. It banishes the fourth wall for something a lot more silly and perplexing. Still, for those who may be more story-bound, this is an ephemeral show that never quite matches its true potential. Is it great? Kind of. For the parts where it gets to be solely a concert with manic lightwork and ecstatic harmonies, this can bring about tears of joy. For the rest, it may leave a certain impatience, wondering why they’re not as interesting with each other as they are by themselves. Six, as a phenomenon, makes sense. It’s fun and unstoppably catchy. The issue is discovering that what’s not on the album maybe doesn’t work as well.
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