• Six, 6/15/19 (Sat), West End

A lighthearted umusical recounting of six 16th-century women known to us as the wives of Henry VIII, gathered here tonight to reclaim their identities from history. The popular show (it’s sold out for weeks in advance; I managed to nab a cancellation) is presented as a concert on a single flashy set where each woman, dressed in decidedly non-period wear, appeals to the audience in song to choose which died the most miserably – as one song pithily sums up, “Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” Those only vaguely familiar with the details of each woman needn’t worry: no knowledge of history is required. They tell us all we need to know in catchy pop songs and clever (and surprisingly well rhymed) lyrics, written by Cambridge undergrads Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss in between studying for their finals. Each of the women is given unique personality points and tied in style to a pop star like Beyoncé or Britney Spears, while also acting as back dancer for each of the others in a virtual royal girl band. I imagine it would have been at least as helpful to know the pop stars being parodied than the back stories of the wives, though that didn’t seem a problem with this crowd.

Female power gets a call-out, but it’s all done in good fun, and though the competition aspect of shoving each other aside does get a bit old, the whole setup is so goofy and the melodies so likable – the most tuneful I’ve heard in a new musical in years – that it’s best just to sit back and enjoy it. It’s silly in a good sense. The unusually young audience whooped and cheered throughout for their personal favorites, voting in the end on… actually, I don’t remember, but it really could have been anyone in this talented group – for the record, Jarneia Richard-Noel (Catherine of Aragon), Millie O’Connell (Anne Boleyn), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Alexia McIntosh (Anna of Cleves), Aimie Atkinson (Katherine Howard) and Maiya Quansah-Breed (Catherine Parr). The 75-minute running time is just right for this material, where less is definitely more. Sassy and highly enjoyable.