

six the musical
★★★★★
REVIEWER: lyall carter
playing as part of the auckland arts festival until March 23
for tickets head to www.aaf.co.nz/whats-on/six-the-musical
Six the Musical tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII like you've never heard before. At the start of the musical, the six women argue with one another as they try to make out they had it worse. But as they listen to their stories, they open their hearts to each other and realise it’s better to stick together.
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Six the Musical is like nothing you’ve seen before. Think the modern sensibilities of Hamilton in its fast paced, history redefining moments with the grandeur of musical numbers and eye popping costuming of a more traditional musical like The Phantom of the Opera, and you’ve grabbed the vibe of Six.
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At 120 minutes with no interval, Six stacks in the numbers and the action from the get go. The premise is simple, each of Henry’s wives gets their own ballad with all six of them joining in one voice for a standing ovation worthy final number.
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And it’s in the ballads that the artistry, comedy and characterization flows, making it more like a pop concert than your traditional musical show. This isn’t your boring history lesson - Divorced, Beheaded, Died/Divorced, Beheaded, Survived - this is history redefined and reimagined with these queens taking back their stories and their voice.
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One of the most phenomenal musicals in recent memory, Six is a thunderous achievement that will have you humming the songs for days afterwards. An utter triumph.