Film Review: Six the Musical Live!

‘Remember us from your GCSEs?’ quips Catherine of Aragon (Jarneia Richard-Noel) at the top of the show. This is the untold story of Henry VIII’s six wives, from their point of view, with not one man in sight. It is not the material from your scrappy 20 year old history textbook but instead a riotous 90 minutes of feminist joy as each Queen tells their story. Opening in 2017 at the Edinburgh Fringe, Six has taken the musical theatre world by storm and has been playing to packed houses all over the globe ever since. So why, when the stage show is doing so well in its live form, has a filmed version been produced? As Millie O’Connell (Anne Boyelyn)  puts it ‘this is for the fans’. 

The film starts with interviews from the original Six Queens. Each Queen gives their insight into what it was like to originate their role at the Edinburgh Fringe and how the show transitioned to the Arts Theatre and then the Vaudeville. It is a shame that there is no mention of Grace Mouat in this section as the original swing as she was no doubt a huge part of the show’s early success. She does, however, get a mention in the credits. It would have also been nice to hear from the writers Marlow and Moss. They do appear in a few scenes in the opening documentary but not much is revealed about their thoughts regarding the meteoric rise of their first musical. 

The cinematography is excellent. Particularly effective is a shot in which the cameras appear to fail and the footage picks up from what looks like a mobile phone in the audience. A clever idea from the director Liz Clare, perhaps she was aiming to highlight that a professional filmed version of a live show is a better option than watching covert illegal shots filmed on a shaky iPhone. The use of audience mobile phones is also highlighted at the end of the film as the camera zooms into the screen of an audience member filming the final number (as encouraged by the cast!). There are some fancy shots and some effects added but these are minimal and don’t detract from the overall aim of the film – to be a genuine capture of the magic of the stage. 

The filmed version of the show also gives the audience the opportunity to see the fabulous costumes (designed by Gabriella Slade) up close. Who knew that each Queen wears a pair of earrings with their wife’s number on them? Due to my habit of buying the cheapest seat possible in the house, not me. This film helps to bring the costume and lighting design to the forefront of the audience’s minds. It is also a chance to capture in time the performances of the original Six Queens: Jarneia Richard-Noel as the loyal Catherine of Aragon, Millie O’Connell as the spoilt teenager Anne Boleyn, Natalie Paris as the tragic Jane Seymour, Alexia McIntosh as the wickedly funny Anna of Cleves, Aimie Atkinson as the hopeful yet fated Katherine Howard and Maiya Quansah-Breed as Catherine Parr, the survivor who unites all the queens in their power at the end of the show. 

Is Six worth seeing in film form if you are a fan of the stage show? Yes. Whilst I don’t believe the magic of live theatre can ever really be recreated on screen, a well produced film such as this is an excellent way to make theatre accessible for those who, for whatever reason, cannot watch the show live on stage. 

Written by: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss
Directed by: Liz Clare
Produced by: Andy Barnes, Wendy Barnes, Dione Orrom, George Stiles and Kenny Wax

SIx The Musical Live! is playing in cinemas now.