Ten out of ten for the glorious Six in Chichester

REVIEW: Six, Chichester Festival Theatre, until January 19
SixSix
Six

There’s just genius at every level in Six.

First, the decision to throw together the six wives of Henry VIII and let them bitch, squabble and bicker as to who drew the shortest straw.

Second, the decision to turn them into pop princesses and pitch their claims in the styles of variously Beyonce, Lily Allen, Adele, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys et al.

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Third, the decision to cast it with a company as gifted, sassy, talented, cheeky and as deliciously expressive as the cast we have got in Chichester this week.

The show is as unlikely as it is brilliant, as different as it is striking – so much so that you wander out desperate to see it again.

There is incredible wit in the lyrics. No sooner have you thought ‘I must remember that line’ than you are hit with the next which is even better. The invention is superb; the delivery fantastic.

And you know you need to see it a second time, to come back knowing the songs in advance and so savouring them more.

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Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Six is a joyous evening as the girls argue for their place in history before deciding they don’t need to: collectively they’ve defined Henry.

We are watching girl power in the making, and it’s a hoot getting there.

The different wives with their different musical styles are beautifully delineated. Thank goodness there are chances to see it again in Brighton and Southampton. It’s a cracker on first visit; but you know you’ll love it more on second and third.

The fact that it runs through without an interval adds to the impact, as does the fact that the all-girl band are there on stage.

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With wives like these you wonder whether poor old Henry ever really stood a chance? Probably not.

And great to see it in Chichester where you are close enough to enjoy the pouts, the sulks and the cattiness. The girls, each in their own way, are wonderful to watch. A delight from first to last. As one of them says, this six is a ten...

Six also plays:

BRIGHTON - THEATRE ROYAL

17 MAR 2020 – 21 MAR 2020

New Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1SD

SOUTHAMPTON - MAYFLOWER THEATRE

01 JUL 2020 – 05 JUL 2020

Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1GE