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Six (stylised in all caps) is a British musical comedy with music, book, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. It is a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII, presented in the form of a pop concert. In the show, each of the wives (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr) take turns telling their story to determine who suffered the most from their common husband. The musical was premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, where it was performed by students from Cambridge University. Six premiered in the West End at the Arts Theatre in January 2019, and has since embarked on a UK tour. It premiered in North America in May 2019 and on Broadway in February 2020; following a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it officially opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 3 October 2021 and has since launched additional touring companies. Plot The six Queens introduce themselves performing at a pop concert, telling the audience the band's lead singer will be the prize for whoever they determine had the worst experience at the hands of their common husband, Henry VIII ("Ex-Wives"). Catherine of Aragon tells how Henry wished to annul their marriage and place her in a nunnery when he began chasing after Anne Boleyn despite being loyal to him during their marriage ("No Way"). In turn, Anne talks about how Henry wanted her instead of Catherine, then complains of the infidelity Henry partook in, which led to Anne flirting with other men to make him jealous and ending up beheaded, all while covering her trauma and feelings with jokes and silly faces ("Don't Lose Ur Head"). Jane Seymour steps up to take her turn, but is ridiculed for having had an easy time with Henry. However, while admitting she may have been the only wife Henry truly loved, Jane claims that his love was conditional on her having produced a male heir, and that she stood by him despite his many faults ("Heart of Stone"). Themes relating to ideas of female beauty are explored in Hans Holbein's portrait studio. The Queens parody a dating app by presenting a choice of potential brides ("Haus of Holbein"). He chooses Anna of Cleves, but soon rejects her and annuls the marriage, suggesting she failed to resemble her “profile picture”. She makes a show of complaining about living in a beautiful palace in Richmond with an enormous fortune and no man to tell her what to do, but in reality, ends up bragging about it ("Get Down"). The Queens question this, and Anna admits her lavish lifestyle lacked actual tragedy and drops out of the competition. The Queens then belittle Katherine Howard for being "the least relevant Catherine", but in retaliation she enumerates flaws in the others' claims to winning. She then recounts her romantic history, having had many suitors even as a child, and at first relishes her attractiveness; however, she soon reveals the emotional trauma and abuse she faced in each of these relationships as it is symbolized in the choreography with all the queens holding a hand on her ("All You Wanna Do"). As the Queens continue to fight over who the true winner is, Catherine Parr questions the point of the competition, which defines them by their connection to Henry rather than as individuals. The Queens nonetheless continue to argue. Frustrated, Parr recalls her separation from her lover, Sir Thomas Seymour, and arranged marriage with Henry, but instead of lamenting, she acknowledges her accomplishments independent of Henry ("I Don't Need Your Love"). The other Queens, realising they have been robbed of their individuality, abandon the contest and declare that they don't need Henry's love to feel validated as people. They use their remaining moments onstage to rewrite their stories, singing together as a group rather than as solo artists, and writing their own 'happily ever afters', had Henry never been involved ("Six"). They then perform a mashup of songs that appeared earlier in the show (excluding "Haus of Holbein") in which the audience have their permission to film ("Megasix"). Development In late 2016, Toby Marlow was selected by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society to create and write a new musical that would be presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017. Marlow, who was in his final year at Cambridge University, created a concept for a musical that would involve re-telling the story of King Henry VIII's ex-wives. He partnered with another student, Lucy Moss, who began working on a concept for the musical together. As they began working on the musical, Marlow researched the ex-wives stories by reading Antonia Fraser's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, while Moss viewed a documentary series, Six Wives by Lucy Worsley. They also watched and drew inspiration from the 2011 Beyoncé concert and story-telling performance, Live at Roseland: Elements of 4. The foundation for the musical was written over the course of approximately 10 nonconsecutive days.In developing the characters, Marlow and Moss were inspired by several real-life pop stars who were used as a composite and musical inspiration for the characters. The six ex-wives and their corresponding pop star inspirations are: Catherine of Aragon: is modelled after a mixture of Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, and Jennifer Hudson Anne Boleyn: includes elements of Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, and Lily Allen Jane Seymour: is reminiscent of Adele, Sia, and Celine Dion. Anna of Cleves: includes elements of Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. Katherine Howard: is a blend of young, sexualized pop stars and includes elements of Britney Spears and Ariana Grande. Catherine Parr: inspired by Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé.Production history Edinburgh Fringe (2017) The world premiere production of Six took place at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as a presentation by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society. The musical ran from 31 July 2017 until 14 October 2017. The cast consisted primarily of students from Cambridge University. The production's run was sold-out, and led to the musical being invited to return to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018. Although the show did not win any major awards at the Fringe, it received positive reviews and buzz, and expressions of commercial interest. Pre-West End tour (2018) Following the success of the Edinburgh Fringe production, Marlow and Moss brought Six back to Cambridge, where it attracted the attention of producer Kenny Wax, who went on to partner with George Stiles, along with Wendy and Andy Barnes, to produce the show. Six had its first professional production at the Arts Theatre in London's West End, for six Monday night performances beginning on 18 December 2017. The cast included Renée Lamb as Catherine of Aragon, Christina Modestou as Anne Boleyn, Natalie Paris as Jane Seymour, Genesis Lynea as Anna of Cleves, Aimie Atkinson as Katherine Howard, and Izuka Hoyle as Catherine Parr.Following this, Six embarked on a brief tour acro.... Discover the Catherine Ryan Howard popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Catherine Ryan Howard books.

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