Review: SIX at Broadway San Diego

If you’re looking for a theatrical way to ring in the New Year, one that joyfully tosses outdated power structures straight into the recycling bin,” SIX” is more than happy to oblige. The global musical phenomenon returns to San Diego just in time for that annual cultural reset, playing the San Diego Civic Theatre December 30 through January 4 with Broadway San Diego. It’s hard to imagine a more fitting show to usher out the old year and the old kings with a rhinestone-mic drop.

Created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss,  “SIX” re-imagines the six wives of Henry VIII as modern pop divas, transforming Tudor history into an 80-minute, no-intermission pop concert. The premise is deceptively simple: each queen competes to tell her story, and whoever suffered the most under Henry’s reign wins the crown. What unfolds instead is a high-octane celebration of female voice, agency, and reclaiming the narrative—set to songs inspired by Beyoncé, Adele, Rihanna, and Ariana Grande.

The touring cast brings the heat, with Emma Elizabeth Smith as Catherine of Aragon, Nella Cole as Anne Boleyn (though at my performance I saw Carlina Parker), Kelly Denice Taylor as Jane Seymour, Hailey Alexis Lewis as Anna of Cleves, Alizé Cruz as Katherine Howard, and Tasia Jungbauer as Catherine Parr, rotating alongside a deep bench of alternates. Casting may change, but the consistency of performance quality has become one of "SIX’s" calling cards. Backed by the onstage band, the “Ladies in Waiting”—music director and keyboardist Vaerie Maze, Yonit Spiegelman on bass, Rose Laguana on guitar, and Camila Mennitte Pereyra on drums—the queens command the Civic Theatre like it’s a sold-out arena.

Each queen gets her moment to shine. Aragon kicks things off with fierce defiance in “No Way,” refusing to be written off quietly. Boleyn is a flirtatious chaos agent with razor-sharp humor. Seymour delivers the emotional gut punch with a soaring power ballad, while Cleves steals laughs with self-aware confidence and a clever modern dating parallel. Howard’s bubblegum pop exterior cracks to reveal something far darker, and Parr closes the show with introspection and resolve, re-framing survival as its own kind of victory.

Visually, Gabriella Slade’s costumes are a triumph: Tudor silhouettes re-imagined through bold colors,  metallics, and pop-star amounts of glitter and sequins. Paired with Tim Deiling’s dynamic lighting—often choreographed as precisely as the movement—and Carrie-Anne Ingrouille’s relentless, high-impact choreography, the production never lets the energy dip.

The audience reflected the show’s wide appeal. I saw girls of all ages dressed up alongside sisters, mothers, and friends, singing along with abandon. I even met a mother-daughter duo who traveled from Alaska to see the show, and they adored it. While there are a few PG-13 references, this crowd was more than ready to cheer, dance, and scream their approval.

There is, admittedly, a lingering story issue at the resolution of “SIX”. The final wink tries to convince that this was the plan all along, and if so, then why not introduce it earlier? But I digress… while I’ve never fully embraced that ending, the sheer joy and momentum of the piece make it easy to forgive. Besides, Tudor history is a favorite of mine, and anything that allows me to discuss theatre and history at the same time is good by me.

Ultimately, “SIX” feels like a New Year’s resolution set to a killer beat: ditch the old hierarchies, turn up the volume, and let the queens run the show. All hail, indeed.

How To Get Tickets

“SIX” is playing through January 4th at Broadway San Diego. For ticket and showtime information, go to www.broadwaysd.com 

San Diego Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE WULFEATER (Tenth Avenue Arts Center)

14.6% of votes

2. SHREK (Carlsbad Community theater)

9.9% of votes

3. FOOTLOOSE (A-List Theatre)

7.5% of votes

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