Review: SIX: THE MUSICAL at Ohio Theatre

That is kind of the setting for SIX: THE MUSICAL, which will spend Jan. 24-29 at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State Street in downtown Columbus). SIX, the story of the half dozen wives of Henry the VIII, grabs its audiences with the fervor of a pop concert and leaves them energized like no history class could.

The pop transformation of Henry VIII's romantic hexagon was created by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow. The two are as acclimated to pop music as they are to Henry VIII's wives. Each one of the characters are rooted in a pop icon.

For example, Catherine of Aragon (portrayed by Khaila Wilcoxon) sings in the style of Beyonce and Shakira. Anne Boleyn (who was performed by Cassie Silva on Jan. 24 while Storm Lever primarily plays the role) is molded in the sassiness after Avril Lavigne and Lily Allen. Jane Seymour (Jasmine Forsberg) embraces the soulfulness of Adele and Sia. Anne of Cleves (Olivia Donalson) takes on the style of Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. It's perhaps with a bit of irony that Katherine Howard (Didi Romero), the most religious of the wives, is modeled after tabloid sensations Ariana Grande and Britney Spears while Catherine Parr (Gabriela Carrillo) is composed of equal parts Alicia Keys and Emell Sande. Interestingly enough, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry are left out of the program.

In the opening number, "Ex-Wives," each reveals how they became an ex (divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived). Each time they come to that recounting, the singers seem to become more and more annoyed with the manner of their dispatch.

The sextet then guides its audience through the complicated "herstory" of Henry VIII's exes. Each one competes to tell how her life is more difficult than the others.

In their attempts to win the audience to sympathize with their plight, each displays a certain amount of cattiness towards the others in their shoes. Boleyn is given some of the show's best one-liners. As Forsberg begins her introduction to "Heart of Stone," she asks her ex-mates to think of the good times they shared with Henry. Boleyn snaps her fingers and recalls, "Yeah, actually, come to think of it, there was this one really cute time where I had a daughter, and he chopped my head off."

Only one of the wives, Anna of Cleves, seems to realize she is better off after being divorced and having to live in a castle with a vast fortune at her feet. In the song, "Get Down," Anna concedes she won't win the sympathy vote: Hey, best friend, here's the thing. Now, I ain't saying I'm a gold digger/But check my prenup, ahh!'/And go figure.

Although the show is only one act that comes in at just over 90 minutes and features just nine songs, each one of the tunes packs a punch. Many times one can walk away from a show and not be able to hum a single tune the next day. Good shows may have one or two memorable songs.