Review: SIX, Theatre Royal, Glasgow

SIX tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII- but from their perspective. Tired of being known as just one of six, this is their chance to have their voices heard and battle to be recognised as the one who had it worst. The comparisons get a little catty as the queens compete for the crown.

While it can seem a little counter productive for these strong and feisty women to be comparing themselves to each other- SIX is more clever than that. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the show plays with your expectations and delivers empowerment by the bucketload.

Each queen has the chance to shine and while every song is a total pop banger, I have a soft spot for "Heart of Stone" which is a ballad beautifully sung by Lauren Byrne as Jane Seymour.

With a live band on stage, it takes a few minutes for the brain to adjust to something that is pretty much a full blown arena level pop concert inside a 150 year old theatre. The finale allows everybody to get up, dance and film it on their phones if they wish which makes it feel even more like a gig.

While the concert staging makes an impact, there's a sense that what makes SIX so brilliant is that it is just an incredibly well written musical with a dynamite cast and no need for complex set pieces. There's no denying that SIX is a sensation and it was an absolute delight to see a theatre (and stage door afterwards) so packed out on a Tuesday night.

SIX is at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow until 10 November and at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh from 4-9 February.

Photo credit: Idil Sukan (West End cast)

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