‘Six’ @ Bass Performance Hall (Performing Arts Fort Worth)
Photos by Joan Marcus
—Carol M. Rice
The six wives of King Henry VIII have a point: if he hadn’t married all of them, would we be talking about him today? The answer is probably not. It just goes to show that behind every good man are a half-dozen even better women. Or something like that.
SIX, the Musical, playing at Bass Performance Hall this week, has become a cultural phenomenon since landing at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017. For those not in the know, it’s a modern retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII—presented in the form of a singing competition/pop concert—with music, book, and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. It landed in the West End less than two years after the Fringe festival, and was one of the many Broadway shows affected by the COVID-19 shutdown—opening in New York City in October 2021.
It’s easy to see why SIX is so popular. The music is modern and modeled after the styles of our idols (including Adele, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, and Beyoncé to name a few). The choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille is spicy and fun, and it’s inspirational to see only women onstage, including the band! Referred to as “The Ladies in Waiting,” the four-piece music group consists of musical director Valerie Maze on keyboards, Yonít Spiegelman on bass, Rose Laguana on guitars, and Camila Mennitte Pereyra on drums. They aren’t just providing music—they are a huge part of the show, and it’s great to see them introduced and included multiple times.
The six Queens are all quite unique physically and vocally, yet they work together as a tight ensemble. Each has a different story to tell, and these stories are as different musically as they are content-wise.
Catherine of Aragon, played by Emma Elizabeth Smith, was wife #1. Her “problem,” according to the king, was that she couldn’t produce a male heir. This was obviously a huge deal to Henry, and Smith beautifully portrays the bitterness of losing her spouse for reasons beyond her control. In case you are unaware, King Henry broke with the Roman Catholic church and formed the Church of England for the sole reason that he wanted to cast aside his first wife and remarry. Catherine fought him bitterly but lost, though at least she kept her head.
Wife #2 was Anne Boleyn, played by alternate Reese Cameron, though if you didn’t read it in the program, you wouldn’t have known. Cameron is perky and energetic with powerhouse pipes. Their song “Don’t Lose Your Head” was definitely an audience favorite. (And yes, Boleyn DID lose her head...literally.)
As Jane Seymour, Kelly Denice Taylor brings things down a notch from the other Queens as wife #3. Her aura of sweetness masks the incredible pain she went through to birth the King his heir, dying in the process. “Heart of Stone” is a soaring ballad that Taylor gives her all to.
Anna of Cleves’s story has always perplexed me, as she was chosen based on her beauty as captured in a portrait—yet when Henry met her, he was repulsed and sent her away. Hailey Alexis Lewis concentrates not on this side of the story, but on the fact that Anna basically got to stay in England and live alone in her own castle—without having to be ruled by anyone. It’s a very fun take: she masks her true feelings about the rejection well, and Lewis has a blast with her song “Get Down,” reveling in her new life as “queen of the castle.”
Katherine Howard’s story—she was wife #5—is the saddest one to me, and Alizé Cruz has perfected all the emotional and musical levels needed for this character. Katherine is used to being loved and admired, and she enjoys affection even as it’s going bad—and she realizes she’s nothing but a plaything to be used. This is about the time Katherine marries Henry, but by then, she knows what her role is. Cruz is cute and vulnerable and isn’t afraid to let her fragility shine through the bravado. Her rendition of “All You Wanna Do” is scary-good, especially paired with the stone-faced backup dancing of the rest of the cast, which is the highlight of Ingrouille’s choreography.
Tasia Jungbauer plays the final Queen, Catherine Parr. While she survives Henry, she has to do it without love. Within the show it’s Parr who convinces the others that suffering is not a competition. Jungbauer has excellent stage presence and convincing as she become the big sister of the group, bringing them all together.
The costumes for each of the Queens, designed by Gabriella Slade, fit their personalities beautifully. From the rigid, armored feel of Catherine of Aragon’s top … to the sexy yet matronly (bustier top, longer skirt) look of Jane Seymour … to the obvious nod to Arianna Grande’s high ponytail and bare midriff for Katherine Howard, each Queen has her own personal style. My personal favorite is the green outfit worn by Anne Boleyn, just because it looks like a cartoon and goes with the over-the-top style of the character so well.
Directors Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage obviously know their subject matter (Moss was also one of the co-developers), and they allow their Queens to truly shine. The national tour of SIX, the Musical is part of Performing Arts Fort Worth’s “Broadway at the Bass” series—and it’s well worth a ticket!
WHEN: February 10-15, 2026
WHERE: Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce Street , Fort Worth
WEB: basshall.com
