Next up is a show I saw in February of 2020, but before I officially start the review I’d like to give a shout out to all you Queens, you powerful women, out there who are tired of men stealing the spotlight. Who run the world? Girls! It’s time for us to reshape history and tell herstory! Six tells the story of Henry VIII’s six wives on their quest to “take back the microphone” to reshape and retell “his” story entirely from their perspective. 

Overall comment on sound and light sensitivities: Throughout the show, there are certain loud moments, in the breaks between songs, during which one of the Queen’s pieces of dialogue is followed by a sudden loud beat, but until Broadway reopens and I can see Six again, I can’t pinpoint any of the exact moments. I can, however, identify loud moments in the songs with the aid of the soundtrack. As for lighting effects, I’ll do my best based on what I can remember. Though in general, considering that Six is essentially a musical theater turned concert, naturally, there are many moments, both in the songs themselves and the scenes in between, with sudden flashing lights. 

In “Ex-Wives,” there is a whooshing sound followed by a loud beat at the start of the song. Following each Queen’s statement of “divorced,” “beheaded,” or “died,” there is a loud pulsing beat. After that, all the Queens lead up to the first moment where they actually sing, “And tonight we are…” Then, as they shout, “Live!” they are accompanied by loud music and flashing lights. 

The next two songs, “No Way,” and “Don’t Lose Ur Head,” are punctuated by loud music as is the sixth, “All You Wanna Do,” along with flashing lights, but nothing extraordinarily jarring. During the “Haus of Holbein,” the fifth song, there is mist, flashing lights, and some loud beats. “Heart of Stone,” and “I Don’t Need Your Love,” are generally quieter, heartfelt songs. “Six,” the final song before the encore is similar to the first three songs I discussed, except for a final confetti cannon to finish it off. The confetti cannon fits in well with the music, so while it may be loud, it does blend in somewhat and fits well with the last beat. There are no loud noises in the encore. 

Six is a unique and special show. After attending an all-girls middle school, I knew how important it is in this day and age to empower young girls and women to speak up in a society dominated by the patriarchy. I was aware that it would be intense in parts, but the importance of the message, listening to it several times, and seeing Beetlejuice twice before helped me overcome the challenging parts.