Given its fringe origins, Six is an ideal fit for Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre, flooding the relatively intimate space with throbbing music and rock stadium lighting. The heady combination of mega-talented cast, glittering production and fabulous material conjures an irresistibly electric atmosphere, grabbing the audience by the lapels and not letting go for the breathlessly brisk 75-minute running time.
On Broadway: Hotfooting from Six to Marlow & Moss in cabaret at 54 Below
I finally caught SIX’s Broadway incarnation. And I made a night of it: since the show runs for just 70 minutes, I was able to hotfoot it after to see Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, its co-authors and creators, in a cabaret at 54 Below.
‘You don’t have to be a Tudor expert to enjoy this’: SIX THE MUSICAL – West End ★★★★★
You know the story of how two Cambridge students, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (who also directs) created this Tudor “herstory”, took it to Edinburgh, and recently opened it after COVID delays on Broadway.
‘Fresh, fun & an absolute joy to watch’: SIX THE MUSICAL – West End ★★★★★
This poptastic show about the wives of King Henry VIII has moved to its new London home, the Vaudeville Theatre, where it’s set to continue entertaining audiences for the foreseeable future.
‘If you haven’t yet seen it, believe the hype’: SIX THE MUSICAL – West End
I like Six because it is short, the costumes look amazing, it focuses on female talent from the six leading queens to the backing band and it has a range of songs and talent rarely seen in many musicals.
NEWS: Meet the first-ever completely new cast of Queens in West End SIX
A brand-new cast has been announced for blockbuster SIX The Musical now running at the West End’s Vaudeville Theatre. The fresh faces for the six wives of Henry VII take over in Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ pop hit from Tuesday 16 November 2021.
A double whammy of encore performances proves to be a pleasure
Regular readers will know that I like nothing more than seeing shows I’ve already seen and loved again… and again. As a critic, you see shows under specific circumstances — as invited by the production.
As restrictions lift, Mark Shenton offers a comprehensive update on opening nights in London & across the UK
This weekly column keeps track of the shows that are coming back, or are newly being announced, as theatres start reopening from tonight (17 May) in London and at other theatres in the UK.
NEWS: English theatres will reopen their doors from 17 May 2021
English theatres will finally be able to reopen their doors from next week after the Government today confirmed the next stage of its post lockdown roadmap will begin on 17 May 2021.
Mark Shenton’s weekly chart of forthcoming theatrical comings & goings has some new entries
This weekly column keeps track of the shows that are coming back, or are newly being announced, as theatres prepare to re-open from next month onwards. It will be updated weekly until such time as it becomes a reality, and from then on will provide a weekly update to that week’s openings and future ones.
Returning & new productions heading for the West End & beyond post-lockdown: Are you up to date?
Meanwhile, I want to start keeping track of the shows that are coming back, or are newly being announced, in a new feature here that will be updated weekly until such time as it becomes a reality, and from then on will provide a weekly update to that week’s openings and future ones.
Giving our regards to Broadway 12 months after shutdown
Tonight is the first anniversary of the last performances that were given on a Broadway stage; a year ago tomorrow, Six was due to open on Broadway, but that afternoon the governor of New York State, the currently beleaguered Andrew Cuomo, announced that public gatherings of more than 500 people would be immediately suspended.
NEWS: Date set in May for the return of the West End production of hit musical Six
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’ West End musical phenomenon Six will reopen at London’s Lyric Theatre on 21 May 2021, booking until 22 August. With social distancing at indoor venues expected to remain in place until 21 June at the earliest, the theatre will initially operate at the same 50% capacity as December 2020 before the current national lockdown.
‘A must-watch to get your musical theatre fix’: WEST END MUSICAL DRIVE-IN – Stream.Theatre (Online review) ★★★★
The second in the West End Musical Drive-In series has launched online and is a must-watch for any fans of the hit musical Six! The show sees 11 past and present Six cast members reunite for an entertaining outdoor concert.
As commercial producers yearn for a return to normal, will subsidised theatre play it safe or break the mould?
Some commercial producers, it appears, wanted the old order to be restored and business to proceed as normal, hence the rush to re-open as quickly as it was legally possible to do so back in November after we emerged from the second lockdown.
‘I wouldn’t count on us being safe until the summer at the earliest’: Mark Shenton shares his thoughts with a new daily blog for 2021
One of my new year resolutions — and one I intend to keep — is to revitalise this personal website ShentonStage as my primary editorial home this year.
NEWS: Coronavirus rules mean return to theatre lockdowns across UK
Scores of productions devised to comply with social distancing have become casualties of the national lockdown that will run for one month from 5 November to 2 December 2020 in response to the continuing Coronavirus crisis.
NEWS: See It Safely toolkit is launched to support theatres & bolster audience confidence
The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre have launched a new scheme called See It Safely, to support venues as they navigate the challenges of reopening, and to give audiences the confidence that venues are consistent in their approach and implementation of the latest guidelines.
‘At the darkest moments I have to believe there is a future for our industry’: Why the arts are viable
At the darkest moments I have to believe there is a future for our industry. I have to believe we will defy our government and prove to be viable. I absolutely believe the way that this will happen is through the invention and enterprising energy of creative producers making stuff happen.
NEWS: Six producers announce that it will be the first West End musical to reopen since lockdown
Smash hit musical Six by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss will become the first West End musical to resume performances in a West End theatre when the show temporarily moves from its home at the Arts Theatre to the Lyric on Shaftesbury Avenue for a limited 11-week run, running from 14 November 2020 to 31 January 2021.