Hi, friends!
One of my biggest obsessions from last year was not covered in my posts about favorite books or favorite movies because it didn't fit in either of those categories. Instead, it's a musical.
I've previously talked about it in the form of gushing, but today I wanted to answer this question: why am I so in awe of this show? The whole reason I critique stories is to explore what makes a story speak to a person and how we can learn from past art to continue making amazing stories in the future. Therefore, this list is to observe how the technical and structural aspects of this musical help to make the powerful story shine all the brighter.
Along the way enjoy some fantastic fan art I found on Pinterest.
Because this is a historically based story, then there aren't spoilers if you know English history. In this post I will be going over the way the songs are set up, not talking about the story itself so even if you haven't seen the musical yourself, if you read this post you will be free to enjoy the musical for yourself with surprises still intact!
If you haven't seen the show, here's the basic idea:
Premise:
"The one who was dealt the worst hand will be leader of the band."
This short musical is in a pop concert setting where the six divas who were the wives of King Henry VIII have come to tell their tragic stories. The consolation prize? Whoever was most unjustly treated by Henry will get to lead the girl group. Ready, set, SING.
Songs: "Ex-Wives", "No Way", "Don't Lose Ur Head", "Heart of Stone", "Haus of Holbein", "Get Down", "All You Wanna Do", "I Don't Need Your Love", and "SIX"
#1: Branding
This show knows what it is and perfectly communicates it to its audience. You might've heard of a dance-off, but this is a sing-off. The opening slogan gives each character an identity that they will be backing up for the rest of the show.
"Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived."
Each of the queens get a different color for their outfits and their own style within the punk/rock + renaissance inspired costumes. Right when the movie Wicked came out I saw the Six promotional team playing with the idea of "pink and green going well together", which in this case, is Anne Bolyen and Katherine Howard, the two beheaded queens. Who knew it was going to work out so well.
Then, of course, is the musical influences themselves. Each character gets two pop stars who their songs and styles are based off of. This isn't a secret but fully part of the branding! And it WORKS. So well. This gives them the chance to play it up, too. For example, when Beyoncé's album "Cowboy Carter" came out I saw several pictures of Catherine of Aragon wearing a cowboy hat during the show, because Beyoncé and Shakira are her influences. It's an ode to those pop stars while also having the freedom to write a whole new remix, which is what this show is all about.
If anything is the epitome of my aesthetic it's this show.
#2: Rhyme schemes
This show is a whole masterclass in how to use rhymes. Sometimes rhymes can feel confining and the word choices can fall flat because it doesn't add to the story at all. Here, however, the rhymes pack punches and contribute to the story. Part of this is because it is a story with limitations for what happened historically, and can't go just anywhere. But the writers were not daunted by this, but embraced it.
"My name is Catherine of Aragon // Was married twenty-four years, I'm a paragon // Of royalty, my loyalty is to the Vatican // So if you try to dump me // You won't try that again"
"Aragon" + "paragon"? "Vatican" + "that again"? GENIUS. Catherine of Aragon is just on fire because she also rhymes "funny" with "nunnery."
"Grew up in the French court // Oui, oui bonjour // Life was a chore..."
I know many people who have bragging rights to rapping Hamilton lyrics off the top of their head, but my goal is to be able to sing "Don't Lose Ur Head" because it is so snappy with the rhymes. When I saw it, I had also just figured out "prêt a mange" meant just in time for Anne to sing those words.
"Sittin’ here all alone, on a throne // In a palace that I happen to own // Bring me some pheasant, keep it on the bone"
Also, Anna of Cleves rhyming "castle" with "rascal" is iconic.
Part of how this works so well is that it's not just the last words of each line but many inner rhymes pilling up that as a listener you don't know what's hit you. Catherine Parr churns out a "true"/"you"/"new" rhyme while also filling in the difference with "toy"/"enjoy".
#3: Not saying things
I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing but I certainly am wowed by it. This is part of the set-up that happens so many times in the show I thought it was worth examining.
This show has some hard topics including illicit affairs and abuse and while it does want to tackle these subject, it also maintains the light-hearted nature of the show.
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Source
I've been cackling ever since I found this. |
It's not just me who has noticed this! My theology professor last semester used "All You Wanna Do" as an example of powerful double entendres. For that song specifically, while towards the end of the song there are some more direct lines about what is going on, a lot of the subtleties have been told through choreography.
But this goes beyond subject matter into the very words that are song. In "No Way" "SHHH" is rhymed with the same sound but meaning different things. Or words are stretched like K. Howard's "Outside of wed----lock up your husbands..."
"Don't Lose Ur Head" is the most that doesn't use this because it rhymes "excommunicated" with "X-rated" (though the show itself is only about PG-13). And "somebody hang you" with another insult.
But that's the thing, it's about showing who was the worst treated and some of them are more angry about it than others. I mean, their ways of expressing themselves are different.
Anna of Cleves is also not as censored because she doesn't have a reason to be because she's the queen of the castle. Unless it's rhyming "pic" but then K. Howard cuts her off with "prick".
It's very tongue-in-check and I'm impressed is all I can say.
#4: Streamlined
There are no extra characters, not even Henry himself. Just the six queens. And that's all the show needs because they own the stage. Each of the characters are so unique and while they have similarities, they are themselves. For example, there are parallels between the two Beheaded queens (why they were beheaded) but they have different motivations.
Sometimes a musical's ensemble can aid to tell the story but sometimes for me it can feel too full of people and I want a closer look at each of the main characters without other distractions.
Here, the main characters ARE the ensemble. They don't just sit around waiting for each queen to perform but helpfully back them up. But it also changes for each person's style! Anne Boleyn has lots of interaction with the other characters because she's a social butterfly ("Uh-oh." // "Here we go.") while Jane Seymour's song is more ballad-esque, so she gets her spotlight in a different way.
The characters who aren't telling their story do so much. Like the choreography I talked about in "All You Wanna Do." But they also add in stingers in other places. One-liners such as "Daughters are so easy to forget."
I love the layering in "I Don't Need Your Love." I can't talk about it or else I'll flip out, but it is GLORIOUS. It's six women singing the same words on again and again and it is so powerful in its simplicity.
#5: Combining the eras
This show has such a unique blend of eras. While the set up is a very modern idea of a pop concert complete with flashing lights, it has roots in the historical period itself which is matched with the lyrics. This is again thanks to the wonders of rhyming and really shows through how it uses those as resources not limits.
There is a whole part with a dating app and profile pictures instead of portraits. Lots of modern slang and lingo in Anne Boleyn's song making it so fun and clever.
I think the best way for me to show this is just through the lyrics themselves:
"All you ever hear and read about // Is our ex and the way it ended // But a pair doesn't beat a royal flush // You're gonna find out how we got unfriended"
...
"Every Tudor Rose has its thorns // And you're gonna hear 'em live in consort"
...
"Dancing to the beat till the break of day, once // We're done, we'll start again like it's the Renaissance"
...
"So you read a Bible verse that I'm cursed // 'Cause I was your brother's wife // You say it's a pity 'cause, quoting Leviticus // I'll end up kiddy-less all my life"
Guys, in my theology class last semester when we were going through Leviticus I got positively GIDDY when I came across the verse that this line is referring too. Sorry, just things that tickle a theology minor.
Anna of Cleves is unstoppable with combing jams on the lute, looking rad, Lutheranism, and reformation.
In addition to the back and forth from the past to the present through the lyrics, the music itself speaks to the different time periods. I'm no music expert but it sounds like there's some harpsichord? There's also cute and peppy strumming? I've lost the ability to talk and process it, so you should just listen to it yourself to know what I'm talking about.
#6: Counting:
Technically this could be in branding but this is its own category because I'm a math major and numbers are my obsession. So this maybe partially explains why I love it so much.
"I think we can all agree I'm the 10 amongst these 3s."
Because the title is a number, numbers are a big part of this show. Especially in the song "Six" which counts but in a fun phonetic way, so the words themselves don't have to be numbers but just sound like numbers. That's artistry.
One song that I haven't talked about here yet is "Haus of Holbien" (which is so sarcastic and teasing). It fits this category because of the play on words, play on numbers, and play on language. Mixing German and math is very cool. This comes out in the form of rhyming "nine" with "nein" and "vier" with "fear."
Basically, you put numbers in things and I'm happy. So if the whole musical is named Six, I'm very very very happy.
Those are all the technical/structural aspects that I've observed that are stunning to me. But as for the story itself it also has creativity, heart (both of stone and not), inspiration, power, and gives voices to those who don't have one. It is a tale of resistance and reshaping narratives and taking a vulnerable look at what life was like long ago. That's a whole post for another day.
To wrap up, this musical is snarky, a bit campy, playful, and totally my vibe.
This is my first entry into Hamlette's We Love Musicals Week! Thank you Hamlette for hosting and giving me an excuse to talk about this!
She's got a tag and a giveaway and there are lot of other fun posts, so go check it out!
Thanks for reading! Does anyone else know this musical? A filmed stage version is coming out April 6th (get it? the sixth?) so I'm very excited to see that! What are some of the technical/structural aspects of stories that stick out to you? How do you feel about rhymes?
Now that you've "Heard all about these rocking chicks" I hope you'll love "every song and each remix!"
Chloe the MovieCritic
