Reasons to see 'Six' on Broadway

Get down to the Lena Horne Theatre to see this pop-concert-meets-musical that gives 16th-century history a jolt of 21st-century music, humor, and girl power.

Six is, as a lyric from its title song goes, a "one of a kind, no category" musical. Where else will you hear a girl group singing about 16th-century drama in the style of 21st-century pop divas? British creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss — who wrote Six in college before it became an overnight global phenonemon — borrowed the stylings of Beyonce, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, and more to fashion their own versions of the six wives of Henry VIII. Here, they're a girl group headlining an NYC arena concert.

You probably know these Queens from history class: "divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived." But don't use that rhyme around them. They're here to tell you what their lives were like — not just their deaths — and it's up to the audience to decide who had it worst. Winner gets to be the group's frontwoman. The Queen of All Queens, if you will.

History and girl power have never been more fun. Here's what to expect when you get down to the Lena Horne Theatre for Six on Broadway.

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Six combines the fun of a musical and a concert into one.

If you're usually more of a concertgoer than a theatregoer, Six is the perfect gateway between the two. You might think you've entered an arena concert when you walk in — if not for the harpischord music filling the theatre. Otherwise, there's a live band setup, a neon set, and often, die-hard fans dressed up in themed outfits and costumes. Renaissance or Eras Tour who?

Truly, at both performances I've seen, the cheer that erupted from my crowd when the Queens first took the stage could rival anything at Beyonce or Taylor Swift. From there on out, there's less frequent audience noise — this is actually a Broadway show, remember — but it'll take everything in you not to dance and belt out the Queens' Tony Award-winning pop songs. Luckily, during a "Megasix" medley at the end of the show, you'll finally get to do just that.

Six is funny, witty, and sharp.

The Real Housewives of Tudor England would be an appropriate subtitle for Six. If you've ever watched any actual Real Housewives show, you'll know they're known for bickering, bantering, and plenty of drama among the women — all of which makes for hilarious and juicy viewing. Six is much the same, as Marlow and Moss have stacked their script with wit and zingers, aimed both at the Queens and at Henry.

A personal favorite is a line from Anna of Cleves, whom Henry rejected for her looks. "Its the usual story, isn't it?" she laments, her voice dripping with gleeful sarcasm. "A savvy, educated, young princess deemed repulsive by a wheezing, wrinkled, ulcer-ridden man 24 years her senior."

Clearly, she's not bothered about losing the competition. The same can't be said for the others. Or can it? All the arguing in Six belies the show's clever, earnest heart, but that's a plot twist we won't spoil.

Six is 80 minutes long.

And that's actually the longer version! Six premiered at Scotland's Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which has a hard hourlong time limit on shows since there are so many of them. Marlow and Moss added in extra material when the show went on to the West End and beyond.

The show is so fun, you'll wish there was more — but it's perfectly tightly constructed as is, so the energy and storytelling momentum never sag. Six is the perfect option if you want to see a show but still get home early — or catch another show afterward with plenty of time to spare.

Get tickets to Six on Broadway.

At the end of the day, you'll walk out of Six feeling energized and empowered — and likely with a song or six stuck in your head. Six offers a royally enjoyable and unique experience for audiences of all ages.

Get Six tickets now.

Photo credit: Taylor Iman Jones (center), Hailee Kaleem Wright, Leandra Ellis-Gaston, Bella Coppola, Nasia Thomas, and Zoe Jensen in Six on Broadway. (Photo by Joan Marcus)