#THIS IS NOT ANDREA AND ANNA THIS IS JUST BOLEYN AND PARR YE YE

[babeebobo]

More Six Broadway Fluff (Drabble)

This one is ft. Baby Bo and Sister Parr :) because everyone loves Parrlyn (but here they’re like sisters so ye)

!!!D-I-S-C-L-A-I-M-E-R!!!

I do NOT own the characters/people and while this is a sixcago fanfic it is only set in the sixcago verse! it has nothing to do with Andrea and Anna, this is their CHARACTERS not them themselves. this is for the others who may enjoy reading and me who enjoys writing! sending all of love hope you enjoy x

Boleyn stared up at the Oreos on the top shelf of the pantry. She groaned as she stood on her tip-toes to try and grab them. She rolled her eyes before attempting to jump a couple of times, but she still wasn’t high enough to grab them.

Anne placed her right foot atop one of the bottom shelves and hoisted herself up as she continued to climb up the pantry to retrieved the cookies.

She smiled as the tip of her fingers reached the wrapper of the Oreos. Though her small victory didn’t last long as her foot slipped and she began to fall, only to be caught by someone.

The small girl let out a sigh as she realized her savior was non other than Cathy Parr. “Need help there shorty?” she asked teasingly as she reached up and grabbed the Oreos for the older girl and placing them in her hands.

“Do not insult the vertically challenged!” She pouted before waking away from the girl leaving Parr laughing.

[janeyseymour]

I saw the second preview of six and here are my thoughts (along with a few fun stories at the end):

My heart literally fell out of my ass when the queens started walking out They changed a few small little things here and there and it was perfect If six doesn’t win best lighting at the Tony’s I will sue Ex-wives was WOW I literally could not stop smiling Some of the poses were different 

ADRIANNA FREAKING NAILED NO WAY

I am convinced she just is beyonce always

She’s just fantastic in that role and that’s what I have to say about that

Ig abby danced a little too hard during no way because she kept messing with her wig after

Actually she lowkey played with it throughout the whole show and it was adorbs

Britt was helping her fix it and like pointing out where it was a little cray (also abby’s wig looks so good omf)

ANDREA IS- WOAH DURING DLYH

Her delivery throughout the whole show was a bit more mature, but it was still so babey I love her

(On a side note someone today told me I look like Andrea, which is very kind but so untrue because I literally look like a broken thumb and she is gorgeous)

Her “IM NOT SORRY” was amAZING

She like low-key cut made the whole head joke short and im kinda sad ab it, but it was still fantastique

Through the “Wearing Yellow To A Funeral Bit” abby looked confused through the entire thing and I was cracking up

HEART OF STONE HOLY SHIT

She was INCREDIBLE and her dress was so pretty and sparkly and I just wow 

Shes just so pretty in general like ma’am how do you do that please drop the skin care routine 

The emotion that was conveyed was enough to make me tear up BUT I DID NOT CRY AND I AM VERY PROUD OF THAT 

she did the “you lift me high” line and kinda went into this airy place in her voice and it was angelic and heavenly and all the good things

HER RIFFS WERE JUST DFJDHJLFH

She was just fantastic and thats all I have to say 

Thats a lie I have so many things to say about that woman but the time will come

HOH was a whole acid trip there was a point during this song where I literally just took it all in and then thought “Janey, you really spent your hard earned money to go on an acid trip for a solid few minutes good job”

Their dancing is hilarious and thats that

ABBY SAYING “BUT WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU’LL STILL WALK AT FORTY” I had to stifle a laugh because my queen is indeed 40

THE GERMAN ACCENTS HAD ME QUAKING

Brittney Mack is… all bad bitch energy and I was living for it

She is a queen

When she did the “my horses can trot up to twelve miles an hour”- in the boot (not that I watch those…) abby is always making a 😳😶😲 kind of face and this time she just couldn’t stop smiling and it made me laugh

WOOF

Her reveal was SO GOOD she literally just started checking out her nails while everyone just applauded… AS THEY SHOULD

When britt told the person to get up, this person full on WENT and britt was like shook it was hysterical

THE INTERLUDE BETWEEN GET DOWN AND THEN KAT’S ROAST WAS ICONIQUE

i dont think it was here but I cant remember where it was but BRITT WAS PLAYING WITH ABBY’S WIG AND IT WAS REALLY CUTE SHE WAS LIKE PLAYING WITH THE ENDS OF IT AND AWH

justice for the beheaded cousins 

BOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO BABY MARY HAD THE CHICKEN POX AND YOU DIDN’T GET TO HOLD HER HAND… YOU KNOW ITS FUNNY BECAUSE WHEN I WANTED TO HOLD MY NEWBORN SON…. IIIIII DIIIIIIEDD. Abby lowkey went feral and I loved every second of it and then her pose after got so many laughs it was truly amazing

THE K HOWARD ROAST WAS JUST SO GOOD IT WAS SO GOOD

Aywd destroyed me

I also teared up here but I did not let those babies fall because I was not about to ruin my look

justice for my pink queen

Her delivery is insane and honestly its gotten better and I didn’t even know that was possible because WOW SHE WAS ALREADY STUNNING BUT DAMN MY HEART GOT RIPPED OUT OF MY CHEST

The whole “Catherine not singing” bit was fantastic

Abby looked so confused the entire time 

Andrea’s “hahaha what” was perfecto 

when Anna said “should we really be doing this” someone in the audience went “yes” very loudly and made the queens break for a solid second abby almost forgot to say her line and you could barely hear it because the audience was laughing at the rando 

Anna acknowledged it and just went “I know” before turning to the queens and saying “I know” it was hysterical 

“I’m Catherine parr, I draw the line in arbitrary places bLaH bLaH bLaH”

THE CLAPPING- BRITT GOT IN HER FACE AND JUST *CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.”  It was the funniest thing oh my gosh

“Are you sure Catherine? I-we don’t mind if you wanna sit this one out… I mean you must be exhausted from all those backing vocals”

IDNYL WAS INSANE AND ANNA UZELE IS WICKED TALENTED LIKE DANG

I dont know if this was intentional or not but when they all start to understand the purpose of parr’s thing- abby is the last to stand up and in my head im like “no yeah that makes sense because shes “the one he truly loved” and shes still trying to get to a point where shes realizing he wasn’t all that great and I dont know I just really like that minor detail

The whole “remember that I was a writer…” part got loud cheers, especially from abby it was very cute

She did a new riff on the “we all disappear” line and WOW my eyes went so wide it was so good I was genuinely shook

the “i dont get it” was sooo good

“My sixth finger” was said so casually and so determinedly that it was a whole new joke and I loved it

“Everyone notices Jane cant dance” -abby just looking so sad

“Yeeeaaaahhhhh. I read!” Was so cute and she sounded so proud of herself it was adorbs

The way they just stood there awkwardly was amazing and got so many laughs it was so good

When sam said the line about competing, abby really almost cut Anna’s line out but she caught herself and it was funny I dont know if anyone else noticed it, but I did and it was glorious

REMIX

“Rise abo-o-o-o-ove” WAS BEAUTIFUL THEY WERE IN SUCH GOOD HARMONY

AGAIN, ANNA’S RIFFS HOW DOES THAT WOMAN DO THAT AT THE END OF THE SHOW LIKE SHIT

After it was over, of course it got long applause and the entire time abby was doing her like “sparkle hands” but also awkwardly moving her arm kinda like a noodle and then going back to sparkle hands and it gave me a good chuckle

Six

The slow acoustic part was so soft I died

The harmonies was delicious

The audience was so hype

Megasix

Super hype

Amazing

Fantastic

All the good things ever

Basically it was just adorable and amazing and absolutely stunning

The new costumes are gorgeous and the lighting is wild if they don’t win best lighting for Tony awards I will full on riot

Aragon and Boleyn interacted a lot and so did Seymour and Cleves and it was very very sweet

Abby interacted with the band a lot to the point where she almost missed a cue and it was very endearing

AND THEN THEY DID THE CURTAIN UP THING AND FIRST OF ALL WOW THEY ARE ALL SO CUTE AND IT WAS SO SWEET SEEING THE WAY THEY ALL WATCHED EACH OTHER WHILE THEY WERE SINGING AND I JUST JDKFDJLA

abby’s hair is SO LONG but I am here for it

So I was looking for my friend when I hear “Make some room, make a path!” From a security guard, and the queens legit walked RIGHT PAST ME

I wanted to go to the theatre anyway to take pictures, but when I saw them, I did follow them back to the theatre because wow I wanted to bask in their glory I didnt even want to talk to them I just wanted to be in their presence

So im like, walking behind them when this happens:

I guess abby saw someone she knew because I heard this “abby!” And then she was like “OH MY GOD” and like RAN to hug them and i legit almost walked right into her/got stepped on but i freaking stopped like a noob i should’ve just let her run me over but I did not I just stopped in my tracks and let out a soft “aH” and then went around her

And then I got to meet a friend and apparently toby heard us squealing and watched us hug for a solid however long so that was awkward

And Julia schade was like talking to him and stared at us for a good amount of time

And then I was walking away and passed Julia again and she kept looking at me, but she was talking to someone else and I think she thought I was going to stay to talk to her (and I would have loved to) but I didnt I just gave her a smile, a nod, and a little wave because I can not do confrontation like if I could not confront abby ma’am I cannot confront u either I am SHY

And that is a very detailed run down of my time in nyc at the brooks

[theabsolutemost]

I have some thoughts on if/when Six Broadway makes a cast recording and how they should go about it.

SPOILER WARNING in case you haven’t seen the show yet and don’t wanna know about stuff that isn’t directly on the recording?? (Probably don’t need to do this but just to be safe)

Honestly, I think there’s a pretty good chance of us getting a Broadway OCR since the show has changed quite a bit since the studio cast. (Especially considering the Americanization of some of the British slang)

Here’s some random thoughts...

As for the songs that aren’t on the studio recording that they should/shouldn’t include:

*Ex-Wives (reprise) - YES

I LOVE the reprise and feel like they should include it. It gives the audience a better idea that this is a “competition” between the queens, and it’s just really fun to listen to.

*The One You’ve Been Waiting For - NO

You probably could leave this one out, tbh. Not that I wouldn’t love for it to be included, but it makes more sense to jump from Queen to Queen after Ex-wives.

*Wearing Yellow to a Funeral - NO

Don’t get me wrong, I also love this bit, but they probably won’t include it, since it’s more of a scene than a song. I feel like it’s kind of like the Laurens Interlude in Hamilton, where the writers are leaving some things out as a surprise for dedicated listeners to the soundtrack when they finally see the show.

*Megasix - YES YES YES!

Of all the songs on this list, this one should 100% be on the cast recording. Especially considering they haven’t been letting the crowd film it on Broadway. If the unions/whoever are making this decision say this song can’t be filmed because it’s part of the show, then it should be on the cast recording!

The Alternates:

Nicole, Mallory, and Courtney Mack should be heavily featured on this album!!! It would be awesome if they sing backup for all the songs (like when all the Queens are singing together).

Six is well known for its alternates, and the Broadway alts especially have been there since the very beginning of this production! It only seems fair to give them their time to shine, as they are as much a part of the cast as the principals.

What I would really like to see is a “Alternate Massive” Megasix in addition to the principal Megasix. I’m thinking:

Nicole as Aragon/Cleves

Mallory as Seymour/Parr

And Courtney as Boleyn/Howard

In a perfect world, I’d love for the alts to also have solos on the album as “bonus tracks” so to speak. (At the very least: Mallory’s Heart of Stone, Nicole’s Get Down, and Courtney’s All You Wanna Do, since I believe those are the queens they’ve each played the most.)

So my ideal Six Broadway recording would be:

Ex-Wives -All Queens

Ex-Wives (reprise) - All

No Way - Adrianna Hicks

Don’t Lose Ur Head - Andrea Macasaet

Heart of Stone - Abby Mueller

Haus of Holbein - All

Get Down - Brittany Mack

All You Wanna Do - Samantha Pauly

I Don’t Need Your Love - Anna Uzele

Six - All

(Note on Six - I feel like it should open with Parr’s acoustic “we’re one of a kind, no category...” because it’s very sweet!)

Megasix - All

Heart of Stone (Bonus Track) - Mallory Maedke

Get Down (Bonus) - Nicole Kyoung Mi-Lambert

AYWD (Bonus) - Courtney Mack

Megasix (Alternate Massive)

TL/DR: If they’re going to make a Six OBCR, I say go big or go home! The original studio recording is super short, and they could afford to put the additional songs/alternate covers of main songs to beef it up a bit. However it happens, I love the Broadway cast and feel like they absolutely deserve to have their own recording!

Let me know what you think and if you have any additional ideas!

[azure-firecracker]

Oh I love courtney! She's super funny and its great to see representation of different body types in theater. Dreamcast for six out of the people who have done the show? (Alts included)-🌺

YES BODY POSITIVITY!!!!! It means so much to me, if you search under Courtney Bowman on my blog I have an entire post where I only talk about that.

Ok Dreamcast:

Catherine of Aragon: Reneé Lamb. I just love her voice and her vibes and her riffs and how much she kicks ass.

Anne Boleyn: Courtney Bowman. She’s hilarious and I love her voice so much, and having someone so gorgeous who still isn’t a lollipop stick in such a confident role means a lot to me.

Jane Seymour: Natalie Paris. She’s just been in the show for so long that I can’t think of anyone else. When I think of Jane, I think of her.

Anna of Cleves: I had a particularly hard time with this one, but I’m gonna have to go with Alexia McInsosh. She just embodies the part for me, like Natalie does, and she’s such a good dancer.

Katherine Howard: So I’m dying for a plus sized Howard to exist, but since there isn’t one yet, I choose Aimie Atkinson. I just love her so much, and she’s iconic and hilarious and she has puppies!!

Catherine Parr: Courtney Stapleton. I knew I wanted her in my show, and I knew she was a Parr alternate. She also gives me total Parr vibes.

I’m including alternates because I WANT TO!

Swing: Grace Mouat! I just adore her and I can never settle on a part or even two parts to be her mains, so she’s just gonna play them all!

Alternate Aragon/Howard: Sam Pauly. I stan her like crazy, and I feel like she totally has the sass and the power to play Aragon. Obviously, she’s also a wonderful Howard.

Alternate Seymour/Parr: Maiya Quansah Breed! I love her Parr so much, and this way I also get to hear her sing Heart of Stone! Win-win!

Alternate Boleyn/Cleves: Another tough one, because I had a few people that came to mind, but my final choice is Andrea Macasaet. She’s so fun and sassy and an icon and I love her Boleyn, and I feel like she’d bring so much zest and life to her Cleves, too.

Wow that was hard. I love all the queens so freaking much!!!

[dxntloseurhead]

SIX HIGHLIGHTS 11/09/2019 EDMONTON

these won't be completely in order bc ill think of different things as i go

also sorry this is late

- costumes!!! shoes!!! sparkly!!! - THERES A SELFIE WALL OUTSIDE THE THEATRE - oh my god the EYE CONTACT and the INTERACTION i was not prepared for that - that moment when you're in the theatre and you're sitting there and you realize oh my god this isn't a dream im actually right here - the stage was SO CLOSE oh my god the queens were literally right in front of us my gay heart couldn't handle it - i said this already but literally almost the entirety of ex wives (and later in the show but mainly ex wives) there was SO MUCH EYE CONTACT - "remember us from pbs?" - sam did a britney voice on “k-howard is here and the fun’s begun” and i,,,,, - sorry i don’t have much to say about no way other than it Slaps - andrea’s boleyn is the most Babey and i stand by that. - during dluh after "he doesn't wanna bang you, somebody hang you!" aragon stormed off to bessie and started complaining, and bessie just proceeded to shrug - literally in that moment bessie was the real version of the  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ emoji - “wait! what was i meant to do?” ACTUAL CUTIE ANDREA MACASAET EVERYONE - andrea does a voice that sounds like crytyping out loud on “i’m sorry not sorry ‘bout what i said” at the end of the second chorus - also “I’M NOT SORRY!” at the end,,, beautiful - MALLORY'S. PERFORMANCE. AS. SEYMOUR. I. NEARLY. CRIED. SHE'S SO GOOD. - howard looked so genuinely upset during the song like she was super affected by it - haus of holbein is hilarious live oh my god - THE LADIES IN WAITING DIDNT HAVE RUFFS(?) BUT THEY DID HAVE SUNGLASSES I- - sam adjusted her sunglasses downwards and looked over them at some point i don't remember exactly which line (i think it was "at least your complexion will bring all the boys in"?) and oh my GOD i wasn't ready - also sam sang the line “but we cannot guarantee that you’ll still walk at forty” and its like the only line in the song that isnt in a german accent. instead, she sounded like a stereotypical commercial saleswoman and it KILLED ME - oh!!! anna and sam respectively were the other possible matches before anna in the tinder parody portion - get down????????? even more of a bop - the length of the pause after “as he takes my fur”... it literally lasted like half a minute before they resumed the song and the audience kept cheering and laughing while the queens were like “?????????” - WHEN BRITT DID THE OPERA THING I KNEW IT WAS COMING BUT I WAS STILL SHOOK - she asked a group of three on the other side of the front row to dance and did they EVER (but then after she was like "this is MY song") - “so that’s one horse out of the race!” “rude.” - MALLORY’S BABY MARY BIT KILLED ME OH MY GOD IT WAS ACTUALLY SO FUNNY - “babes! who’s that again?” “uh, i think she was the least relevant catherine.” “ohhhh, i still don’t care.” - in her speech roasting the other queens before aywd, howard says "hot" instead of "fit" just in case you wanted to know! - speaking of that speech i l o v e d it so much - also “and surviving.” is directed to both cleves and parr - i knew aywd was intense but goddamn i wasn't ready i almost cried for a second time - during about the third chorus or so, howard started to look so tired and was less and less enthusiastic with the choreo - i knew about the pink light after the song but damn that hit hard also it looks cool as fuck - *long pause* “...and then i was beheaded.” - “i’m sorry, were you not listening to my song? there were four choruses. that’s how much sh- i had to deal with!” - the queens all talk over each other making fun of parr after the “i’m catherine parr and i draw the line in arbitrary places” line. - “i know, gold star for cathy parr.” - “yeah, tudor womanhood. would recommend!” - oh my god idnyl was sooooo good i love anna’s voice its so pretty - THE WAY SHE SANG “it’s what i have to do” OH MY G O D - also “darling get a clue!” - the entire “remember that i was a writer” part as well as the way she sings “we all disappear”... yes, just yes - late comment but i love anna’s parr hair, it’s not the usual parr hair and it looks so good on her - “okay, why does anyone know who we are?” “my sixth finger!” “put it away, babe.” - “we don’t know!” “catherine de valois- i mean we don’t know!” - “and get down like it’s 1499.” - “the dissolution of the monasteries, yes!” “no.” - such a long pause before the “fake competition” part just before the idnyl remix... - “awwww, we could’ve done that as a song!” - god their voices all just go together so well,,, - anna’s “WE DON’T NEED YOUR LOVE!” is so great - “edmonton, we have a voice!” *beat* “we said, we have a *riffs incredibly* VOICE!” - “his religious reforms?” “well actually-” “now’s not the time, catherine!” - the slow beginning of six is so pretty...... why didnt they do it like this on the album - “yeah! aragon, you wanna go first?” “well girl, i guess i could for a change” - the queens hyping up cleves before her verse has always been my favourite thing seriously it’s so cute - the way sam sang “and all i do is SIIIIING”,,,,,,,, i love her - the irony of “before we drop the curtain” considering the curtain literally gets pulled down at the beginning of the show - THE CONFETTI POP AT THE END OF SIX SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME BUT IT WAS AMAZING also i collected confetti off the floor after - still in love with how the LIW play the outro to six at the end of megasix - ANDREA!!! HUGGED!!! ME!!! we gave britt an envelope with bracelets for each of the queens and a letter and she took it to andrea after and later i went to get another picture (bc we missed getting a picture with andrea at first) and she was like "were you the one who gave us the envelope?? can i hug you??" I NEARLY CRIED - i got pictures with and signatures from all of the performing queens! my stepdad also got pictures with them as well as autographs on his jersey - god the show was so good and mallory seymour is AMAZING

okay that’s all i really have to say, there’s so much more but its hard to summarize an entire show in one post

[sweetestrequiems]

little special announcement + emotional blurb

hi, it's kit, your local friendly and nervous SIX stan! (that honestly wonders if she belongs here cause... everyone she follows is super popular and she’s kinda intimidated by them. i still love them all though!!) (~i also wish i was brave enough to be their friends cause they’re all such sweethearts.~)

everything you need to know is below the cut. this includes the kinda sad but not really emotional blurb. i say kinda because i get really sad for a moment but i do turn it around.

i have decided with my heart and soul and everything in between that i will be releasing a multi-chapter Parrlyn fic up here and on my Ao3! i realized i could capitalize on my friend’s idea and instead of leaving it as a little tiny one shot/ficlet, i can turn it into a full written work. it’s also the first time i actually post something of this caliber on both Ao3 and tumblr, so... here’s to hoping people end up liking it?

well, i question that because people seem to enjoy what i’m posting now, since it’s shorter stuff. longest thing i have going on is New Day, Same Queen at six parts, which continues next week with Catherine Parr. i just... i don’t know. part of me is excited because great, people are seeing my stuff and they’re enjoying it! but not so great because... ah, well, self-doubt is a thing. i’m really grateful for the people that do like and reblog it. i’m even more grateful for the people that end up following.

(which hi, by the way! welcome to chaos in the form of a 20 year old girl with a love for Broadway, the West End, and any form of performing arts.)

but i get discouraged rather easily, because of the innate habit of comparing myself to others. i’m a musician, and i’ve done this all my life while on the stage. and i love my orchestra and bandmates. i love all of them, and they are beyond graciously talented and i am in awe at their talents, i can’t help but compare myself. you know where this is going. 

i see all of these people and i just... part of me loses my confidence. they have the most amazing styles of writing and they know what words to use. i sometimes sit here and wonder, is it worth it to continue writing, when so many others do it already?

(and i got to talk to a few of them! oh, they're WONDERFUL! they’re some of the nicest people out there. one of them encouraged me to hop onto Ao3, and i am forever grateful for that )

and to already share a platform with some of these people is... an honor enough, if that makes sense? i don’t know if it’s the pragmatics or the nerves talking, but... sometimes i feel like that my writing doesn’t fit in?

the answer to that first question is yes. it is still worth it, even if the thing i write ends up with like five notes, i’m okay with it. because in the end, i need to be happy with what i put out there. and to... well, just suddenly show up when there’s giants about is a scary feat, but maybe i can rise to their heights one day. 

you’re all probably looking at me (or the screen rather), like this is bonkers that i think like this, but such is the reality of my head.

the answer to the second question is a god honest “i don’t know if this makes sense.” kind of deal. 

but i’ll find my place here. maybe. i hope i will, at least. even if it isn't with the greats, that it’s still somewhat close by. in the end, i just want to be able to bring a little spark of joy into people when i post a new thing.

now, for the details of the multi chapter work! (sorry, i ramble on a bit when i’m emotional.)

this will be, as most SIX fanfics tend to be, in modern day. most of the portrayals i use are implied to be original West End, and that’s cool. however, slight twist on this one.

for the queens, it’ll be a variation of them. so, this means: -Katherine Howard will be Sam!Howard, not Aimie!Howard. (Sam!Howard and Aimie!Howard might appear in a future work together.)

-Catherine Parr will remain Maiya!Parr. -Catherine of Aragon will be Grace!Aragon, not Jaye’J!Aragon. -Anne Boleyn will remain Millie!Boleyn. (But Andrea!Boleyn and Courtney!Boleyn might or might not appear in a future work with Millie!Boleyn.) -Jane Seymour will be Abby!Seymour, a little change from Natalie!Seymour. -Anna of Cleves will be Nicole!Cleves, so a change from Britt!Cleves and Lexi!Cleves.

to give background as to what the queens do: -Catherine Parr is an author. She’s the comfy and cozy, kind of nerdy type of girl. She stays up late a lot to write, and lives off of coffee. She swears by it.

-Her roommate is Catherine of Aragon. Aragon is a teacher, and teaches Spanish at the local high school. Part of her wonders if it’s healthy for Parr to swear by coffee.

-Jane Seymour is a baker! She owns her own bakery and everything. She finds passion in being able to cheer people up with what she makes.

-And Seymour gets help from her “adopted” daughter in university, Katherine Howard. Kitty’s a vocal performance major. The girl can sing, but she loves spending time with Jane.

-Anna of Cleves is a close confidant to Catherine Parr, and is actually her publicist. The two have a strong friendship past their work, and Cleves is normally the reason Parr gets out of the house.

-Anne Boleyn is the prettiest of them all. Her looks and demeanor give it away that she’s a model of sorts. Look at her Instagram feed once, and you’re drawn in. However, she also gives off the vibes of a femme fatale, and many of the people that see her will say her looks can kill.

 now, for the summary:

HA! 

i am not spoiling the summary of this. you can read it when chapter one comes out. i will post it on Ao3 before tumblr, so be sure to check my socials page for the link to that!

aside from that, thank you to the 40 of you that decided to follow me! and thank you so much for reading all of this. it means a lot. the boleyn angst, titled The Tower of London, will be released tomorrow on here. depending on how i feel about it, i will post it on Ao3 as well. uh, yeah, that’s pretty much all i gotta say.

kit out!

[sciencespies]

The True History Behind 'Six,' the Tudor Musical About Henry VIII's Wives

https://sciencespies.com/history/the-true-history-behind-six-the-tudor-musical-about-henry-viiis-wives/

The True History Behind 'Six,' the Tudor Musical About Henry VIII's Wives

Meilan Solly

Associate Editor, History

Inspiration struck Toby Marlow during a comparative poetry class at Cambridge University in fall 2016. Participating in a discussion on William Blake, he found his mind wandering and began scribbling a series of unrelated notes: “Henry VIII’s wives → like a girl group … Need Lucy!!” 

Then an undergraduate student tasked with writing an original show for the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Marlow brought his idea to classmate Lucy Moss, who agreed to help bring his vision of a Tudor-themed pop musical to life. The product of the pair’s collaboration—Six, a modern reimagining of the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives—premiered on London’s West End in 2019 to much acclaim. (A cast soundtrack released in September 2018 similarly became an unqualified success.) Now, after an extended delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the musical is finally making its Broadway debut.

L to R: Abby Mueller (Jane Seymour), Samantha Pauly (Katherine Howard), Adrianna Hicks (Catherine of Aragon), Andrea Macasaet (Anne Boleyn), BrittneyMack (Anna of Cleves) and Anna Uzele (Catherine Parr)

Liz Lauren

Six “didn’t come out of a love of the Tudor period particularly,” says Marlow, 26. “It came from us having an interest in the representation of women in musical theater, having women on stage doing funny and hilarious things.” Moss, 27, adds, “What we were interested in doing was reframing the way that women have been perceived in history and telling their side of the story.”

The Tudor period, with its “soap opera”-esque political machinations and rich cast of female characters, offered the duo the opportunity to explore contemporary issues like feminism through a historical lens. Though Six prominently features the rhyme historically used to describe the fates of the Tudor king’s queens—“divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived”—the musical moves beyond these reductive one-word summaries to present its subjects as fully realized individuals. “With all of them,” says Moss, “there was so much of interest beyond the moment they got married or divorced.”

Marlow and Moss drew on a range of sources when writing Six, including Antonia Fraser’s The Wives of Henry VIII and documentaries hosted by historianLucy Worsley. The musical’s layered repartee deftly balances references to Tudor culture with nods to modern music, like the line “Stick around and you’ll suddenly see more” (a play on “Suddenly, Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors). Still, Marlow explains, the show’s goal isn’t to convey history with 100 percent accuracy. Instead, “It’s [asking], ‘What if Anne Boleyn was like this?’ And how does that change the way you think about this very famous historical figure?”

Six frames its story as a makeshift talent competition in which the wife whose life was most tragic “wins.” The rules are simple: “The queen who was dealt the worst hand … shall be the one to lead the band.” Each wife sings a solo summarizing her experiences, engaging in acerbic banter in between verses. (During these numbers, the other wives act as both backup singers and dancers; beyond the six solos, the 80-minute show features three group numbers.) Ultimately, the women decide to form a girl band instead, leaving the king out of the narrative and imagining an alternate future featuring far happier ends for all of them.

Historian Jessica Storoschuk, who has written about Six extensively on her blog, has found that in school and popular culture, the queens are usually only talked about in terms of their fate. “[Six] is this kind of ridiculous satire of [that],” she says. “It’s a really intelligent way to explore their experiences, or, I should say, one part of their experiences, because their downfalls are not all of their lives.”

Below, find a song-by-song (or wife-by-wife) breakdown of the true history behind Six. Click through the interactive tools to learn more about specific lyrics from the show.

The song: “No Way,” a Beyoncé- and JLo-inspired “girl boss feminism” anthem, says Moss

Though Catherine of Aragon’s marriage to Henry lasted 24 years—collectively, his five other marriages spanned just 14 years—she has long been overshadowed by her successors. The daughter of Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Catherine came to England as the bride of Henry’s older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales. But Arthur died shortly after the pair’s wedding, leading the Spanish princess to (eventually) marry his heir, Henry. 

By all accounts, the couple enjoyed a loving relationship that only deteriorated due to a lack of a male heir and the king’s infatuation with Anne Boleyn. In the late 1520s, Henry sought a divorce from his first wife, arguing that her previous relationship with Arthur was the reason for the couple’s lack of a surviving son. Determined to protect her daughter Mary’s rights, Catherine refused to concede.

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

Six’s account of these events, “No Way,” takes its cue from a June 21, 1529, meeting at Blackfriars in London. After years of debate over the validity of the royal couple’s marriage, a papal court was conceived to address the king’s so-called Great Matter. Appealing directly to her husband, Catherine fell to her knees and delivered an impassioned monologue:

Intending (as I perceive) to put me from you, I take God and all the world to witness, that I have been to you a true and humble wife, ever conformable to your will and pleasure. … If there be any just cause by the law that ye can allege against me, either of dishonesty or any other impediment to banish and put me from you, I am well content to depart, to my great shame and dishonor; and if there be none, then here I most lowly beseech you let me remain in my former estate, and receive justice at your princely hand.

A 1544 portrait of the future Mary I, Henry and Catherine’s daughter

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Portrait believed to depict a young Catherine of Aragon

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

After uttering these words, Catherine left Blackfriars, ignoring the clerk’s calls for her to return. Without turning around, she declared, “On, on, it makes no matter, for it is no impartial court for me, therefore I will not tarry.” The queen was correct in her assessment: Henry had no intention of remaining in the marriage. Determined to wed Anne, he broke from the Catholic Church in order to make her his wife.

Catherine’s Six solo could’ve been a “super emotional [sad] ballad,” says Moss. Instead, she and Marlow chose to emphasize the queen’s defiance, emulating Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” and setting the tone for the rest of the musical.

The real Catherine followed through on her fictionalized counterpart’s pledge to remain “queen till the end of my life,” refusing to acknowledge her marriage’s annulment even on her deathbed in 1536. Catherine’s legacy, historian Julia Fox told Smithsonian magazine last year, “is that of a wronged woman … who did not accept defeat, who fought for what she believed to be right until the breath left her body.”

The song: “Don’t Lose Ur Head,” a “cheeky” number modeled on Lily Allen and Kate Nash, according to Moss

Arguably the most (in)famous of the six wives, Anne is alternatively portrayed as a scheming, power-hungry seductress; a victim of her callous father’s vaulting ambition; or a worldly, charismatic woman who rose to the kingdom’s highest office only to be targeted by jealous men.

A near-contemporary painting of Anne Boleyn

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The truth of the matter depends on which scholar one asks. Most of Anne’s letters and papers were destroyed following her May 1536 execution on contrived charges of adultery, incest, witchcraft and conspiring to kill her husband, so much of what is known about her comes from outside observers, some of whom had reason to paint her in an unforgiving light. Even the queen’s date of birth, writes historian Antonia Fraser, is a fact “that can never be known with absolute certainty (like so much about Anne Boleyn).”

Anne’s song in Six, “Don’t Lose Ur Head,” draws its name from her method of execution: beheading by sword. Moss says she and Marlow view the number as a playful response to historians’ continued vilification of the queen as “calculating and manipulative”: “We were like, wouldn’t it be fun to mock [that trope] and make it that she was like ‘Well, I’m just living. I did this thing randomly, and now everything’s gone crazy.’”

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive tool.

Though the tone of “Don’t Lose Ur Head” is intentionally more irreverent than the real queen, who Storoschuk says “was incredibly shrewd, very well educated, well read and well spoken,” the broad strokes of the song are historically accurate. Anne spent her teenage years in the courts of Margaret of Austria and Francis I of France, gaining a cosmopolitan worldview that helped her stand out in England. When she caught Henry’s eyes, she was a maid of honor in service of his first wife; rather than becoming Henry’s mistress, as her sister Mary had, Anne refused to sleep with the king until they were married. To wed Anne, Henry broke with the Catholic Church and established himself as head of the Church of England. Finally, the once-besotted king fell out of love in dramatic—and, for Anne, fatal—fashion just three years after their long-awaited marriage.

The song: “Heart of Stone,” a slow, Adele-like ballad

Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour, has gone down in history as the “boring” one. According to Fraser, she was intelligent and “naturally sweet-natured,” with the “salient characteristics [of] virtue and common good sense.” Historian Alison Weir similarly describes Jane as “endowed with all the qualities then thought becoming in a wife: meekness, docility and quiet dignity.” 

Moss and Marlow tried to flesh out these descriptions by highlighting Jane’s political savvy. During her comparatively brief courtship with Henry, Jane drew on many of the same tactics used by Anne Boleyn, most notably by refusing to sleep with him until they were married. Presenting a submissive front may have been a tactic, says Moss. It’s also worth noting that Jane used her position to advance causes she cared about, including restoring her stepdaughters, Mary and Elizabeth, to their father’s favor and speaking out against the closure of England’s religious houses.

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

On one occasion, Henry reportedly dismissed his new wife by advising her to “attend to other things, [for] the last queen had died in consequence of meddling too much in state affairs.” “Heart of Stone” acknowledges this risk, but Six’s version of Jane chooses to remain steadfast in her love of Henry and their son, the future Edward VI.

Following Jane’s death in childbirth in 1537, Henry memorialized her as “the fairest, the most discreet and the most meritorious of all his wives”—a distinction no doubt motivated by the fact that she’d given the king his only surviving male heir, writes Weir. (Edward took the throne “Six” reflects this enviable status by identifying Jane as “the only one he truly loved.” As she herself acknowledges in “Heart of Stone,” however, Henry’s affection is conditional on her ability to provide him with a son.

Henry chose to include Jane, rather than his then-wife, Catherine Parr, in this dynastic portrait. Painted around 1545, the work depicts Edward, Henry and Jane at its center and Mary and Elizabeth in the wings.

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Speaking with Vulture last year, Moss said, “The idea was about the strength of choosing to love someone and committing to someone, and that being an equally valid feminist experience.” She added, “I love that [Jane] gets to say, ‘I wasn’t stupid, I wasn’t naïve.’”

The song: “Get Down,” a 16th-century take on the rap and hip-hop “trope of being popular and bragging about your Ferrari and your Grey Goose,” says Moss

Anne (or, as the musical calls her, Anna) of Cleves was, in some historians’ view, the most successful of Henry’s six queens. After just six months of marriage, she earned the king’s enduring affection by agreeing to an annulment. Then, she proceeded to outlive her former husband, not to mention the rest of his wives, by a decade. “[Anne] did get pushed to the side in a rather unceremonious way, but she had a pretty good life,” says Storoschuk. “She was given several properties. She gambled a lot. She got to go hunting, she had the best clothes and the best food. She was loved at court.”

A 1540s portrait of Anne of Cleves by Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder

St. John’s College, University of Oxford, via Art U.K. under CC BY-NC-ND

“Get Down” focuses on this victorious period in Anne’s life, celebrating her independence as a wealthy, unmarried woman at Tudor court. In line with the musical’s goal of reclaiming the narrative, the number also reframes the incident that led to Anne’s annulment. Henry, enchanted by a flattering Hans Holbein portrait of his bride-to-be, was reportedly repulsed by the “tall, big-boned and strong-featured” woman who arrived in England at the beginning of 1540. Declaring “I like her not! I like her not!” after their first meeting, the king only went through with the wedding to maintain diplomatic ties with Anne’s home, the German Duchy of Cleves, and other Protestant allies across the European continent.

After just six months of marriage, Henry, eager to replace his short-reigning queen with the young, vivacious Katherine Howard, had the union annulled on the grounds of non-consummation and Anne’s pre-contract with Francis, Duke of Lorraine. Anne, from then on known as the “king’s beloved sister,” spent the rest of her days in luxury.

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

Moss studied history at Cambridge and says much of her schoolwork centered around early modern German visual culture. Six actually includes a standalone song, “Haus of Holbein,” that satirizes 16th-century beauty culture and Henry’s portrait-driven search for a fourth wife: “Hans Holbein goes around the world / Painting all of the beautiful girls / From Spain / To France / And Germany / The king chooses one / But which one will it be?”

Given Holbein’s reputation for accuracy and Henry’s own declining looks (at the time of the couple’s wedding, the king was 48 years old), Marlow and Moss chose to turn the tables, having Anne proclaim herself a fan of the much-vilified portrait. Further cementing Anne’s mastery of the situation, “Get Down”’s refrain finds the supposedly unattractive queen hanging up her likeness “for everyone to see.”

The song: “All You Wanna Do,” a catchy number modeled on the work of “young pop stars sexualized early on in their careers,” like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Ariana Grande, as Marlow told Vulture

For much of history, Henry’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, has been dismissed as a wanton woman of little import. Writing in 1991, Weir described her as a “frivolous, empty-headed young girl who cared for little else but dancing and pretty clothes.” Fraser, meanwhile, wrote that “[h]ere was no intelligent adult woman, wise in the ways of the world—and of course courts.” More recent scholarship has taken a sympathetic view of the queen, with Gareth Russell’s 2017 book, Young and Damned and Fair, leading the conversation. As Russell argues, “[Katherine] was toppled by a combination of bad luck, poor decisions, and the Henrician state’s determination to punish those who failed its king.” 

Katherine’s Six solo, titled “All You Wanna Do,” echoes Russell’s characterization of its subject as a victim of circumstance and predatory older men. Though her exact birthdate is unknown, Katherine may have been as young as 17 when she was beheaded on charges of treasonous adultery in February 1542. Henry, comparatively, was 50 at the time of his disgraced wife’s execution.

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

The king was far from the first man to sexualize Katherine. “All You Wanna Do” details the queen’s relationships in heart-wrenching detail, from a liaison with her music teacher, Henry Manox (the song suggests that he was 23 to Katherine’s 13, but as Storoschuk points out, he may have been closer to 33), to an affair with Francis Dereham, secretary to the dowager duchess, Katherine’s step-grandmother. When each new romance begins, the teenager declares herself hopeful that this time will be different. By the end of the song, however, she realizes that all of her suitors have the same goal in mind.

According to Moss, she and Marlow wanted Katherine’s song to start out with a “sexy, seductive” tone before transforming into a “narrative of abuse” with echoes of today’s #MeToo movement. Marlow adds, “It was kind of like us talking about what happened to one of the queens and finding a way of relating it to something that we would recognize as a modern female experience.”

Katherine’s “life was so tragic,” says Storoschuk. “She was so young, and she really had very little agency over her own life. ‘All You Wanna Do’ really encompasses that.”

The song: “I Don’t Need Your Love,” a soulful, Alicia Keys–inspired love song

Often reduced to the one-word summary of “survived” or the role of nursemaid to a succession of ailing husbands, Henry’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr, was actually a renowned scholar, religious reformer and perhaps even protofeminist. In Six, she takes ownership of these attributes, refusing to be defined by her romantic relationships and instead listing her manifold accomplishments: “Remember that I was a writer / I wrote books and psalms and meditations / Fought for female education / So all my women can independently study scripture / I even got a woman to paint my picture.”

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

As the last of the six to take the stage, the fictionalized Catherine has dual obligations: namely, sharing her story and setting up a satisfying musical finale. “We needed one of the queens to be like ‘Wait, we shouldn’t be competing with each other. We should support each other,’” says Moss. “Fortunately, [Catherine’s role] as a writer, educator and advocate for women helped with that.” Encouraging the wives to take back the microphone, Catherine calls for them to assert themselves outside of their marriages to Henry. “It’s not what went down in history,” the six admit, “[b]ut tonight, I’m singing this for me.”

Catherine Parr’s fourth husband, Thomas Seymour

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The real Catherine led a rich life beyond what’s captured in “I Don’t Need Your Love.” As alluded to by the song’s first verses, which find Catherine telling a lover that she has “no choice” but to marry the king, the twice-married young widow initially had another suitor in mind: Thomas Seymour, the dashing younger brother of Henry’s third wife, Jane. (The would-be couple wed soon after Henry’s death in 1547, but their marriage was tainted by Thomas’ improper conduct toward his new stepdaughter, the future Elizabeth I.)

Despite being forced into a relationship with Henry, Catherine made the most of her position, pushing her husband to embrace Protestantism and encouraging him to restore his daughters to the line of succession. She narrowly escaped an attempt by the court’s conservative faction to have her executed on charges of heresy, winning back Henry’s favor even after he’d signed a warrant for her arrest. Catherine died just a year after the king, succumbing to complications from childbirth in 1548.

Based on a True Story

British History

Elizabeth I

England

Henry VIII

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[babeebobo]

Some more six broadway Parrlyn :)

Plot brought to you by @disneybroadwaychipmunk

Plot: Jane promised Anne she would bring her to build a bear, but she got sick so Cathy takes her instead :3 this is also gonna be the story as to how Anne got her stuffed dog Princeton (which was a little head-canon I made here)

!!!DISCLAIMER!!!

I do NOT own the characters/people and while this is a sixcago fanfic it is only set in the sixcago verse! it has nothing to do with Andrea and Anna, this is their CHARACTERS not them themselves. this is for the others who may enjoy reading and me who enjoys writing! sending all of love hope you enjoy x

Anne was excited from the second she woke up early Saturday morning. Not only did she have off the first show, so did her mom. And as a present, Jane promised to bring the child to Build-A-Bear. As a small gift for doing eight shows a week.

The gremlin ran into her mom’s room and hopped on the bed, “Mom! Mom! Wake up! You told me we were going to Build-A-Bear!” She smiled shaking her mom. Her excitement only lasted a few seconds before a loud cough came from the older women.

“Babes, I would love to take you, but I’m not feeling so great. I’m sorry.” Anne’s smile dropped,

“But... you promised.”

“I’m sorry Bo, I’m sick, and I don’t wanna get you sick as well.”

Anne nodded sadly and walked downstairs, the skip in her step now gone. The queens noticed her mood immediately.

“The hell happened to you?” Katherine asked bluntly, receiving a nudge from her other mother figure, Aragon.

“Mom is sick so she can’t take me to build-a-bear anymore.” She pouted resting her chin on the kitchen island.

“I’m sorry babes, I know how much you were looking forward to it,” Aragon started, “But you both have off first show, you can still hang out right? Watch a movie, relax.”

“That’s the thing, mom doesn’t wanna get me sick.”

“I’m sure it’s just a cold, Bo, I think you’ll be fine. She loves you is all.” Aragon smiles gently stroking the girl’s hair.

“Oh! If Jane isn’t better by Monday, I’ll take you!” Kat offered a sympathetic smile across her face. Anne smiled at the thought of going to Build-A-Bear with her cousin. She could already see her getting attached to a stuffed dog and then name is something stupid.

It was moments like these that Anne never forgot. Where even when she was upset her family was there for her, even Aragon, who hated her for most of her first life.

Anne was snapped from her thoughts when she heard someone bounding down the stairs, and to know surprise it was Cathy Parr. “Well look who decided to wake up. Get any sleep?” Cleves teased. Catherine never slept, not for that long at least. She was always up at night writing or drawing and Anne felt bad whenever she would come to her for nightmares since that would only make her stay up longer.

“Haha, funny, Anna. And yes I actually slept. Five hours tonight, not my usual three.” Catherine’s teasing grin fell at the sight of Anne still in somewhat of a slump, “What’s up, Bo? You look like McDonalds is closing.”

“Jane is sick so she can’t go to Build-A-Bear today. I said I’d take her Monday but she wanted to go today.” Kat shrugged stepping up from her place at the table. Cathy rested her chin on Anne’s head,

“I can take you if you’d like. I’ll take off the first show with you, have Nicole go on. The audience will love an alternate massive anyways.”

Boleyn’s smiled returned and she looked up at Cathy with hopeful eyes, “Really?”

“Yeah, just us two, some sisterly bonding.” Anne nodded excitedly, “good, now hurry up and get ready, we’ll leave in thirty minutes.”

———————————————————

Anne dragged the taller girl through the mall and towards Build-A-Bear. Of course Cathy had to park as far away from the place as she could which resulted in Anne seeing other stores and wanting to look through there as well. On top of the bear Anne was going to make, she had managed to convince Cathy to let her get ice cream and a Sleeping Beauty crown from the Disney store.

Despite being almost broke, Catherine smiled as she watched the girl skip around the mall with a large smile on her face. Her eyes widened and sparkled as they entered Build-A-Bear and Cathy sat back and watched as Anne looked through all of the bears before deciding on a pink bunny with blue spots.

“These are unrealistic.” Catherine mumbled sarcastically earning a frown from Boleyn,

“Don’t ruin the fun. You pick one!” Anne smiled pushing Catherine towards the bins.

“Anne, what am I gonna use this for? I don’t sleep with stuffed animals like you.” Anne pouted. Her pleading eyes were enough for Cathy to change her mind, “Fine, I’ll make one. If it means that much to you.” Boleyn cheered silently and let Parr pick out one of the unstuffed toys. “This one.” She said holding up a light brown dog that looked much like a golden retriever puppy.

Cathy watched as the smile on Boleyn’s face only grew as her bunny became closer and closer to being complete. And while Anne had her’s in a small princess dress, Parr kept hers as it was. Though she did buy it a skateboard, since Anne insisted on her getting something for her dog.

The two walked out of the store hand in hand carrying their newly stuffed toys. “So what did you name yours?” Anne asked, “Mine is named Pinky.”

“Very creative. I named mine Princeton. And he’s yours now.” Catherine smiled hanging the dog over to Anne.

“Why? You should keep him. He’s yours.”

“I told you Bo, I don’t sleep with stuffed animals like you. He can be like your good luck charm, bring you good dreams.”

“Can I spray him with your perfume so he at least smells like you?”

“If you want.” Cathy chuckled pulling the girl closer. “Let’s go get McDonalds, huh? Before we have to head to the theater?” Anne smiled up at her.

“Yeah!”

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