How Close to the Truth is Six The Musical? (Part 1)

Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.
Six is a contemporary British musical that looks at the lives of the wives of Henry VIII, who are notorious for their ascent then usual descent from Queen-Consort to losing their heads about it, in more ways than one. But how close does "Six: The Musical" represent the lives of these women who rose the ranks of nobility to land in Henry's courtship? Can we ever truly get close to what their reality was? Did Anne Boleyn have an extra finger? Did Anne of Cleves have the face of a horse? Watch this Part 1 of 2 to find out more about the adultery, scandal and betrayal that faced each and every one of these women.
In this video, we take a look at the written lives of these women and then compare it to how Six represents them in another entry to our: 'How close to the truth is...' series. If you enjoy our content please consider subscribing to our channel for more theatre, history and comedic content. We appreciate all of your support and are so grateful to the comments, likes and subscribes we have received so far. Thank you :D!

[@TheDramaDorks]

*Additional Note*: In regards to Jane’s happy ending, the comment about it being odd is referring to her potentially ending up with Henry, who threatened to execute her irl, as opposed to her having a family, which in and of itself actually provides a bit of variety compared to the other girls’ happy endings. Thank you for watching! 😁! Did you learn something new? Got something to add about these ex-wives that we didn't cover? 💛💚🤍 Part 2 is currently under development, and we can't wait to get it to you as soon as we can. Please make sure you like, subscribe, and share with your liberal nan. Thanks again ☺️!

[@bessieburnet9816]

I see Jane's alternative ending as her love for Edward is so great she would never consider another possibility where she doesn't meet Henry and gives birth to Edward.

[@louisasevier1034]

@@bessieburnet9816 I think that is a really interesting interpretation! I had never thought about it that way before.

[@louisasevier1034]

I am glad that you added the note about your comments on Jane's happy ending. Her happy ending does provide variety as you said, but also because there is nothing inherently "un-feminist" or "anti-feminist" about getting married and having a family.

[@seungholee5715]

Where did you find the BBC interview of Catherine and Henry at 4:33?

[@MoMoLuey]

Good to see you mention the fact that Henry threatened to kill Jane Seymour prior to her pregnancy. It is often overlooked. Also, I take exception with the theme that Catherine never said anything about Henry cheating on her. She did say a few things which caused her father, Ferdinand, to instruct her to stop.

[@mattlibra3139]

Just a note, Anne B never wore Yellow to Catherine’s funeral as she was unable to even attend, and rather after her beheadment Henry spread this rumour after to smear her image.

[@erint520]

While Anne and Henry definitely weren't in attendance at Catherine's funeral, there are several contemporary reports of Anne (and, in one, also Henry) wearing yellow in response to the announcement of Catherine's passing. These accounts also seem to support Anne having been verbally relieved at the news, (though what exactly was said varies from account to account,) which makes sense insofar as her perceived validity as queen was challenged in part by Catherine's popularity. It was likely a snub, and there's definitely reason to believe it happened given that only one contemporary source was staunchly anti-Anne. But it definitely would have been amped up not just by Henry, but of Anne's critics, and the remaining vocal Catholics!

[@LaLa-ig5jf]

Wait really? Wow i actually didn' know that

[@meginmd]

Not to the funeral, no, but she DID wear yellow when she learned that KOA had died.

[@WooffzTheCoon]

@@meginmd COA *

[@Virginny]

@@erint520 yellow is a color of mourning in Spain. Anne did wear yellow but it was as a sign of respect. Edit opp just got to that part of the video haha

[@justanotherfangirlontheint4084]

I never saw this show as trying to be accurate, but as trying to portray them as how we'd see them if they had been alive today. It's modernizing historical figures, which helps audiences sympathize with them and see them as people not just words in a history book. However this is also my favorite musical and I will be the first person to admit i'm biased.

[@animeotaku307]

At the very least, it's a good way to get people interested in the real lives and history of these women.

[@maehadid9504]

That has the same effect as Hamilton. Hamilton wasn’t accurate but it was a way to interest kids

[@joghissing4634]

Exacly! :D

[@chaoticjoy3401]

I am in LOVE with your pfp. Glad to see another multi fangirl😆

[@justanotherfangirlontheint4084]

@@chaoticjoy3401 Yeah, theatre kids and book nerds, unite!

[@joghissing4634]

There's a unpopular opinion that basically says , anne boleyn's protray in the musical is a satiric way to make fun of how most men and historiacal figures saw her in that age. Edit :Omg I never realized the number of likes, Thanks sjjsjs.

[@88phantasmagoria]

cleves or boleyn?

[@urielromanillos2750]

But anne boleyn is such a queen

[@crystalclears4661]

@@88phantasmagoria cleve’s name is anna, not anne so it’s boleyn

[@bessieburnet9816]

I mean, all Queen's personalities are just exaggerations of their specific circumstances.

[@mariunfabregas7533]

I agree, especially at the part where she basically admitted to flirting with other men to make Henry jealous, something the real Anne would never do . Everyone and their moms know that Anne Boleyn was framed, and that the only reason Henry beheaded her was because she failed to give him a son. I have a headcanon that the only reason Six!Anne admitted to cheating on Henry (even when she never did) was because she knew it would give her a greater chance at winning the competition. They were competing on who had the saddest life, right? Well she saw how the crowd didn't really pity Aragon that much and mostly just hyped her up because she kept speaking out against Henry. So, in order to get people to feel sorry for her, she just straight up admitted to the charges placed against her and went "but I didn't have a choice tho🥺". And that decision completely changed her narrative. Most of her portrayals in media falsely depict her as this scheming temptress who purposely ruined Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary Tudor's lives. A queen whose own greed ended up getting her burned like a moth drawn to the flame of Henry VIII. She *knew* she was a controversial queen, and she used that to her advantage. The real Anne Boleyn was by no means an airhead, but when the queens finished singing her dramatic intro and then the song cuts to her laughing hysterically like a goof, she was able to completely subvert people's expectations of her and managed to get them to think "yo, maybe this chick wasn't the schemer we thought she was". And just like that, all the preconceived notions the crowd had of her were successfully erased, and she was now free to portray herself exactly the way she wants to be portrayed: no longer the king's great whore, but the king's victim everyone should feel sorry for Was I reading too much into Anne's song? Probably, but thank you for coming to my Ted talk lmao. Anyways, y'all better stAnne Boleyn and stream "Don't Lose Ur Head" for clearer skin💅✨

[@Ghostly_writer]

another reason for him to start genuinely thinking of divorcing Catherine of Aragon was because she hit menopause

[@88phantasmagoria]

and we all know what that means

[@Ghostly_writer]

@@88phantasmagoria lol

[@strwberry_xoxo]

Rude-

[@Ghostly_writer]

@@strwberry_xoxo ikr

[@Alonzi.]

Depends , early 40s is a bit early for menapouse :/

[@nin06]

Its kind of like Hamilton in a way. Hamilton and Six werent meant to be historically accurate, they were meant to inform you about the topic because let’s face it, people like musicals more then History

[@fibromomof2]

Evita and Gypsy are the same. They're not historically accurate, but you still get a sense of them. They're great shows and have stood the test of time.

[@nin06]

@@kawaii33366 yea, that’s true. Id be kinda surprised if the characters looked liked pop stars back then. But I meant more about the story it was telling :)

[@miguelt.4978]

Guys...for the people saying that the fact that they were having a contest undermines things and makes them about Henry - (SPOILERS AHEAD): That's the whole point of the musical. Near the end, after Catherine's song, they are all confused because they realize the competition was never worth it...then they look at the crowd after clearly stating how they made it all up JUST so people could see how stupid it is to compare their traumas. There was never a competition, they were never against each other. They made it all up to prove a point!

[@francesca9423]

i get what youre saying, and youre ofc entitled to your opinion, but after what? over an hour? of having them "competing" with one another and apparently trying to outdo each other with their trauma, a small section and song at the end where they say 'this is stupid we shouldnt be fighting' doesnt really undo all that imo. especially when the whole thing plays like a genuine competition up until the last moment. like i understand it's supposed to be this twist but it to me it doesnt outweigh all that came before - the queens still sing about little else but their relationship with henry. the first song sets it up as if youll hear their 'real' stories, and as if they're trying to finally move out of henry's shadow, but for all that they remain squarely within it throughout the entire thing

[@keane2160]

@@francesca9423 i think theyre going for a satire approach ...

[@francesca9423]

@@keane2160 if it’s satire it’s not very effective imo, since they play it all completely straight. satire is supposed to be mocking, and that doesn’t come across to me in any of the songs. Especially given that it’s presented as their ‘real’ stories from the beginning. It doesn’t work as satire if they say, here’s what _really_ happened and then expect people to take what comes next as anything less than an earnest attempt

[@felcrow]

@@francesca9423 the end is very much supposed to be pulling out the rug from underneath your feet. it is set up like a competition until the last possible moment because they are trying to get us invested in the competition. However, Catherine Parr sings about her other accomplishments (a glimpse into how the audience should learn more about the other wives' lives) and the end has them rewrite their stories if Henry hadn't married them. I don't think the play was specifically made to educate us, because having the queens sing about their lives outside of Henry would make the end less impactful and the competition seem fake. I do think it would've been nice to have a song at the end celebrating their achievements outside of Henry, but it would be too hard to navigate the promiscuity that is historical records (shown in how they pick a path to go down that this video highlights is possibly inaccurate multiple times) so they instead pushed the idea that history doesn't go into enough depth and that they aren't just, to quote, "one of Henry's wives".

[@francesca9423]

@@felcrow that’s my point. They get you invested in the competition for a good hour, playing into the very trope they’re supposed to be against. a short song at the end does very, very little to counter that imo. And ‘re-writing their stories’ is pretty meaningless. They compose a whole show, again, based on these real women outdoing each other with their very real trauma. An ending of AUs doesn’t make that any better. if the history is too difficult they shouldn’t have made the show? they told flat out lies about Anne Boleyn and reduced Catherine Howard to nothing but what the men in her life did to her. Again, these were _real_ people, not dolls to play around with, and as such historical fiction owes them respect, and comes with responsibility. The writers wanted their cake and to eat it too imo. they wanted both to play off the drama and popular trope of having them compete, playing into the ‘fandoms’ of the wives and comparing trauma, whilst also being feminist and saying how that’s bad. You can’t have it both ways without the ending seeming cheap and shallow. If the creators of the show really went into this with ‘history doesn’t go into enough depth’ in mind they did nothing to counter that. I’m sorry but imo the show is shallow, and does a disservice to the memories of the women. I’m not talking about its quality as a musical, but historically? It’s poor. Imo it’s trying to be feminist and failing badly, because there’s no depth or accuracy. it’s all well and good having them _say_ they’re not “just a wife” but again they’re reduced to that throughout the entire musical.

[@namtellectjoonal7230]

I personally think that Jane Seymours happy ending shows an example of how feminism can take many forms. Wanting a happy family or marriage isn't anti-feminist per se, it's about the ability to choose.

[@vainpiers]

yeah but Henry was an abusive piece of shit, you can want a family and marriage but the fact that her happy ending was with an abuser is the issue.

[@mexicocity38]

@@vainpiers it never explicitly says that she ends up with Henry it just says that her family grew after her first son, she could've married someone else and had a son with them they never say she stayed with Henry it's up to the viewers interpretation, but I've seen a lot of people view it as her having a loving family of her own that doesn't include Henry

[@moniquegrove9809]

@@mexicocity38 that’s how I took it too

[@ccappa2001]

YES

[@LJ-ox2tt]

@@mexicocity38 Oh, when she said "my family's grown" I thought she was talking about the other wives.

[@aurorasb.223]

Tiny note regarding Jane’s happy ending: I personally think it’s trying to highlight the found family and bond with the other queens. “We made a band and got quite well known” seems to insinuate that she sees the band as her family.

[@piphowlett]

I think it is referring to an actual family because of the "Tudor Von Trapps" referencing the many children in the Sound of Music. I felt her ending acknowledges an aspect of feminism that we often ignore, female choice...in a purely equal world, some women and men will still choose to have a family over career - so I actually like the inclusion of this because it implies women can choose either a solo career or a family band [as long as if they aren't forced to pick because of society or a husband]

[@Alissa4Real]

@@piphowlett yes!! I literally came to comment this. Feminism includes the right choose whether or not you have children/a family. That is a part of feminism and just because it’s not the way feminism has traditionally been thought of doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit under the feminist lens of the rest of the show.

[@123hotbb]

Very, VERY TRUE, feminism does include if you want have kids that isn't a bad thing. Just to add to all this why do you think Jane had more kids with Henry? She could of had them with someone else or adopted. The rest of the women's endings didn't get involved with him so why would she be different?

[@Alissa4Real]

@@123hotbb honestly I don’t know and to your point she could have adopted/had kids with someone else. Perhaps because we know so little about her historically and the writers didn’t have much to go off. In the show she is portrayed as loving Henry, Heart of Stone is about how she’ll always love him and be there even when he’s at his worst. She won’t be moved, like stone. I feel like through her song and with her character it feels like she would have stayed with Henry had she not died of natural causes. Also, in reality he is the only queen buried with him at Windsor Castle so he must have loved her in whatever capacity he was capable of, even if partly because she was the only wife to provide him with a male heir. I also thought the choice of giving her an ending with Henry was an interesting one but I do think it makes some sense based on her solo song.

[@cosmicofthestars3095]

i thought the band WAS her family -

[@bridgettemartinez5335]

Personally, after "I Don't Need Your Love" and the queens' conversation about how they are erased from history, I would have liked a second act where the queens get to redo their solos and sing about their accomplishments. It would make the musical longer and flesh out some of the historical inaccuracies.

[@marialoveday9443]

An interesting idea to be honest!

[@deedferreira4211]

@@marissaurias5116 i wonder why they did that since most concerts last 2 hours? It would have been perfect

[@user-by1df8ok3l]

yesss 🥺

[@Firegen1]

Knowing the writers' other work... it really hasn't transformed much since Edinburgh. It's increased it's production value and inclusiveness but the concept was stuck. Also an amendment to his review. Edinburgh is one of the largest performance festivals in Europe. It's almost (not quite but almost) a ticket into long-term touring and future transfers. There's nothing mere about it. It's expensive and is a bit like trying for X Factor. I've seen it drown thousands of artists.

[@rebecasaboia9]

@@marissaurias5116 also, the girls are acting like a pop girl group, so it's kind of a divas pop concert

[@elliot2331]

OPening on the Henry VIII song from Horrible Histories was perfect.

[@Alonzi.]

I too love henry the 13th

[@elliot2331]

@@Alonzi. Oops.

[@Alonzi.]

@@elliot2331 XD

[@snowtiger503]

I agree it was great.

[@justyouwait4027]

I cried

[@phroggers3604]

Ngl, the nostalgia of hearing the opening bars of Henry the eighth horrible histories is perfect

[@sentientmarshmallow4644]

Watching this makes me wish that Six actually told us what the queens were like outside of their marriages, you know what the whole point of the musical was. Maybe in I don’t need your love including a section where they sing there accomplishments like Parr did

[@moondivine2288]

I agree. I think they only did it for Parr because she outlived Henry. Which if you think about it means nothing because parr only outlived him for 2 years. It would have especially great to see it for Anne of Cleves because she lived up until Mary’s rule

[@jvanness90]

The point of the show was to ask you why you were so interested in the first place, all while making money off of that dilemma. If the musical left you wanting to know more, it did it’s job. There’s a ton of books and documentaries that take a look at these women as individuals. You’re supposed to crave more from them. They sing that final song to essentially let you know it’s the last time you should consider them as a unit. “For five more minutes, we’re six.” At least that’s how I took it. Anne Boleyn lays it out all right there for you right before they go into the final song. There couldn’t be a more transparent moment in the show.

[@MJ-vu6hp]

I lot of them didn’t have many like k Howard she was quite young when she dies

[@unicornyum7262]

But what about Jane? A lot of people say there wasn't much known about her outside of her marriage. Although I do also agree with the idea, she deserved more detailed portrayal in Six (like wanting the rebellers (of what specifically I forgot) to be spared or bringing Mary into succession)

[@jvanness90]

@@unicornyum7262 I don’t see how Jane doesn’t apply to what I said above. If it made you interested in wanting to find out more about these women, it did it’s job, including with Jane. They were withholding for a reason. If there’s not a lot of info to dig into outside of the show, I don’t really see how that’s the fault of the creators.

[@sofiamansour-tehrani4727]

In response to the protests about Henry wanting to divorce Catherine and make her queen in 1530, Anne Boleyn took the motto “Let them grumble; that is how it is going to be”. She quickly dropped it because it didn’t make people like her any more. But that is basically “Sorry not sorry ‘bout what I said” in formal Tudor English, isn’t it? I agree they could have showcased her intelligence, wit and political savvy more, though her PR campaign definitely fell short. Also, I think it should have been pointed out to Jane that Henry was abusive and she had no obligation (you know, besides marriage and social norms and all that, but she doesn’t have those issues in the show, that’s the point) to reward his clearly conditional love with unconditional love. The sentiment is noble, but it really doesn’t seem healthy at all. Also also, I love how gold being Catherine’s theme colour represents her faith (there’s a lot of gold in Catholic decor and iconography specifically), pride and confidence, and royalty (through heritage on both sides and marriage).

[@zairili2450]

From how I understood it, Jane's "happy ending" does not include Henry. She only mentioned her son then the family grew. I took the lyric as Henry is out of the picture and her son had children. Either she had a son with Henry and then she left or she had a son with a different unamed guy. But whoever the husband is is not even worth including in her song because what matters the most is that she wanted to become the mom she never had the chance to be. So women empowerment in being a mom, raising her son then being with her grandchildren Edit: I also want to add the fact that whenever she's arguing with the other queens, she would ALWAYS AND ONLY mention how her son will grow without a mother

[@bessieburnet9816]

"Tuder von Trapps" It's Henry.

[@sammyvictors2603]

@@bessieburnet9816 "I'm just kidding, we're called the Royaling Stones"

[@MidnightL2008]

I agree that she is talking about having children with someone besides Henry. The whole point of that song is to explain what their lives would be like without him. So it makes sense that her other children would have been gathered by someone else.

[@KatMusic2009]

Jane died after having her son with Henry. The son only lived to be 15. So no he didn't have children!

[@BcyesandIsaidso]

​@@KatMusic2009This is her happy ending though , so in the happy ending Jane ends up having more kids and Edward lives past 15

[@Theturtleowl]

I think that Jane was not as innocent as history makes her look. She knew all the drama, she knew Henry was not a faithful husband and she knew what he expected. But when I look at her brothers, I don't think she was a innocent little flower without any ambition.

[@whatalsaid]

I mean, she probably had a vendetta against Anne Boleyn, considering that Jane was both catholic and a staunch supporter of Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who she also served as a lady in waiting. But I don't think she was actively trying to plant herself as Henry's next wife. She probably didn't have much of a choice, either. This clip from Wolf Hall sums it up pretty well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJ-WaZyubtWggpY

[@kiarahgriffiths8575]

She did financially abuse Elizabeth soooo

[@victoriaacrage6342]

Catherine Parr talks about how when the king wants you, you can’t say no. She saw how her headstrong and opinionated predecessors turned out - I think she learned to keep a low profile for her own safety.

[@NessaBear90]

There's actually no evidence that Henry even wanted to marry Jane. I've read that Henry and Anne were very happy together. Suzannah Lipscomb has a very good documentary about it. She's one of my favorite Tudor historians.

[@blueberriesarepurple4386]

At 2:28 I just realized that depending on which place they are in, they say different things. I have watched the Broadway version so many times, and they say “Remember us from PBS?” So when I saw GCSE ( I think that’s what it says) I was like what-

[@penn9128]

they changed a lot of lyrics to fit US culture/slang! things like changing "mate" > "bro"

[@strwberry_xoxo]

I-

[@myagamingkat]

Idk much about American slang as I am from the UK but i know they changed some lyrics to your equivalents such as mate to friend and pbs to gcse

[@penn9128]

@@myagamingkat I’m actually not from the US, I’m from the Philippines XD Just a fan of both versions so I’ve listened to them enough to catch the little changes

[@Stopit999]

@@myagamingkat I as an American(not a flex) prefer the UK version. It’s the one I watch on here and if it’s not on here I don’t watch it. I absolutely loathe the Broadway version.

[@TheDramaDorks]

Timestamps: 💛💚🤍 3:28 - Catherine of Aragon 💛 9:56 - Anne Boleyn 💚 16:52 - Jane Seymour 🤍

[@Miju001]

This comment got unpinned

[@gemmajackson1575]

Loved this video!! I'm a huge six fan and though I agree that Don't Lose Ur Head isn't totally accurate, I think it is a lot better than how she is presented in, say, The Other Boleyn Girl. There were a lot of male figures in her life pushing her to marry Henry so it's kind of sexist (*cough cough* literally every movie about her) to say she was seducing him when she refused to sleep with him lol.

[@moondivine2288]

Anne Boylen would be tricky to portray. I’m not going to say she was a innocent angel. She probably had her flaws. But it’s hard to ignore the fact history is written by the victors. And sometimes we don’t know the truth to what people back then wanted other people to know. One thing I liked better than other sources is that it highlighted how much Anne cared about her brother George. Despite the Tudors having it’s flaws it hit home how much pain Anne went through seeing her brother wrongly beheaded. Meanwhile six Anne simply said she flirted with some men and that’s it. For today’s standards Henry would be a hypocrite because he cheated yet got angry that Anne had the nerve to flirt with other men. But at the time men were allowed to cheat but not women because women can get pregnant. DNA testing wasn’t a thing. Men had to make sure the kids he raised was actually his and not another man’s. Especially with royalty. Can’t let a imposter on the throne.

[@meginmd]

She refused to sleep with him because she saw what happened to his mistresses: bedded and discarded. She was smart to not give in.

[@meginmd]

@Someone 333 I'm well aware of the relationship between her and Percy. Tudor history is my jam. Why do people think other people are mindless fools?

[@kikiqt2442]

When I was in 6th grade, which was just before 6 the musical became super popular in America, I did a history fair project on all of Henry’s wives and called it “The House Wives of Henry VIII” I’m proud of that project and thought it was funny so I wanted to share.

[@vivaciousmyosotis]

Basically you’re saying that you’re 7th to 8th grade. Six was very popular a short while ago.

[@margaritapeggyschuylervanr2486]

@@vivaciousmyosotis what wrong with that?

[@viceliag3916]

@@vivaciousmyosotis Six first hit Broadway in 2017, which was (hehe) six years ago. That puts Kiki, our original commenter, in their junior or senior year of high school.

[@Yue_mariin00]

Can you share that project with all of us?💕

[@scroogemcduck7820]

POV: the opening is from horrible histories, and you finally find another being that has heard the song and watched the show.

[@kaieatswater8969]

Rip HH on netflix tho- leaving at end of june 2021

[@stephaniehoyland4901]

I love the clip he made of Henry. "why won't you listen to me" Catherine "no" "I am the king" "no" "why would you do this" "no"

[@britanimations2002]

Interesting video, in terms of looking at performances about history and judging how accurate they are to historical accounts, blimey will you have a field day if you decide to cover Hamilton.

[@PancakeTheKat]

Please PLEASE let him do hamiltion!

[@onerosegrowing936]

Yesss Hamilton is fun but in historic accuracy, a mess.

[@rosalynburroughs6190]

The horrible histories clips make this so much better

[@antharesrodriguez5130]

For me being Spanish saw that they call Catalina de Aragón, Catherine was like really strange 😂

[@em7pug26]

I was confused too - I thought I forgot a wife 😂

[@mb-176]

Honestly same. I know royal names are usually translated, but it's kinda weird to hear Catalina be called Catherine lol

[@fawkesontheroll8594]

While the musical never expands on Anne and Catherine's accomplishments during their time as queens, I think they did hint at it when Jane said "he[Henry] raged and stormed at them and because they[Anne and Catherine] were absolute bad*ss monarchs they raged and stormed right back"

[@pinksoft39]

Which Anne and which Catherine?

[@fawkesontheroll8594]

@@pinksoft39 Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon

[@jayaprilyt578]

16:41 Anne Boleyn in SIX Broadway (Andrea Macasaet) saying "MY 6TH FINGER!??!?!?" was just too cute and sounds like a trouble maker 😭 And I love how you added Katherine Howard roasting the other queens in 20:53 😂😂

[@MoiraMcGill]

I feel like the point of the musical was to point out how the public doesn't really know much else about those women aside from what they sing about. They even point it out near the end before Parr sings and after as well. They bring up how they're so much more aside from "the wives of Henry VIII" yet the general knowledge about them seems to end there. They also point out how they're only known due to how many of them there are and due to their fates surrounding him yet the wives of other kings are unknown to most. So, yeah, while it could throw in some less known factoids I also feel that what they did include is fitting for what message they were going for.

[@levyt8]

I'm surprised they say Adele is the inspo for Jane Seymour. Her song seems more Celine Dion to me.

[@bessieburnet9816]

I read Adele was Parr and Jane was Celine.

[@margaritapeggyschuylervanr2486]

@@bessieburnet9816 no Parr was Alisha Keys

[@margaritapeggyschuylervanr2486]

The outfit was based off Adele but the songs were Celine

[@letsbehonest6322]

So for anyone who has listened to the show/ or even just a couple songs: -Which queen's song is you favorite? -And who is your favorite queen personality wise? For me favorite song is Anna of Cleves's 'get down', but my favorite queen in the show is Anne Boleyn.

[@TheDramaDorks]

I’m personally a big fan of Catherine of Aragon and her song! Don’t lose ur head is a cloooose second though

[@jamesmadison2863]

My favorite queen is probably Anna of Cleves and my favorite song is "I don't need your love".

[@lollyyolo7587]

it's annoying how inaccurate "don't loose your head" is cause it's got some cool music.

[@blueberriesarepurple4386]

I like the beheaded cousins’ songs. My favorite queen personality wise is Anne Boleyn.

[@minisnakali]

My favorite song is the intro one "Ex-Wives" but Cathrine Parr is my favorite queen tho I love the other Cathrines too

[@171QA]

I bet the reason why the queens before Catherine Parr only talked about things that the general public already knew was intentional. Her song is all about how she wanted people to know facts about her that wasn’t just in textbooks and the wives deciding to use their remaining time to tell the stories they want that have nothing to do with Henry in the final song.

[@kennethfajardo9102]

Anne Boleyn is probably the most historically inaccurate.

[@wolfslayer7539]

It wasn't meant to be accurate just to interest you I've always loved the thought of this part of history

[@XExprEss9]

"dying of natural causes...why won’t justice be served!?" *me laughing my ass off because the way they said it was like how i joked about my crumpling mental health-*

[@anniehorton9276]

If anyone's interested, I made a TikTok of a historically 'accurate' version of Anne's 'Don't Lose Your Head', because her song in the show drives me bonkers: "Politics? Not my thing!" in particular! She was so smart & politically savvy, she deserved better than Six's version of her...

[@Attackontrashcan]

Can you put the link please?

[@alaska4939]

Agreed. She was a smart woman and helped the Protestant Reformation in England.

[@Attackontrashcan]

@@anniehorton9276 thank you

[@shrishri5029]

I actually interpretated the "Politics? Not my thing!" part as her lying. Like she's pretending that politics isn't her thing, but it actually is. Idk. It seemed in the studio recording that her voice changed to a 'sneaky' tone when she sang that part. That's how it looked like to me anyways.

[@user-by1df8ok3l]

link pls! i'd love to listen to it

[@bloomhug]

I was watching an animated video done on Jane's solo Heart of Stone and the people commenting really opened my eyes to things about her. Heart of Stone's lyrics portray Henry as, i don't want to say mentally abusive but that's the closest thing. They talk about how Jane knows that Henry's love could disappear if she doesn't have a son (alluding to the previous Queens). And the last half of the song, imo, is more for her son than Henry. I feel like the writers were trying to show how Jane's tradegy was losing her son, not Henry's love. I could go on for days about each queen but I'm biased and I also know that this wasn't really going to historical accuracy. More making the public aware of figures that get pushed into the background. And as Six describes it, getting lost in HIStory.

[@animatorireenie8319]

This is a very interesting analysis, it was great to find out so much about the queens. I think the problem of the musical is the concept of such a contest itself. If the premise is all about sh*t Henry has done to them, they're gonna sing about it. But that's just my take on that. PS: The Horrible History clips are everything lol.

[@TheDramaDorks]

Absolutely, I think it’s good that it leads people to learn more about these women but the in-universe competition definitely leads into Henry being the focus of things.

[@credenceazure5011]

If I'm not mistaken that was the resolution of the show! Anne Boleyns lil dialogue and their ending songs conveyed how it was dumb to compare themselves and just be seen as "the six wives of Henry VIII"

[@animatorireenie8319]

@@credenceazure5011 Yeah, that's true. But acknowledging it doesn't change the fact that they haven't told a lot about them. I get that this is the premise of the show and as mentioned, that's where the problems come from.

[@credenceazure5011]

@@animatorireenie8319 I can see where some viewers might leave it at that and just consume media shared history. Hopefully videos like this gets on their recommended!

[@animatorireenie8319]

@@credenceazure5011 I agree 👍

[@becademarques]

Jane Seymour used a strategy that was guaranteed to attract the king's attention and is seen as demure, and Anne avoided him, left her job in the court to stay away from him, and only even gave Henry space when it was clear he wouldn't leave her alone. But sure... Anne was the one seducing Henry and not Jane. Sure.

[@solangereyes2489]

Not ,Anne was not she was genuinley trying to stay away from him she did not want to be the queen and neither mistress as she was religious . She was not as ambitious as potrayed and it is more likley Jane wanted to be the queen ,Henry was bothering Anne before she became queen to be his mistress and when she decided to not and then he asked her to become the queen ,something she could not turn down .

[@becademarques]

@@solangereyes2489 Exactly! What people seem to forget is that divorce was near impossible back then. When Anne said she would only going to sleep with her husband and the only way to get to her was marrying her, it was a polite way of saying she didn't want the king (something bery dangerous to do, I must point out) but Henry took it as a proposition to divorce his wife. She couldn't have been more obvious in her "No!" and only got to him when it was clear she couldn't escape Henry. And she died because of that!

[@solangereyes2489]

@@becademarques Sad very sad ,she was a victim of something she could not control she and Kathrine of Aragon both and all of Henry wives ,no one could say no to the king.😨

[@MarySue1964]

Also, in the Old Testament, the rule was that if a man died without an heir, it was the responsibility of his brother to marry the widow in order to maintain his brother’s family line.

[@alaska4939]

Let’s just agree that Henry like to play fast and loose with Bible teaching. Also I pretty sure that particular responsibility is not a mandate any longer.

[@billcipherproductions1789]

WAIT- WHAT?!!!!

[@lindseytallent2855]

Yeah I was very annoyed by that misapplication of Leviticus (as a formerly studious religious person). The rule against taking your brothers wife is when your brother is still alive. If he dies without an heir it becomes an obligation. Whether it applies to Christians or not is an entirely different question.

[@annieandelsieofarendelle3294]

Annulment isn't just divorce, it's saying that they were never married in the first place which would lead her only child to be declared a bastard which horrified Catherine of Aragon.

[@Hannah-ud8yt]

i love this video so much i love learning stuff and yeah. also i cracked up at the "SILENCE!!!" "no." part

[@MistySophie]

I think Jane's happy ending mainly focus on the fact that she didn't got to experience being a mother and dying near her sons birth. When she sings " *our* family grown-" who said it wasn't her and Eduard's family? It's not focusing on being with Henry and living happily ever after with him, but her having a family and living with her son.

[@megan24437]

The songs were meant to be about their relationships with Henry because they were all arguing about who had it worst but they weren’t the most historically accurate

[@CH-oy5mt]

Janes personality in the musical basically boiled down to cringe mom.

[@natsukifan8736]

To me it comes to a mom who tries to be cool and hip with the youngsters

[@Christina-vs6cl]

Love this channel and the videos, commenting to boost activity!

[@chrissie627]

YOU DID NOT START THIS WITH A HORRIBLE HISTORIES SONG 😂😂😂😂😂

[@beaaa8018]

OK, but honestly Katherine Howard had the worst life. first, she got Taken advantage of by not one, not two, not three, but four people. then after that, one of the people she got taken advantage of (who was her friend at the time) Ended up causing her to be killed, not because they were having affair, but because they were friends. She also, in her chorus, states “all you wanna do you wanna do baby it’s touch me when will enough be enough…” she has gone through probably the most. Although Jane died before she could even hold her son, Anne got her head chopped off, along with Katherine, and Catherine Parr had to leave her true love. Overall, I think Katherine Howard suffered the most

[@imthebossmermaid3648]

It's not about who had the worst life in general, but about who had the worst time with Henry. But either way, comparing their traumas with Henry(although tbf I do think it is safe to say that Anne had the best time with Henry only because she didn't spend much time with him--rather, she got out of it lucky and with money to spare) goes entirely against the message the musical is trying to send. Please stop missing the point.

[@vainpiers]

Janes ending always bothered me most because the musical basically tells us that Henry sucks and is abusive and then we're meant to be happy for Jane that her happy ending is being with Henry. It also feeds into the narrative that Jane was Henry's one true love, when most likely if she had lived she'd probably have done something to set off Henry's impulsive quick temper and been killed. Henry killed a lot of people on impulse, and had a horrendous temper and massive personality change after a jousting accident during his marriage with Catherine, it's said he'd regretted Cromwell's execution as soon as it had happened.

[@natsukifan8736]

The thing is we never knew if he stayed with Henry. We know that her family grow and they made a band but it could be interpreted in various ways. One is that she now considera six her family and the making a band would make sense. Also she could have dumped Henry or even not married him a t all like Katherine of Aragon.

[@lauras5359]

yeah i agree with that. He only loved Jane "the most" because she gave him the male heir he really wanted. if Henry had've stayed alive until after Edward died, I'd bet he would've changed his tune. @Natsukifan 87 she couldn't have dumped Henry because in those that was not allowed. Henry was allowed to because he was King and could change the rules plus he was a male. and also she couldn't have not married him at all, because he probably would've forced it or "begged" until she said yes. That was NOT an option for her or any of his wives, except maybe Catherone of Aragon in the early years b4 their marriage.

[@duketgg]

Henry threatened to kill her when she begged him to have mercy on the people who took part in the Pilgrimage of Grace.

[@mb-176]

@@lauras5359 i don't think the alternate happy ending in the song "six" is meant to be an actually historically accurate ending, it's just a reimagining of their lives. Like, yes, Jane couldn't have separated from Henry back then, but it's a rewriting so anything could happen. Also, Jane's song does mention that Henry's love is purely conditional to the fact that she gave him a son, but she still chose to stay by his side until her death because she's stubborn in her feelings no matter how much hardships he puts her in. I interpret that in the alternate ending she does realize it's not quite healthy to live like that and leaves, but to be fair her happy ending is the weirdest to me because it's kind of unspecific on who her family actually is.

[@lauras5359]

@@mb-176 yeah I do realize that. I'm just saying what was historically accurate. Personally I choose to separate the wives from Six and the real ones because we know next to nothing about the real ones except for facts that other people have told us from Henry's and others pov. That's why I love the musical so much but the reimaginngs of real life historical people are just fantasy because we don't know

[@danapohl444]

Katherine of Aragon was a badass. Glad you mentioned she wasn't a passive queen who only enjoyed being rich.

[@celestebivin1659]

The only problem with Henry relying on Leviticus is that that Leviticus quote talks about a brother's wife not a brother's widow.

[@talithacumiferguson8834]

Basically, Six the Musical is showing us what would happen if King Henry VIII's six wives were reincarnated into the modern world and became a pop idol group!

[@bullschmitt993]

Another amazing video where I'm taught x100 more than school ever did

[@kaieatswater8969]

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta- *give birth to a boy*

[@Elowuz]

All I needed was the horrible histories song at the beginning and I knew this was going to be a good video

[@ccappa2001]

In Ane's song she mentions that because Henry was "Sleeping around" she said that she flirted with "a guy or three just to make him jel"

[@learnwithvideos]

Loved the video, Luca! When I was in London last year, "Six" was on, but I watched so many musicals in a week that I didn't get a chance to watch this one.

[@TheDramaDorks]

Thank you, Carlos! I’m sure it’ll still be on by next time you come back! 🙂

[@maddie28]

9:29 I thought her color in the show was gold. 'Cause like. Royalty

[@mariaaguadoball3407]

I cannot believe there was a musical a couple of years ago that used a song from Horrible Histories and I'm just finding out about it now.

[@karentyrrel7903]

Brilliantly done ..... well done Drama Dorks for another excellent watch 😃

[@kimberlypollard6025]

Ok the phantom reference killed me and earned u a subscriber

[@michelle_5135]

I saw this musical in Chicago, and I thought it was fun--but really shallow. I felt like the writers simply wiki'd the queens and used that little bit of research as the basis of their songs. It could have been SO much more! These women were complex!! But Six doesn't show any of that. It was also a REALLY short musical. I felt like they did nothing to show them as different as the stereotypes that they're portrayed as in school history books.

[@lauras5359]

Well i mean it is incredibly inaccurate so there we are. Starting with the fact that they are all standing there together and performing and so on, because if I continue this will become a long ass essay

[@fryjams]

Idk if someone already mention this but, Although Jane's part at the end may seem odd because she gets to "stay" with henry and have a family I think that has more to do with a potrayal of what modern feminism stands for, that every woman has their right to choose what to do with their lifes, and that either choosing having a family and fully dedicating to them or being by yourself and concentrating on individual goals are both valid and doesnt make you any less of an empowered woman

[@fryjams]

Little disclaimer: by this I do not mean you cant achieve both, it's just a generalized example to show both sides of a coin, you could even consider Jane achieves both by having a family and being in a sucessfull band

[@turtleashes4371]

I loved the musical but decided to research this topic further and learned that the lyrics made so much more sense. I love the musical and love how accurate it is

[@zeechops401]

The editing is incredible and hilarious! Can't wait for part 2

[@joghissing4634]

Love this channel :D i was searching for someone to anaylize this, i wacthed six cuz i just reminded me how we have a perception of the queens vs the reality , how we can wonder what it was like to marry Henry or what they were their feelings, their own feelings as individuals

[@ILoveMahCat]

The thing about "6 the Musical" is that it's supposed to be about how they're more than just ex wives... but it focuses almost entirely on their relationship with him.

[@tratatat]

I think that's exactly what they realise at the end, that was the point, why are they competing who had it worse when they were more than just his wives? They focus on it for the whole musical, just like the general history an average student learns only mentions them as wives, but at the end I feel like it's a bit of a step forward that now people can see them as individuals

[@justanotherfangirlontheint4084]

That's kinda the point, during I Don't Need Your Love they realize it and the twisted nature of the whole competition.

[@ienzio7795]

That's literally the point of the musical, did you actually watch it??

[@aislingmurphy1822]

Thank you so much for the use of horrible histories lol

[@duanerichardsii9307]

“You know I may not make it through next week”

[@hxnnahhh]

Katherine Of Aragon: 3:32 Anne Boleyn: 9:57 Jane Seymour: 17:02

[@X1X25]

the use of period drama clips and horrible histories in this is highly entertaining 👏👏👏

[@maisie588]

absolutely vibing to the horrible histories henry viii song

[@alexanderthehomo6774]

Great video! I love how you included some clips from Horrible Histories and stuff, made me smile

[@ivanasolis8868]

This video was so well done. I really enjoyed it!!!

[@SH-mf9xr]

Very well-put together!!!

[@kaleyjohnson2962]

awesome video. excited to see you guys keep growing!!!

[@nevaehmusic6992]

Gonna admit, he (and six) should’ve mentioned Anne chose death so her daughter would have a chance to the crown. (Queen Elizabeth the 1st) she could’ve lived but she wanted her daughter to have a chance if he didn’t get a son

[@charlottetoyne7192]

Thanks for going through this. Honestly, I find that historical musicals are great (maybe not for being accurate) but for making people curious. I have never really looked into these women before, but when I heard their songs, I learned some of the basics, and then I got more curious and went looking at videos like these. Maybe next, I'll go and find the primary source material and read their letters. The musical is not - here now you know everything. But it is a wonderful jumping point. Thanks for making this video!

[@Tailynn4]

Loved this. Well done 👍🏼

[@QuikVidGuy]

I love how they choose to play 9:50, Catherine's laughing and excited and almost unable to pretend that they're fighting

[@beefrd]

I can’t wait for part two!!!

[@marialoveday9443]

I love how he foreshadows the next solos being less about Henry as Anna of Cleaves song is all about her wealth and being ok divorced from Henry and she doesn't argue with the queens about their hardships as she recognises she was lucky and had a great life. Then we get Katherine Howard breaking down the stereotype of her being a promiscuous cheater and it's more about her being manipualted from a young age. Then we get Catherine Parr talking about her love for Thomas ( not Henry like Jane sung about) in a love letter type song and ending on her sticking it to Henry refusing to be his "toy" and singing about her accomplishments as a writer and activist for female education. Then the final song unites them as SIX and they take control of how their perceived in history and use their visibility given to them by Henry to sing and start a band together as friends. Although, Don't Lose Your Head by Anne is an absolute bop.

[@kazza6078]

Great video!

[@geasaje3422]

nice analysis!

[@Princess2737]

Good video. I love the Horrible Histories cuts.

[@LebenslangBetaphase]

Great video! Looking forward to part 2!

[@VictoriaMeira7]

"her family with Henry in the happy ending" Maybe I missed something but I always assumed that she was the sole parent of the big family in her happy ending, mostly because they never mentioned any father figure.

[@kpopnimation]

OUR family grown

[@tatsudragneel4761]

@@kpopnimation She says that after she mentions her son (who also died young), so it could maybe refer to him having kids too.

[@sofiachaves7725]

the end of the king's marriage to Katherine Howard was like "hey, you're an executioner, right? you know about the drill."

[@silviacizeta2878]

Dude i Just found you, followed immediately, good job

[@sugarvp6]

Had no idea what this musical was about. Thanks for the info!

[@mightymorphinmatt420]

Loving these videos!

[@nnilsia]

I mean the 'competition' was all about who had to deal with the most bs from Henry so it makes sense that that's what the songs focus on

[@ivyrose779]

I randomly found a cover of Anne Boleyn’s song that was rewritten to be historically accurate and it’s so good! The video is called “Don’t Lose Ur Head Six cover but it’s historically accurate” on the KZbin channel The Golden Lady. For some reason KZbin won’t let me comment with a link.

[@verityculleton4259]

The bit right at the start includes both of my fav things

[@youtubepants]

I was look for something like this ALL OVER KZbin! Thank you 🙏 by the way I just subscribed

[@evilgoose6768]

I love all the horrible histories clips you splice in. Making me want to marathon it again...

[@kingkirby938]

Thank you for That Education!! ❤️❤️

[@tsuritsa3105]

Henry also had his marriage to Anne annulled before her execution, making it impossible for her to have committed adultery and high treason - although not incest, although not the incest that she almost CERTAINLY did not do, and as far as I know was not a capital crime in England at the time.

[@mythicalcreaturecomforts]

It makes my heart happy you're using Horrible History clips in this analysis

[@charlieclark130]

Just a note the last song is them realising how depressing it is like how in that same song Anne said she wrote stuff for Shakespeare

[@angelisagio3984]

WHERE DID YOU GET THAT HD FOOTAGE!!!??? I NEED IT

[@Ittlibawbisb]

Why are half of Henry the VIII wives called Catherine