Six at Burswood – 6 December 2022

Karis Oka as Katharine Howard in Six

Some things make sense when you find out where they began. Six started life as a show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, and that seems exactly right now that I’ve seen it. It’s short, punchy, fun, and has a fairly solid single concept it carries through. So, what is it?

Six is a 75-minute musical where the six wives of Henry VIII take a quick, rocky trip through their respective biographies before finding a moment of girl power at the end, where they (semi-successfully) attempt to recast their stories outside the context of their late husband

It’s light and entertaining and, if you want a quick snapshot of it – imagine the Spice Girls doing a short show on the above theme, and you have it just about exactly. Although there is a ‘book’ for Six, there’s no real story or non-sung dialogue, and the staging/costumes are pretty standard stuff for a modern rock show, though they are well done.

How was the performance we saw at the Crown last night? Entertaining. And some of the audience *adored* it. I think I might have enjoyed how much one young audience member was loving the show more than I enjoyed the show itself. That said, all of the performers were at least solid and several were excellent. The Anne Boleyn for the night was ok, but Katherine Howard (played by a ‘swing’ performer Karis Oka and not the regular cast member) was fantastic and provided the highlight of the evening.

Will you enjoy it if you go? Was it worth the $A85 per ticket? I think it was and if you want a loud, fun, feminist Spice Girls show that doesn’t outstay its welcome, then this is for you.

Episode 601: The Coode Street Advent Calendar: Liz Williams


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The holidays are in full swing. Hopefully, everyone is on top of their seasonal shopping and ready to relax and have fun. But if not, we can help. Today Gary sits down with Liz Williams, the award-winning author of Comet Weather, Blackthorn Winter, and the recently released Embertide, to discuss what Liz has been reading, what she’d recommend, what she’s been working on, and, maybe, some holiday reading too.

As always, our thanks to Liz. We hope you enjoy the episode.