A SEXY SEXTET OF WIVES TELL ALL MUSICALLY AT THE BUSHNELL

What you might ask do Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleaves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr all have in common? They have each had the misfortune to marry the Tudor King Henry VIII and few lived long enough to regret it. Two were divorced, two were beheaded, one died by natural means and only one survived unscathed. The infamous Henry the VIII was King of England for almost four decades. His primary claim to fame were his six colorful and contentious marriages and the outlandish results of those alliances, mainly to the Queens directly involved. Henry created radical change to the English Constitution, mainly the theory of the divine rights of kings. This was in direct opposition to the power of the Pope. He didn’t believe he required formal trials if he accused someone of treason. Beware if you fell out of favor, for he could summarily banish or behead you. He loved money and power, yet was often on the verge of bankruptcy. In later years, he was driven by lust and egotism and became the model for a tyrannical monarch. Who wouldn’t love his advances? Thanks to Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, his Queens are finally getting their say, musically and magnificently, in “SIX” at Bushnell’s Hartford Theater from Tuesday, January 17 to Sunday, January 22. Ex-wives often have a plethora of gossip to say about their former spouses, but none more so than the six unhappy wives of good old Henry. There are no secrets here or indiscretions that can’t be revealed. After all, this sextet of sexy females were not simply divorced they were beheaded if they displeased him. Even though these ordeals happened five hundred years ago, their impact still stings today. They tell it like it was in songs like “Ex-Wives,” “Heart of Stone,” “Get Down,” “All You Wanna Do,” “I Don’t Need Your Love, “ “Six,” “No Way.” and “Don’t Lose Your Head.” This show has won 23 awards in the 2021-2022 Broadway season, including a Tony for Best Original Score and the Outer Critics Award for Best Musical. The North American tour Aragon company cast features Khaila Wilcoxon as Catherine of Aragon, Storm Lever as Anne Boleyn, Jasmine Forsberg as Jane Seymour, Olivia Donalson as Anna of Cleves, Didi Romero as Katherine Howard, and Gabriela Carrillo as Catherine Parr. The cast also includes Kelsee Kimmel, Erin Ramirez, Cassie Silva and Kelly Denice Taylor. For tickets ($42-167), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at bushnell.org. Performances are Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m and 6:30 p.m. Talk about energy and girl power, this musical has it all, six times over.