The life and beheadings of King Henry VIII are the stuff of legend. SIX the Musical changes the narrative to that of his six wives.
Catherine of Aragon (played by Kimberley Hodgson), Anne Boleyn (Deirdre Khoo), Jane Seymour (Loren Hunter), Anna of Cleves (Zelia Rose Kitoko), Katherine Howard (Chelsea Dawson) and Catherine Parr (Giorgia Kennedy) open the show by arguing about who had it worse as the king's wife.
A competition ensues where the wife whose life is voted the most tragic is the "winner". One by one, each woman steps out of the shadow of their infamous husband and tells their own story ... and are surprised at what they find.
This modern, pop-inspired musical brings six historical women to life, portraying them as fierce and influential pop stars in their own right.
Sharon Millerchip, best known for her on-stage roles, is working behind the scenes on SIX the Musical as assistant director.
"I know for a fact that being a director has made me a better performer, and all of my years of experience as a performer definitely informs my work as a director," she says.
"Having walked the talk, it means I have a short-cut when I'm talking to my cast; we speak the same language. One form really feeds the other, I think."
You name a musical, Millerchip has starred in it. Her last performance in Newcastle was Cats at the Civic Theatre back in 1989.
"Newcastle has changed so much, it is now a city unto itself and it's got a cultural identity that warrants big shows going there," she says.
Big shows like SIX the Musical. Seen by more than 3.5 million people worldwide each year, it has won 35 major international awards, including two Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Costume Design.
Portraying a king's wives as competing pop stars is a unique (OK, bizarre) concept for a musical, I suggest. Millerchip laughs.
"It is! It's very abstract. It's like the Spice Girls meets Henry the VIII. It's a very irreverent look at Tudor history, you might say," she says.
"A lot of people go to see the show not having a clear idea of what it is about but they like the sound of the buzz words. Within the first five minutes everyone gets on board. Everyone gets it.
"It's part history lesson, part musical, part pop concert with a live band on stage and musical influences from the likes of Beyonce, Adele, Pink and Alicia Keys."
It's also funny, uplifting and positive, she says, and inspires its audiences.
"It's an all-singing, all-dancing, high-energy performance and you leave the theatre feeling - and I know it sounds cliche - empowered. It's a Trojan horse in that respect," she says.
"Women identify with it because it centres around a powerfully female retelling of history. And it's quite layered because these women really did exist, and their stories were largely quite dark and ended pretty tragically.
"The show does, in a way, honour their legacy. It tells their story. We have this line, that 'history books are written by men, and predominately tell his story' - well, this is her story."
The musical was written by Cambridge University students Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss for the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was quickly picked up by West End producers. The rest is, no pun intended, history.
"They didn't write this show from a deep ambition to become music theatre writers. They felt it should be given artistic leeway. Even our understudies are under no obligation to replicate the performances of the people that they're covering," Millerchip says.
"This is only unusual if you understand musical theatre because that is not usually the case.
"It's a fantastic attribute to this show because it gives the performers such ownership of their creation, and I think audiences respond to that. It feels like they're watching real people up there.
"We haven't had an editorial directive come from overseas since we started the show in 2019. It shows great faith in our Australian artistic team, which is a great compliment."
Kimberley Hodgson agrees, while also giving a shout-out to the "Queendom, an incredible community who absolutely adore the show and come to see it multiple times".
"This show breaks the regular convention of musical theatre, which is wonderful as a performer," she says.
"It's a great way to engage with audiences on a whole other level while still singing, dancing and telling a story. In most other shows that I've done, especially the big commercial productions, you have to work within the restraints of what the parameters are in terms of direction and the degree of liberty you have as an actor.
"When it comes to this show, there is so much potential and opportunity for each individual to bring whatever it is they want - their strengths, their personality - to each of the queens."
