JETAA London: Hearing the Perspective of Henry VIII’s Wives in Japanese - A Theatre Trip to See SIX

On 5th November, a small group of JETAA London members were “remember, remember”-ing a different historical story to the usual seasonal tale as we gathered at the Vaudeville Theatre to see popular musical SIX, being performed in London by the Japanese cast for a limited time only. Ella Donaldson, South Chapter Chair, ventured up to London to join them, and tells us her thoughts on the show.

Most people who grew up in England probably had to learn about Tudors at school, and one Tudor king in particular, with a well known phrase (it can't really be called a rhyme) to remember the fates of his multiple unfortunate wives. SIX is a modern take on the six wives of Henry VIII - Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr, as they each take turns presenting their experiences in their own words, through song. For once, they, not their infamous husband, are in the spotlight as we get their side of the story.

It was really interesting to me seeing English history presented in Japanese, by a Japanese cast, and I was also surprised by how many Japanese people were in the audience to see a musical about the history of a country other than their own - one lady I met briefly before the show had even created her own handmade version of Anne Boleyn’s outfit from the musical! I really liked how each Queen had her own unique personality, which was reflected in both their outfits and their songs. They really were like an idol group (fans could even buy a set of bracelets not unlike the ones fans make and exchange at concerts for Taylor Swift or K-Pop groups), and the songs were fun, catchy, and full of flair. I haven't personally seen the original English version of SIX, but I felt that the Japanese version worked well, flowed effectively, and conveyed the queens' different attitudes perfectly.

The cast on the night we attended included a few faces that may be familiar to those interested in certain aspects of Japanese pop culture - Japanese-born Korean actress and singer Sonim, from early 2000s pop duo EE Jump, Airi Suzuki from Hello! Project groups ℃-ute and Buono!, and former Takarazuka Revue otokoyaku (actress specialising in male roles) Sora Kazuki. They and their fellow cast members all put on great performances, and represented their respective queens wonderfully.

 All in all, it was an amazing evening!