SIX the Musical London: I Booked on a Whim and Left Completely Obsessed

I honestly wasn’t sure about SIX. I’d seen the posters everywhere – those six women in jewel-toned corsets, that blinding purple stage lighting – and I’d thought, fine, another flashy musical. But my friend Sophie had been nagging me about it for months, and eventually I caved and booked us two tickets at the Vaudeville Theatre just to stop the conversation. Reader – I was so wrong about this show.

SIX is the pop-concert-meets-musical that takes Henry VIII’s six wives and reimagines them as a modern girl group competing to tell their stories. It’s feminist history and banger after banger – and it runs in just over an hour with no interval. No interval! I still can’t quite believe they pack this much emotional punch into 80 minutes.

What Actually Happens in SIX the Musical?

The premise is brilliantly simple. Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr are back – and they’re settling the debate once and for all about whose life with Henry VIII was the most dramatic. Each queen gets her own solo anthem. Each one makes you feel something different. I genuinely cried during Anne Boleyn’s song, which I was not expecting from a 10-minute pop banger about a woman who was beheaded, but here we are.

The cast rotates, so you might see different queens depending on when you go – and honestly, hearing people talk about their “version” of the cast is half the fun of the SIX fandom. The night I went, the energy in the room was extraordinary. The kind where you forget to check your phone, you forget your drink, you just watch. By the end the whole audience was on their feet – not one of those polite standing ovations, an actual involuntary leap-to-your-feet moment.

The Vaudeville Theatre – Is It a Good Venue?

SIX plays at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand – right in the heart of the West End, about a five-minute walk from Charing Cross station. It’s one of six venues run by Nimax Theatres, and it’s smaller than I expected, which is actually part of the magic. You’re never far from the stage. Even from row T in the circle, I could see every expression on the queens’ faces during the big finale.

The bar gets busy before the show – limited space – so I’d suggest getting a drink early or honestly just skipping it, since there’s no interval anyway. The acoustics are brilliant. The sound design is loud in the best possible way, like being at an actual pop concert but inside a historically listed building on the Strand.

Want to see what seats are available? You can check the interactive seating chart and available dates directly through Nimax – it shows you the exact view you’ll get before you buy.

Why Book Through the Official Box Office?

Here’s the thing about booking West End tickets – there are approximately a thousand resale sites that will happily charge you 40% more for the exact same seat. I’ve been burned by this before (once paid £95 for a £65 ticket and felt like an idiot for the entire show). The Nimax box office is the actual official source for SIX, which means face-value prices and no third-party markups.

The stalls are brilliant if you can stretch the budget – but honestly, the circle worked perfectly for me. The Vaudeville is compact enough that there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. That said, I’d probably avoid the very sides of the upper circle if you want to see the full stage width during the opening number – the production design spreads right to the wings.

Nimax also runs access performances throughout the run – audio described, captioned, and BSL-interpreted shows are available at certain dates. You can see the full accessibility schedule when you browse tickets, which I think is genuinely great for a show this loud and visually led.

Group Tickets for SIX – Is It Worth It?

SIX is honestly perfect for groups. Short enough that you don’t need to worry about people losing interest, loud enough that conversation is impossible (which for some groups is actually a blessing), and the subject matter lands with basically everyone – whether your crowd knows their Tudor history or thinks Henry VIII is just that episode of Horrible Histories they half-remember.

Groups of 10 or more can usually get discounted rates – contact Nimax directly about group bookings for SIX for the best available prices on larger parties. It’s also an excellent hen night option, for the record. Slightly obvious to say, maybe, but it really is.

My Honest Verdict on SIX the Musical

SIX is the rare West End show that actually delivers on its hype. The music is earworm-level catchy – I was humming “Don’t Lose Ur Head” on the tube home and still found myself searching for the cast recording at midnight. The performances are electric. The staging is clever without being showy about it. And at 80 minutes with no interval, it genuinely respects your evening.

The one honest complaint? The merchandise queue after the show is extremely long and slightly chaotic – if you want a SIX sweatshirt (and you will), budget an extra 20 minutes after the curtain call or order online. Minor in the grand scheme of an otherwise brilliant night out.

If you’re planning a London trip – or you’re local and just haven’t got around to it yet – this is the one to book. Six queens. One stage. Zero regrets.