Six announced a couple weeks ago that it is due to close on Broadway on 3rd January, 2027, after a decline in ticket sales.
The announcement came after two of the original West End queens reprised their roles — Natalie Paris as Jane Seymour, and Aimie Atkinson as Katherine Howard, respectively. Atkinson had been engaged in the London production of Beetlejuice, playing Delia Deetz prior to her redebut in Six. I’m a huge fan of this musical, but there’s always that one production of a show that most people like — whilst you don’t.
I’ve known Six since it first came to Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, and I’ve been obsessed with the show since. I never got to see it live despite the show stopping to Nottingham numerous times, and I first saw it on the West End in 2024, and then again a couple months ago for its ongoing UK tour. I think it’s a pretty good show, despite feeling like it’s lost its magic as the years flew by.
Now, onto the question — do I think that Six belongs on Broadway?
No.
The show toured across the USA from 2019-2020 before moving to Broadway; however, the show closed due to lockdown stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic before reopening in 2021, with the original tour and Broadway cast reprising their respective roles.
Don’t get me wrong — the original cast excelled in their characters, but I can’t help but feel that things changed when they left the show. Six is currently touring across the USA for the third time with their Boleyn tour; the previous being the Aragon tour that lasted a year from 2022-2023.
However, there is a pattern that I’ve noticed, which connects the Broadway production and the North American tours together.
A major problem with these productions is that they keep reusing the same actresses over and over again — and it’s only recently that they hired fresh actors that haven’t been in the show before; some of them have come back several times, this also includes their covers. I’m sure all of them are wonderful in their roles, but I think there comes to a point where it gets boring not seeing new faces. It’s mostly the reason why I have distaste towards the Broadway run — there’s no diversity.
I’m someone who doesn’t focus on Broadway productions in general; hell, I don’t even care about Broadway, but I mostly have my eye on regional, touring, and West End productions in the UK — but I think that the Broadway run is kind of… mid, to say the least.
Let’s delve into comparing the Broadway and the West End cast and see the difference between hiring new faces vs reusing the same actors in their respective productions.
Six had its West End debut at the Arts Theatre in January 2019, sharing the venue with its previous Off-West End production the year prior. It then moved to the Lyric Theatre in 2020, before closing a week after its opening night due to restrictions stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic, and later reopened in May 2021. It later moved to the Vaudeville Theatre in September that year, where it currently lives.
The original 2019 cast consisted of Jarnéia Richard-Noel (Catherine of Aragon), Millie O’Connell (Anne Boleyn), Natalie Paris (Jane Seymour), Alexia McIntosh (Anna of Cleves), Aimie Atkinson (Katherine Howard), and Maiya Quansah-Breed as Catherine Parr. The swings included Grace Mouat, Vicki Manser, and Courtney Stapleton; Collette Guitart and Shekinah McFarlane later joined in July that year.
Mouat and Guitart would later leave the show in order to appear in the original West End production of & Juliet together.
The West End production has encountered many cast changes over the years — especially during the COVID-19 era, and some covers stayed for a while, whilst some decided to not return after lockdown; that said, some principals and covers return to the production temporarily, or as an emergency cover. Natalie Paris, the original actress who played Jane Seymour, is notable for returning to several productions — such as touring in the US, now appearing in Broadway, and sometimes emergency covers either in the West End or its ongoing UK tour.
Most actors in the London production either stay for a year or two; the first option is the most common, and some stay up to three years — all depends on what they decide to do with their contract.
The first thing we see when comparing the two productions is that London barely hires the same actresses who were previously in the show; sometimes they do — a notable example being Dionne Ward-Anderson, who played Anna of Cleves from 2021-22; 2022-23, and 2025-26. Anderson exited the show in order to appear in the first West End revival of Avenue Q, which is due to close in January 3rd, 2027.
Other notable examples being Catherine of Aragon’s original actress, Jarnéia-Richard Noel; Alexia McInotish played Anna of Cleves; Collette Guitart as a super swing for all six Queens, they all stayed for a consecutive two years from 2019-21. Rachel Rawlinson and Esme Rothero also stayed for two years between 2021-23 as super swings, and when the 2022-23 cast were replaced in October 17th, 2023, they stayed for two years until 2025 with some minor cast changes in between. Cast members, mostly swings, return to the production either for temporary additions, or as an emergency cover.
TLDR; Cast changes included new faces, with some exceptions, and some come back depending on the situation(s).
So, why can’t Broadway do the same?
It’s just Broadway culture.
It’s quite common for Broadway actors to join a show they’ve previously been in before, and they often leave after a few months of being in the production. I believe that most Broadway shows are unwilling to train newcomers — whether that’s for financial reasons, or they are simply lazy; though, I do like to think it’s the latter.
Let’s take a look at what Broadway gives us.
The 2020-2022 cast consisted of Adrianna Hicks (Catherine of Aragon), Andrea Macasaet (Anne Boleyn), Abby Mueller (Jane Seymour; temporarily took over by Keri René Fuller in March-May 2022), Brittney Mack (Anna of Cleves), Samantha Pauly (Katherine Howard), and Anna Uzele as Catherine Parr up until March 2022 when Joy Woods took over the role, and then Brennyn Lark from August-December.
The cast previously played their respective roles in the Pre-Broadway tour in 2019 before lockdown. Mallory Maedke, who was a swing in the Broadway production, temporarily took over the role of Jane Seymour in the tour from November-December that same year.
Maedke, Courtney Mack, and Nicole Kyoung-Mi Lambert were the original swings in the Broadway run; in September, 2021, Keirsten Nicole Hodgens joined as the show needed another swing, and it gradually grew over the year with Cassie Silva in January, 2022; Holli’ Conway and Ayla Ciccone-Burton in August; and Hana Stewart between March-April as a temporary swing. Stewart was previously in the 2019-2021 and 2023-25 West End cast, and was briefly a principal for Jane Seymour before leaving due to maternity leave.
Most of the covers ended up in the North American tours, and usually came back to the Broadway production later on. Lambert is the only cover so far that hasn’t left Broadway since it first opened in 2020.
Khaila Wilcoxon, who currently plays Catherine of Aragon, originally played the role in the Aragon tour from 2022-2023, and joined the Broadway run in 2023. She left in 2024, and returned in May, 2026. All the Aragon tour Queens reprised their respective roles from 2023-2025, with Adrianna Hicks returning as Aragon in November, 2024, taking over the role from Wilcoxon. One of the swings, Aubrey Matalon, replaced Jasmine Forsberg as Jane Seymour in January, 2025.
It wasn’t until the 2025-2026 cast was when the production had finally hired new people, but it was too late, as the show was on its last legs — and eventually announced that it will close its doors in January 3rd, 2027.
As of February, 2026, Adrianna Hicks, Jasmine Forsberg, Olivia Donalson, and Anna Uzele returned to reprise their previous roles. Wilcoxon replaced Hicks in May, and Kristin Malonado replaced Dylan Mulvaney as Anne Boleyn in June, followed suit by Chloe Tucker Caine, Natalie Paris, and Aimie Atkinson in August.
There isn’t enough diversity regarding hiring actors who haven’t been in the show before.
That said — I believe there’s a difference with the acting between the Broadway and West End productions, and the West End obviously is the better option here.
I do personally believe that Six in general has lost its spark over the years — and it’s not just Broadway.
I’ve known this show since Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 when I was 13, and I have loved it since. However, I do prefer the show’s earlier days, which its success was unfortunately cut short due to the lockdown by the COVID-19 pandemic — causing all productions over the world to halt. As much as I love this musical dearly, I do think there comes a time where all good things must come to an end — and obviously, it doesn’t include Broadway based on this blog.
Here are a couple of fun facts about the show:
- Hana Stewart is the only actress who played in a production of Six whilst pregnant. She was a principal for Jane Seymour in the 2025-26 West End cast, playing her final performance as Seymour in November, 2025. She was five months and a half pregnant when she took her final bow.
- Toby Marlow, one of the creators of Six, made their emergency cover as Catherine Parr in the West End production on July 28, 2019. Half of the cast and covers were out due to illness, and both of the two shows that day subesquently had no choreography and was performed as a concert instead. Genesis Lynea, who played Anna of Cleves in the original Arts Theatre production from 2017-18, emergency covered the role with Courtney Stapleton stepping in for Jane Seymour. Marlow’s sister, Annabel, played Katherine Howard in the original student production of the show in July-October, 2017.
- Before the creators settled on Six, Little Six and Sixth Harmony, based on Little Mix and Fifth Harmony, were considered.
- On August 1, 2021, Six had its first show ever in which none of the principals actresses performed; instead, all six roles were played by alternates and swings.
- The second occurrence took place on September 29, 2024.
- All Queens had their own influences and were based on different celebrities:
- Catherine of Aragon: Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson
- Anne Boleyn: Avril Lavigne and Lily Allen
- Jane Seymour: Adele, Sia, and Céline Dion
- Anna of Cleves: Nicki Minaj and Rihanna
- Katherine Howard: Britney Spears and Ariana Grande
- Catherine Parr: Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé
In conclusion: If you’re going to have a Broadway production… at least be willing to hire new people rather than repeatedly using the same actors over and over again.
I’m sorry, Broadway, but it’s your time to go — to my pleasure.
Six is currently playing at the Lena Horne Theatre on Broadway, and will have its final curtain on January 3, 2027.
