Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Four stars
When Taylor Swift released her epic 2025 single, The Fate of Ophelia, it possibly did more to introduce the work of William Shakespeare to Swift’s school age audience than an entire term of English Lit classes. One suspects something similar has occurred with the History syllabus over the last decade since Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s poptastic celebration of Henry VIII’s six wives was performed by a bunch of Cambridge undergraduates on the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe before conquering the world.
The premise is simple. Each of Henry’s exes who have been magicked together like a manufactured girl band from the grave take it in turns to tell the story of their respective wedded bliss with the king in a bid to prove who was the best queen, divorces, beheading or plain old everyday deaths notwithstanding.
The first of two sextets for this latest tour already look and sound like a stadium-sized headline act in Moss and Jamie Armitage’s slick production. The result once they start strutting their stuff is a post Pop Idol revue in which each wife channels her inner diva through signature numbers that show off their respective attitudes.
Pop bangers, power ballads, Teutonic techno and a slow soul are all in the mix throughout a set of choreographed routines backed up by the Ladies in Waiting all woman live band.
Beyond the bump and grind, one can’t help but be reminded of Caryl Churchill’s seminal 1980s play, Top Girls, in which key women from history were brought together. Where Churchill gathered her guest for a dinner party, the dressed up girl gang of SIX have it considerably larger.
Madison Swan as Aragon, Izi Maxwell as Boleyn, Laura Dawkes as Seymour, Hannah Victoria as Cleves,Lizzie Emery as Howardand Eloise Lord as Parr give it their collective all as they rewrite their assorted endings in a show that is educational, entertaining and ultimately emancipatory in the ultimate girl powered call to arms.
The Herald, September 17th 2026
ends
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