The Book of Six: Two Uncanny Musicals

By Sam Avila

Both West End and Prince of Wales

Theatres blew me out of the water with not only their amazingly low ticket prices, but also the amount of talented casting actors and actresses who stole the show with their unique singing, hilarious jokes, and overall fantastic performance brought by them.

The Book of Mormon Review

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators behind the hit-comedy television series South Park, were responsible for putting together this edgy and raunchy musical to the theatres. And it’s about Mormons. Since the story and the bulk of lyrics are by Parker and Stone, The Book of Mormon is bright, fierce, challenging and unashamedly scatological. Is anyone surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be.

numbers to a musical.

The two Salt Lake City Mormons, the narcissistic Elder Price and the nerdy Elder Cunningham, are sent as missionaries to Uganda, much to Elder Price’s disappointment. After Price’s song about Orlando, both missionaries make their way to their first Ugandan home to preach.

“Do you ever feel there’s something missing in your life?” Elder Cunningham questions. Bad move on his part as both Mormons are greeted by none other than the general of Uganda. You want his name? Well… we’ll just go with General Buttnaked!

The first surprise is how catchy? The music is. The opening number Hello! introduces us to each Mormon character, as they pop up around the stage to mimic ringing doorbells, accompanied by the Book of Mormon clenched onto their chests. It is one of the best intro

(DO NOT LOOK IT UP, YOU WILL REGRET IT!)

General Buttnaked was not really in the mood to hear about the good lord Jesus Christ, so he robbed the pair. After getting their clothes and other belongings stolen by the general and his crew, both Mormons meet up with Mafala, a villager in Uganda who blatantly ignores the two’s misfortune during their first day. We also get to meet his daughter, Nabulungi, who Cunningham always seems to mistakenly forget as the musical continues.

I mean, this guy literally called her “Nutella” and “Nicki Minaj” once, like seriously dude?

From both Mormons realizing just how messed up the general is and his torment on the Ugandan villagers, Cunningham naively shows the citizens of the story behind Mormonism but makes up the entire story of Joseph Smith (the founder of Mormonism). First accidentally, but then intentionally continued on with his lies. Needless to say, it does not go well for the two after this.

Ousted by the religious organization, the two Mormons, along with Nabulungi, decide to create their own religion: The Book of Arnold! (Founded by Elder Cunningham himself).

Six the Musical Review

Six the musical has an eye-catching premise and an overwhelming sense of confidence raging from every character. Instead of having two Mormons as our main protagonists, we get the six wives of King Henry VIII of England, all in order: these ladies sealed their fates with the king. This also plays as a competition with each queen facing off to see who had the worst time as Henry’s wife.

However, with the last known queen, Catherine Parr, surviving as Henry’s sixth wife, the competition quickly dissolves into curiosity for the audience. Everyone is at the edge of their seats wondering, “how can her experience compete with the rest?”

And BOY did Catherine take the cake on this whole competition plot line. She stops her stage number quickly and, instead, reflects off her experience with the king. This change in performance showcases the importance of retelling these stories through the eyes of each individual queen.

The musical ends perfectly with a reprise of the opening song “Six” which highlights each queen’s challenges and accomplishments without categorizing themselves as Henry’s wives. By taking the theme of independence and using it to reclaim each queen’s stories, it pushes them away from being in Henry VIII’s shadow.

The whole show truly proves that theatre is ever-so evolving and becoming more creative after the COVID pandemic. “SIX” is a show that I would recommend to ANYONE who is looking for a musical to enjoy with the whole family. You will definitely not be disappointed!

Catherine of Aragon (Divorced)

Anne Boleyn (Beheaded)

Jane Seymour (Died from Childbirth)

Anna of Cleves (Divorced)

Katherine Howard (Beheaded)

Catherine Parr (Survived)

The pattern of having the wives’ deaths either being beheaded or divorced creates an interesting hook for audiences to know how