Catherine of Aragon's crown is usually the biggest. Recent productions have their Aragons wear double-tiered crowns with golden spikes. Girl Group: The entire concept of Six: the Musical. In-universe, each of the queens embarked on different music careers before being discovered and banded together by Catherine Parr. Deconstruction: "All You Wanna Do" does this to Katherine Howard's typical portrayal as a promiscuous seducer of older men, by pointing out the fact that Katherine was a child when these adult men had these sexual relationships with her. Katherine initially reminisces on her sexual history with some fondness, but as the song progresses she grows increasingly uncomfortable and her trauma is fully realised by the end of it. Aside Glance: The queens often interact and speak directly to the audience, but during times where they're supposed to be talking to each other it can result in this. In "No Way", Catherine of Aragon declares that, no matter what Henry does or says, she'll always be the true Queen of England.

The biggest moment of this trope comes near the end of the show, where they lament to each other about how "awesome it would have been" to reclaim their stories by singing about it. Cue all the queens slowly and smugly turning towards the audience. True Companions: "Six", the closing number, imagines a world where the women (except Jane Seymour) never married Henry, and instead met and became friends… as well as a girl group! Henry chose to include Jane, rather than his then-wife, Catherine Parr,in this dynastic portrait. Painted around 1545, the work depicts Edward, Henry and Jane at itscenter and Mary and Elizabeth in the wings. Anna of Cleves ◊' luxurious tastes, personal independence and radical sensibilities are reflected by an outfit that would be far more likely to be worn by a noble man than a noblewoman in Tudor times. She wears a fur coat and tomboyish shorts, as well as knee-high boots in later productions. As an attention-grabbing showwoman, she also wears a chain-laden leotard underneath her coat. Her colour, bright red, symbolises her charismatic, energetic personality. Left: Natalie Pilkington- (Bliss cruise alternate) as Catherine Parr.She also has similar sleeves as can be seen in the first Maedke dress. The pants look similar to Parr’s, but if there /is/ lacing on the sides, it doesn’t look near as wide apart as the lacing in Parr’s outfit usually is (although there have been slight variations from actress to actress).Green and Mean: Downplayed with Anne Boleyn. She's no villain, sure, but she does consistently litter dialogue with derisive quips and insults. Divorced queens wear spikes on their head to represent the spikes of divorces. The spikes also represent crowns, showing how they were royalty before they married Henry, along with the choices of gold and silver chains to show wealth. Recurring Riff: The tune of "Greensleeves" is the first piece of music played in the show leading up to the opening number. This motif occurs a few more times throughout the score, particularly in "Ex-Wives" and the beginning of "Megasix". Anne (or, as the musical calls her, Anna) of Cleves was, in some historians’ view, the most successful of Henry’s six queens. After just six months of marriage, she earned the king’s enduring affection by agreeing to an annulment. Then, she proceeded to outlive her former husband, not to mention the rest of his wives, by a decade. “[Anne] did get pushed to the side in a rather unceremonious way, but she had a pretty good life,” says Storoschuk. “She was given several properties. She gambled a lot. She got to go hunting, she had the best clothes and the best food. She was loved at court.”

Haus of Holbein" has the line "You bring the corsets, we'll bring the cinches / No one wants a waist over nine inches". During the 16th century, the corset was not actually used to cinch the waist—rather, it was used to mold the torso into a more cylindrical shape and raise the bustline. The extreme tight-lacing to create a tiny waist didn't become fashionable until the 19th century. Silk Hiding Steel: "Heart of Stone" is all about this trope, with Jane singing that no matter what comes her way, no matter what Henry puts her through, she can take it, and is still going to be standing in the end. Jane Seymour's solo, "Heart of Stone", is hinged on this concept. No matter the trouble, Jane insists that her love will persist.Anne Boleyn's impulsiveness and strong opinions. Her hot temper and willingness to insult those that upset her, including Henry, ultimately get her beheaded. Just Friends: Katherine Howard insists (with relief) that she and Thomas Culpeper are "just mates, no chemistry", and is delighted to have a best friend… but then she finds out he's attracted to her. Disproportionate Retribution: To say Henry overreacted to the (alleged) adultery of his second and fifth wives is a vast understatement. This is why much of history remembers him as The Bluebeard. In an earlier version of the West End production, the queens' argument actually turns physical, prompting Catherine Parr and even Anna of Cleves to step in and cut it out.