Six – The History Behind the Hit: Anne Boleyn

After a hit season on West End, ‘Six’ recently debuted in Australia and Broadway. A historically inspired musical, ‘Six’ reimagines Henry VIII’s wives as a pop group, exploring their humorous yet equally heart-wrenching stories through song. In this series, discover more about the real-life figures behind the show, with “Six Facts” for each of the Six Queens.

The second Queen, and Henry VIII’s second wife, is Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn

“I broke England from the Church, yeah I’m that sexy. Why did I lose my head? Well my sleeves may be green but my lipstick’s red.”
(Anne Boleyn in the musical ‘Six’)

Anne Boleyn was an English gentlewoman who caught the eye of King Henry while serving as a lady in waiting to Katherine of Aragon. She refused to be his mistress and eventually persuaded Henry to annul his marriage, resulting in the Reformation of the Church. Queen Anne gave birth to the future Elizabeth I, but also failed to produce a male heir, leading to her false arrest and execution for witchcraft, incest and adultery.

Fact 1 – Descendant of Kings… and Hatters

Through her mother, Anne was a member of the illustrious Howard family and a descendant of King Edward I of England. However, her paternal great-grandfather Geoffrey Boleyn was actually a common merchant, specifically a Hatter. 

Fact 2 – Educated like a Princess

In a time period when many gentlewomen were barely literate, Anne was given extensive tutoring. She was educated at the progressive Austrian Court and later French Court, where she learned literature, mathematics and philosophy, as well as more traditional skills such as needlework, music, dancing and French.

Fact 3 – The sister of Henry’s Mistress

The first Boleyn girl that Henry courted was actually Anne’s sister. Despite the fact that she was married to his close friend, he seduced Mary and likely fathered at least one of her children. This relationship later caused problems when Henry wanted to marry Anne because marrying the sister of a former lover was seen as incestuous.

Fact 4 – Nearly Married someone else

After joining the English Court; Anne caused a stir by trying to elope with Henry Percy. In what is generally believed to be a love match, she made a binding pact to marry the future Earl of Northumberland in 1523. However, the powerful Cardinal Wolsey discovered and prevented the match, earning Anne’s lifelong enmity and leading to his eventual downfall.

Fact 5 – Almost murdered by Rioters

Due to her displacement of the popular Katherine of Aragon as Queen, Anne was despised by the English commoners. One night, while having dinner at a villa on the Thames, a mob of 7,000-8,000 women came to kill her. She barely escaped with her life, fleeing on the river by boat.

Fact 6 – Executed by a Swordsman

When Anne was found guilty of treason, Henry ordered her to be executed by beheading. This was typically carried out by an axeman and often required several painful attempts. However, Anne requested and was granted a professional French swordsman, who successfully executed her in a single, painless stroke

The Show

In ‘Six’ Anne is a fun-loving party girl who wants ‘to try and get ahead’ and sets her sights on the King of England. While her seduction wins her the crown, Anne has a sharp tongue that eventually alienates everyone around her, including Henry.

‘Don’t Lose Your Head’ is a dismissal of the haters. This hilarious and ironic number expresses both the arc of Anne’s relationship with Henry and her disregard for the opinions of others. Check out the Studio Cast Recording featuring Christina Modestu on Spotify.

“There is magic in this show. Real life magic.”
(Kala Gare)

Kala Gare is playing Anne Boleyn in the currently postponed Australian Tour of ‘Six’. A 2017 graduate of the BFA Music Theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts, she made her professional debut in London as Sophie de Palma in ‘Masterclass’. Other notable roles include Maureen in ‘Rent’ (Chapel Off Chapel), Anastasia in ‘50 Shades!’ (David Venn Enterprises) and Alice in ‘Bright Star’ (The Production Company). Kala is also a classically trained pianist and the lead singer of the award-winning band Legacy.

For more on ‘Six’, you can follow the musical on Facebook and Instagram, listen to the cast recording on Spotify or see the National Tour in Melbourne, Adelaide or Wellington, which will recommence at an unconfirmed date. To learn about Anne Boleyn, check out the historical fiction novels ‘Anne Boleyn: A King’s Obsession’ by Alison Weir and ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’ by Philippa Gregory, as well as the television series ‘The Tudors’.

Photos sourced via Facebook and the Daily Art Magazine.

Read more about Henry VIII’s first wife, Katherine of Aragon.