The Queens Deserve Their Flowers: “Six” Breaks Records
(Photo: Joan Marcus)
by Chris Peterson
While other shows chase spectacle and headlines, Six: The Musical just made Broadway history. On June 27, it became the longest-running production ever at the Lena Horne Theatre, surpassing Waitress with its 1,545th performance. Not bad for a pop concert about Henry VIII’s wives that started as a university project.
When Six finally opened on Broadway in 2021, after a pandemic delay that kept the curtain down for over a year, it felt like something new. Just six microphones, one band, and no intermission. It didn’t look like a traditional Broadway musical, and it didn’t want to. These six queens weren’t here to be rescued or rewritten. They were here to tell their stories—on their terms, in their voices, and with enough glitter to light up Times Square.
What’s remarkable is not just how Six exploded onto the scene. It’s how it has stayed there. The show now has bookings through January 2026. In a Broadway landscape that’s been unpredictable at best, Six has quietly become one of the most reliable hits in town.
The current cast includes Najah Hetsberger, Gianna Yanelli, Kelsie Watts, Krystal Hernandez, Kay Sibal, and Taylor Marie Daniel. Each one delivers a vocal performance worthy of a stadium tour, but they also work together with precision and chemistry. It’s a tight 80 minutes that lives or dies by the strength of the ensemble, and this cast is more than up to the challenge.
While some shows have struggled to find footing in the post-pandemic era, Six has thrived. Attendance remains strong, and the energy inside the Lena Horne Theatre hasn’t dipped.
It’s easy to underestimate Six. There’s no crashing chandelier. No flying carpet. No elaborate plot twists. But there is a point of view, a clear voice, and a creative team that knew exactly what story they wanted to tell. The songs are catchy, yes, but they’re also thoughtful. “Heart of Stone” and “All You Wanna Do” carry weight beneath the gloss. And Catherine Parr’s closing number is a quiet knockout—a reminder that survival is its own kind of triumph.
The success of Six feels especially meaningful in a season where Broadway set all-time box office records. Audiences clearly want stories that feel fresh but familiar, smart but accessible. Six checks all those boxes. You leave the theatre singing. You leave with something to talk about. And for many people, especially younger fans, it’s the first time Broadway has felt like it was built for them.
The queens of Six may have started as historical footnotes, but now they’ve claimed the spotlight and held it. This isn’t a flash in the pan. It’s a cultural reset. And it’s earned every crown and corset along the way. Long live the queens.