www.whatsonstage.com: Six is the longest-running show in the history of the Lena Horne Theatre (formerly the Brooks Atkinson), the 40th-longest-running show in Broadway history, and the seventh-longest-running Broadway show to have originated in the United Kingdom. Its final performance will be 3 January, 2027.
11 comments:
Six ending its Broadway run makes me so incredibly sad. Six is so full of feminism, fun music, and pure joy, and I think that its closing will leave a hole on Broadway. That being said, the fact that Six has been able to run for so long and has done so well commercially is wonderful. Six is not the typical Broadway production; it's short, female-led, and has a pop-inspired score. Despite that, Six has become the longest-running show in the Lena Horne Theatre and the 40th longest-running show in Broadway history. When I first discovered Six in March of 2020, I fell in love with the show and was so upset that the pandemic had prevented it from opening on Broadway. When the height of the lockdowns ended, Six opened and had an incredible, years-long run. Many shows were not that lucky. Many Broadway shows were casualties of the pandemic, and in a way, Six is a relic of the pandemic. Though its closing is a sad occasion, its existence is a reminder that art will always persevere, even through hard times.
While the closing of Six on Broadway is certainly sad, it brings a great moment to celebrate its joyous and exuberant nature. Six is an anomaly in the commercial Broadway market - the musical functions not far from an eighty-minute high-energy rock concert. The production's value is explosive and, for me, has been shocking to see how long it has been able to run on Broadway - also striking that it's the longest show in the history of the Lena Horne Theatre. In addition to Six powerful run in New York, it has recently ended its North American tour. But Six is still making a huge impact as it runs on the West End and tours the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia, with upcoming international engagements in Spain (Madrid) and China. So while its closure on Broadway is upsetting, it is certainly not a testament to the success of the production. While I have not seen the show in person, I am familiar with its catchy music and, for me, its jubilant lighting design. Huge kudos to Tim Deiling for truly creating a new niche of lighting in the commercial market.
Having listened to Six since COVID I was shocked that the musical was ending. It's been a performance that has connected me with friends and inspired me to explore further into the wives of King Henry. Historically based performances are one of my favorites since they always lead me to exploring the source material and context of both the event and the contemporary significance. Six was the first musical I experienced when I was old enough to be interested in the history that led to the creation of the musical so the end of the performances is both nostalgic and thankful. It was a bridge for me between so many of my interests in a time when I was figuring out who I was. I am glad they created an official proshot before the end so that the production can be recorded and shared to those who were not able to view the musical.
Having listened to Six since COVID I was shocked that the musical was ending. It's been a performance that has connected me with friends and inspired me to explore further into the wives of King Henry. Historically based performances are one of my favorites since they always lead me to exploring the source material and context of both the event and the contemporary significance. Six was the first musical I experienced when I was old enough to be interested in the history that led to the creation of the musical so the end of the performances is both nostalgic and thankful. It was a bridge for me between so many of my interests in a time when I was figuring out who I was. I am glad they created an official proshot before the end so that the production can be recorded and shared to those who were not able to view the musical.
In my opinion, this is fully expected. Six was only able to operate for as long as it did because they had low operating costs, but not as low as they needed to keep going. Due to the short length of the show and consistent lack of big name star power, their average ticket price hovered around 100$ and the capacity was often between 65 and 85 percent (with some weeks dropping to 55 percent). What likely happened is they were hit hard in June (as most shows are) and lost the majority of their reserve cash. Then, they were hit again in August and didn’t have the cash on hand to push through. Six as a concept is a good idea, but why would someone spend 100 dollars for a ticket to an 80 minute show when they can see a 2.5 to 3 hour show for the same price. Of course, it is sad to see a show close, but I think Six had their fun. The investors recouped and made money, they got tours and worldwide productions and now its time for people to move on.
I must admit, I am slightly shocked that SIX lasted this long on Broadway. As incredible and empowering the story is, I was slightly skeptical that it would last as long as it did, especially after it debuted in the midst of the COVID pandemic. After hearing news of its closing, I can reflect on why it lasted so long. I believe the main reason was because the production value was so low. The musical last only eighty minutes, had a six person cast, and had a fairly sparse set.
Additionally, something I learned is SIX's second performance, and practically first preview, was at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Knowing the School of Drama's connection with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival through the Center of new Works makes me think how possible it can be to get a show on to Broadway. Sometimes I feel Broadway shows are super sacrosanct, so learning how SIX came to be gives me hope that our colleagues in the dramatic writing program can make it big.
I'm going to be a hater here: I don't like Six. I've never liked Six, frankly, and while I appreciate it as the easy on-ramp into the beautiful world of theatre that I treasure, it's constant presence on Broadway has always baffled me. I don't begrudge people for liking it -- it's a reasonably enjoyable time with some high-tempo tracks that get the people absolutely moving -- but I just can't get behind it. Having said that, I'm very impressed with what Six has achieved. The resilience of the creative team to keep the momentum and love for the show going, even through a pandemic, is admirable, and in this economy, any show that manages to run for as long as Six has gets some degree of my respect. So, I begrudgingly put down my pitchfork and give the cast and crew of Six a hand -- they've all more than earned it.
I was lucky enough to see Six on broadway while it was in previews, and I actually got to see Lucy Moss on the street later that day. I remember thinking it was really cool, and I understood why it was popular at that time. It was right around the time that Tik Tok started to get super popular and the language in the music is just Gen-Z enough to be quotable, but not too specific to the time for it to be cringe in a couple of months. But I remember thinking that it was similar to seeing a TV show character live as a kid. Like when my little cousin went to see Daniel Tiger live (my friend was a carp on that tour so I got to tell her that my friend knew Daniel Tiger personally). It’s an interactive experience where the characters talk to the audience directly and are aware that they’re singing – which is honestly rare for a broadway show, and perhaps why it was so successful.
I first saw Six in 2022, and it was such a fun, cute and short show! The music is some of the most prevalent in modern-day musical theatre pop songs, and hearing that it was going to give its last performance on the 3rd of January, after more than 2,000 performances kind of breaks my heart. What is most unfortunate about the end of this production is the repercussions it has for Broadway altogether. The closing of an extremely successful show should be a wake-up call for this industry. With rising production costs and changing audience preferences, making money off a long-running show is becoming increasingly harder and harder. If even such a dynamic show that attracts tourists is struggling, it means the commercial theatre world is facing tough times. Times are clearly changing, and I guess there just wasn't a market for this show anymore after almost 6 years. Sad to see it go!
Although I know that all Broadway shows have an expiration date, I am still disappointed to hear of its closing. I think what I find most upsetting is the fact that this show successfully opened right as Broadway was coming out of Covid, and it still triumphed with its comparatively short run time, small all female cast and band, and an intimate theater. It also showed the Broadway community that the use of pop sounding music (not Jukebox) can be entertaining and meaningful. It also was successful online, with many of its songs going viral, and the ability to record the last song spread the news out about the musical in a way that hadn't been accessible before. I believe that the closing of Six is an indicator to the current trajectory of Broadway and the struggle to keep shows open due to costs. Additionally, I think Broadway audiences are getting more and more numb to closings as they continue to happen more often. I hope that Six serves as a reminder to audiences to be aware of the turning point that Broadway is in, and advocate accordingly.
Six closing marks a shift in broadway. The age of long running original musicals is dying and no one can seem to figure out why. Six was a triumph in new work and getting younger and diverse audiences to engage with broadway, my 12 year old self one of them. While now, i really do not enjoy listening to it, with the rise of jukebox musicals, revivals, and musicals derived from a movie script, this was a breath of fresh air. Now that it is closing, it marks a tonal shift in the industry. Apparently nothing can keep audiences engaged and happy, but also everyone is sad that it is closing, so none of it really makes sense. It is also heartbreaking to see so many people lose their jobs. For long running shows like these, the musical becomes a full time job, it is secure and does not have people anxious where their next source of income will come from, now it does.
Well I do think that it is very sad that six is closing on Broadway, I believe that it has run its course of being a long-standing Broadway show and should close. Many long running Broadway shows despite being very popular and making a lot of money are taking up space that could be used for smaller or more impactful shows to have a short run or maybe even a longer run so more people could access more different kinds of theater. Because of the way Broadway is formatted where these rich families own these theaters only things that make money end up running.That is where we get the model of only popular and money making shows like Wicked, Hamilton, Hadestown, And many other easily digestible and popular shows that will make this rich families even richer. I do think six was very impactfulTo the audience and had a good message but I do think that it has run its course and I believe other shows should as well.
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