Purity signalling - musical authors withdraw from Graham Norton's show to promote their musical, because JK Rowling was also being interviewed about her new children's book

Working, ageism is disgusting - why fall into it, as a feminist, regardless of your views? How crass.

I'm not a historian, I didn't even study history at school but I'll honestly say that Wolf Hall and SIX have both changed the way I think of Henry 8th - added context and dimensions - which is what art is for. TBH it wasn't that I agreed with his portrayal, I just hadn't really ever given him much thought, but I know that now I will have talking points for when my DD is learning to recite his wives by the way they died.

As I've said, I have studied this period of history and I'm not keen on Wolf Hall either, though I think it's very a well constructed novel. As you say, it's art. Anyone has the right to interpret history, but one interpretation is not the be all and end all and other people have different takes.

If Boris changed our entire legal system to align it with his libido and fathering skills, presenting himself as the epitome of fatherhood and the women he cheats on as lucky to have been impregnated by him - then I would want to hear it from a different perspective, yes. I'd want someone to bring up that he criticised single mothers whilst shagging around and creating single parent families in his wake - that's the equivalence to Henry and Six. It's adding an angle, not a rewrite.

I think SIX is brilliant. It doesn't touch on trans issues, of course not - it's historical, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't touch on a lot of important, feminist points that persist today - from preference for sons, to girls being seduced and married off as teenagers, to the way stories are often told as women essentially fighting for a desirable man and then driving him to violence. The people here commenting on it without actually seeing it or listening to it are doing the same as people commenting on JKR's essay without reading it.

For example, Anne of Cleaves - history says she tricked Henry into marriage by having a portrait more attractive than she really was... poor, manipulative, ugly Anne. For her section, SIX has a song about beauty standards actually killing you and then makes you think/realise that she was by far the luckiest wife and had a nice life without the limitations of the royal husband that dominated and ruined the lives of the other five. He looks a bit of a pillock for trying to take her as a wife after only seeing a painting. Almost everyone comes out thinking that if you had to choose to be one of the wives, you would be her - so instead of rejection, you see her getting off lightly.

I'm not a historian, I didn't even study history at school but I'll honestly say that Wolf Hall and SIX have both changed the way I think of Henry 8th - added context and dimensions - which is what art is for. TBH it wasn't that I agreed with his portrayal, I just hadn't really ever given him much thought, but I know that now I will have talking points for when my DD is learning to recite his wives by the way they died.

The writers have been ridiculous though, I'm not defending them.

As for reclaiming their voices, the musical really isn't doing that, because we are talking about people who are long, long dead, and have no longer any voices to reclaim. What the musical is doing, is imposing messages upon historical characters, ones which the individuals themselves may or may not have agreed with. It's not empowering to anyone in any way to do this.

Fine if you like the music and not everything has to have a message but how can this be empowering?

I totally get that if you haven't seen the show, but that's kind of the point of it - it's about how they've been painted as one dimensional characters (by HVIII and history in general!) known only for their relationship to their husband, but are reclaiming their voices to tell their stories their way away from their identity only as 'six wives'. Again I understand that isn't clear without hearing / seeing it or knowing the premise, but hopefully that makes more sense.

I was wondering this too Dido... happy very happy to girlcott this.

Fine if you like the music and not everything has to have a message but how can this be empowering?

Didn't that newspaper that gets sent to many schools retract it's article and study questions about JKR after a nudge from her legal team?

Is that the ridiculous one which wittered on about "Wagner’s Fifth Symphony"?

If it is, I emailed them about that specific and frankly appalling error but never got a reply.

My heart is heavy as I can neither cancel Six nor make a principled stance about not cancelling Six, because I don't go to musical theatre shows anyway.

Please think of me during this difficult time.

However, I did like the Upstart Crow tv series, so there's that.

Rufus, and bloody good for you too.

Just no one make me watch The Greatest Showman and we will muddle along fine.

Im not spoiling my fun just because someone else is being a twat

Eresh, I do sometimes think it would be so easy to just go along with tit for tat, and become every bit as vindictive and hateful as they keep saying I am, as a wicked white feminist over 40 who posts on Mumsnet.

Trouble is, I just too fucking reasonable for my own good.

Utter twats.

I bought 3 today on Amazon too. Beautiful books

I disagree with these people doing this bizarre shunning ritual, but I won't be encouraging shunning them or their work in retaliation if someone actually likes what they do.

Fair point, Floral. I do think it's easy to get sucked into a cancel culture spiral.

Dd and I love Six, we've seen it 3 times and regularly listen to the soundtrack. We love the fact that's it's 6 women plus an all female band on stage, and is a very funny and engaging show about female empowerment.

So I was bitterly disappointed to see the idiocy and jaw-dropping hypocrisy of these 2 idiots refusing to be interviewed beside JKR. The world has gone mad.

Yeah youvgotten. Nailed it

How disappointing especially as SIX is a brilliant musical (in my opinion) specifically about women who were silenced and labelled by men finally being given a voice and telling their own story. That's literally the premise of the show.

And now the creators themselves want to actively silence the voice of a woman who is passionate about safeguarding women.

Proving that however many hundreds of years pass, it's a tale as old as time - burn the witches / bloody women / know your place / be nice because you have a vagina.

Fuck me. So sick of it.

Eresh, I completely concur, and I will criticize them for it.

But I am not down with boycotting people for expressing their opinions or making conscience decisions, however stupid. And sure, it might equally be a cynical move to get wokey kudos, but even so, there will be other people relying on the income from those shows. It's no skin off my nose, and Rowling's output is much more my speed.

As far as I'm concerned, boycotts and that sort of move should be about actual nefarious deeds, like Nestle.

I disagree with these people doing this bizarre shunning ritual, but I won't be encouraging shunning them or their work in retaliation if someone actually likes what they do.

I dislike all the self interested and cynical attention seeking on the back of JKR standing up for women and children and getting the abuse that she has had. I think it's nasty and calculating. Not just them, many others.

I'd heard of it because it was on our local news for some reason, probably a tour. I generally loathe most modern musical theatre, so it's not like they've lost a potential ticket in me.

FWIW, I hope for the sake of the theatre industry, which remains close to my heart, and is in dire, dire straits right now, that they don't face any backlash for deciding to stand on their principles. I might consider it an ill advised and petty decision, and wholly disagree with their perspective, but they, and indeed the people whose livelihoods depend on theatre remaining viable, are entitled to be open about their views and to make whichever decisions sit with their conscience.

"If you’ve ever thought about going to the West End to see a Musical, you will have heard of Six."

I've mainly heard of it because I've studied Tudor history and am a member of lots of Tudor history Facebook groups. I'm not sure all occasional theatre goers will have heard of it. Yes it has been a surprising success in the last couple of years, but will it stand the test of time, who knows. It's not my cup of tea, I don't think. Even less with the woke gender nonsense attached.

Think I'll be giving it a miss in solidarity with JKR who has done nothing to deserve the mealy mouthed, shallow virtue signalling happening repeatedly in response to a well thought out essay in support of women's rights.

Six the Musical is great. The songs are catchy, funny, modern, and it puts a completely different spin on Henry VIII and his wives. The atmosphere in the theatre was electric - more like a cabaret than a musical. Most of the audience seemed to know all the lyrics, and by the end we were all standing up and whooping. The all-female cast and band, and the female-centred plot, make it a great show for teenage/ pre-teenage girls.

Whether I agree with the views of its creators or not, I wholeheartedly recommend this show and salute their talent and ingenuity.