Queens revenge: 'Six' gives Henry's wives a chance at redemption

England’s notorious King Henry VIII was married six times.

It did not go well for his queens.

They were divorced, died and, in two instances, beheaded by the king, whose main goal in marriage was to produce a healthy male heir.

In Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s pop musical “Six,” the Tudor queens turn their heartbreak and angst into pop music gold.

Broadway In Tucson is bringing the Tony-winning musical to Centennial Hall Tuesday, Oct. 11, through Sunday, Oct. 16.

Here’s everything you need to know about “Six” without taking a crash course in the Tudor dynasty.

The story: Henry’s exes are auditioning for the lead singer role in an all-girl pop band. The queens, dressed in their 16th century finery given a little 21st century bling, lament their shared experiences in the opening number before they take their solo turns, hoping their tale of marital horror wins them the role. The queen with the most horrific experience earns the right to lead the others.

The competition plays out like a big pop concert with choreographed dances and some of the queens soliciting reactions from the audience. Don’t be surprised if a raucous pop concert breaks out in the middle of your theater experience and the person next to you lets out a whoop-whoop.

The queens: Henry was just 17 when he married the 23-year-old widow of his brother Catherine of Aragon, his first wife and longest marriage among the six.

“(She) had 24 years with this man,” says Gerianne Pérez, who plays Catherine and believes her queen had the most scarring marriage. “Some of these women were only married to him for a couple of months or a year. I am the one who was usurped by Anne Boleyn.”

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Yes, the infamous Anne Boleyn, wife No. 2 who literally lost her head for allegedly cheating on Henry.

Wife No. 3 Jane Seymour died in childbirth, but she did give Henry his much-prized male heir.

Anna of Cleves was not as pretty as advertised so her marriage was over in six months as Henry moved onto Katherine Howard, a flirtatious teen who met the same fate as her cousin, Anne Boleyn, two years into the marriage.

Wife No. 6, Catherine Parr, was married to Henry for his final four years before he died at the age of 55.

A concert breaks out: These queens might look a bit uptight in their corseted 16th-century-meets-”American Idol” mini-dresses, but when they open their mouths and strut across the stage, they are genuine pop divas. We’re talking Beyoncé and Taylor Swift-worthy divas, with the vocal prowess and fancy dance moves to prove it.

Each of the queens has what Pérez calls “popspiration,” from J-Lo and Britney Spears to Alicia Keys, Lilly Allen, Lorde, Ariana Grande and rapper Nicki Minaj. There’s also songs in styles that will remind you of alt-pop/rocker Avril Lavigne and the R&B/soulful-voiced Adele.

Pérez’s song “No Way” takes its cues from J-Lo, Shakira and Beyoncé, as she makes the case that Henry has no right to annul their marriage so he can move onto No. 2.

“It’s got a lot of Latin beats to it, a lot of heavy drums and percussion,” said the 32-year-old Pérez, who made her Broadway debut in 2016 with “In Transit” and appeared in the revival of “Waitress” on Broadway last fall with “Waitress” composer Sara Bareilles. “Catherine of Aragon … is very bombastic. The song is legitimately a big old Beyoncé with J-Lo at the Super Bowl moment.”

Timed like a concert: “Six” clocks in at 80 minutes, which is about as long as you would expect from a big-name concert at the Rialto or Fox Tucson Theatre. At those pop and rock shows, the artist does an hour-long regular set, takes their obligatory exit only to return amidst a rush of applause to give the audience one last encore song. Total time off the clock: 80, maybe 90 minutes.