From the Palace to a Performance (Hlady)
By Annie Hlady.
A figure within history who I have always found fascinating is Henry VIII, who reigned in England from 1509-1547. During his reign, Henry not only formed the Church of England in 1536, but he also had a total of six wives! As a class, we studied this both inside and outside our classroom. We did a research project regarding the legacy of Henry VIII and his wives, as well as going to the Hampton Court Palace and seeing the musical Six. Both of these outside of class excursions were some of my favorite activities this semester.
Hampton Court Palace was originally constructed by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII’s Lord Chancellor, as a grand royal court to host royalty. King Henry VIII eventually took Hampton Court for himself in 1529 to demonstrate his immense power and wealth. Personally, my favorite part of the palace was the exterior due to the endless gardens. It was gorgeous and was even featured in one of my favorite shows: Bridgerton. Although the life of Henry VIII and other monarchs were highlighted in the palace, I found there not to be a heavy focus on the legacy of his wives. Although they were mentioned, they were not the focal point of the experience in the palace.
Six: The Musical did not portray the wives in the same way as Hampton Court Palace; instead, the show was about each of their own stories. I had never seen the show before, and it exceeded my expectations. The music, costumes, and dancing were fabulous! I only wish the show could have been longer than 90 minutes because I enjoyed it so much. At the start of the show, the wives were competing to find their leading lady based on who experienced the most hardships as Henry’s wife. By the end, however (SPOILER ALERT), the wives decided to tell their own story and take back control of history, or as they said: “her-story.”
