Valentine's day is approaching, and as fun it would be to recount all of the lovely Broadway love ballads across musical history. Wouldn't it be more fun to talk about a show that is about the wrong side of love, six Queens who all share one ex, Henry the 8th, king of England and how many know them only from an old rhyme. I have recounted on many occasions on this blog, and will many more my love of this show, it is in my top 5 favorite musicals of all time, the high energy of this show is matchless, the show full of comedic moments, real human emotion the audience can relate to, and of course some grade A break up songs. Songs of wanting to stay, living your life, being unbreakable, loving yourself and having a confident identity in the face of harsh criticisms, being viewed as nothing more, and having to courage to let go of someone. As much as it would be fun to talk about golden age romantic romps such as "Hello Dolly" or " My Fair Lady", and those shows are great, classics, have their place in musical history, love does not always look as clean cut as it does in those sweet comedies. Love can be very messy, love when not handled or respect can often lead to heartbreak. This show mentions heartbreak in spades, but it also shows the audience, you don't have to lay down and cry about, you can use your voice, your music, your gifts, to not only tell your side of the story, but move on from the pain through music.
The show has the queens recounting their love life, but also showing the audience there was so much to their stories then what is present in the history books. Competing to show who had it worst with the winner getting to be the lead of the fictional band, filling the show with catchy pop songs, fun banter, great comedy, and incredible music that is constantly changing styles inspired from various eras of pop music. As the show continues, more amazing songs in different styles of music are played, all the queens after their first big group number, and one in the middle that is a full on rave, provide backing vocals as each individual queen, one by one gets her turn in the spotlight.
The final queen, Catharine Parr takes the stage, as we approach the ending of this wonderful show, and suddenly the show is flipped on its head. The jokes come to a halt, and much like each queen before her, a new style of music comes to the front. Starting slow and soft, with a great instrumentals, a great use of the keyboard and bass, we hear the story of having to let go of someone Catharine truly loved to be a queen. Wishing she could tell Henry that she does not need her love, but she can't, not to a king. She recounts being married, being the one who survived but shows there was so much more, that her story has many untold aspects that are never touched on. Without Henry she feels as if she disappears, even though she has written, advocated and done so much more. The others realize that even though they have deeper stories, history only views them as the many wives of Henry.
But then.. the chorus of the song becomes more of a what someone wants to say but never did, the history is dropped, and the queens find their voices. They stop competing and acknowledge the common denominator of their heartbreak, they take back the microphone, control, and in the face of what really happens tell Henry what they always needed to. The song starts soft and somber and ends as a celebration of loving yourself, and letting go of someone. All of them echoing the chorus singing "I don't need your love", turning the song from somber to upbeat, the lyrics pack a punch both when the song is a solo, and when the ensemble comes in.
The song has tons of emotion packed in, while still being a great listen, it is relatable and enjoyable, the song holds a powerful message. It's okay to feel sad and process those feelings, but sometimes we can see we are so much more, we can be stronger, and take back control in our stories. The change of emotions in the song flows naturally as everyone goes from defeated, to taking a stand, not stopping the song but rather progressing along with it.
That is where the song hits close to home with me. Sometimes stories need to end for our own good, songs like "Burn" from "Hamilton" or "There's A Fine Fine Line" from "Avenue Q" just capture human emotion in song in ways that remind us why we love musical theater. This song captures not only the real emotions of a reflective nature, or being hurt and being validated for said hurt. Then the song brings the message of the show home, disregarding all historical accuracy to bring something real to the audience, encouraging them to throw away love that they do not need.
As someone who has listened to this song countless times, and has had the joy of seeing this show live, this moment is a joy to witness play out in person as well as it did when I first heard it on the album. A great song with memorable lyrics, great instrumentation, and above all of that a powerful message. This song is great, this show is great, and I am sure I will go further into the show, its themes, and more over time. They may not need Henry's love anymore, but I for one need to this song, and to listen to it again and again.
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