The Queendom kicked off its week of royal reign at the Saroyan Theatre in Downtown Fresno on April 1, 2025.

British pop musical “SIX” premiered back in 2017, but has taken the world of Broadway by storm in recent years with its strong social media presence on platforms like TikTok, where I first discovered the show. Now, “SIX” is on its second North American touring production, the “Boleyn Tour”.

You can read more about the smashing histo-remix that is the musical “SIX” in my preview here, which also includes an exclusive interview with alternate Caroline Siegrist. Although Siegrist didn’t perform at my show, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see her in one of her three covers at one of Fresno’s remaining six performances.

The Boleyn Tour’s arrival to the city has been highly anticipated by many Fresnoians, myself included. Fresno Lexus Broadway even refers to it as “the most iconic show in Fresno’s 2024-2025 Season,” and it is the only Broadway show this season that will occupy the Saroyan for longer than a two-night run.

They definitely made the right choice here. I could feel the excitement and electricity in the crowd before it was even close to curtain. I’ve attended a few Broadway shows at the Saroyan before, but I have never witnessed an audience there roar as loudly as ours did when the queens took the stage.

Immediately the space was transformed. The lights went dark, spotlighting queens one by one as the deep bass reverberated through the crowd’s cheers.

“Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived. And tonight, Fresno, we are live!”

I can’t lie, I was immediately blown away almost to the point of overstimulation. Lights in every color of the rainbow went up as the six queens dominated the theatre with “Ex-Wives”, the perfect introduction to what awaited me for the next hour and a half.

Now, I am a frequent live music enjoyer, and I’ve heard plenty of impressive vocalists live before. I’ll tell you that this is probably the most incredible vocal performance I’ve ever attended. Each queen’s range and capability was beyond par and completely surpassed my expectations, and they blended together to create a seriously formidable six-person ensemble- accompanied by an equally as impressive live band.

As a former dancer, my eyes are always drawn to the choreography of a production. I love when a show uses dance to further tell the story, and “SIX” does exactly that. Every movement is calculated perfectly to enhance every lyric and every beat.

Basically, I’m convinced that the entire cast is made up of triple threats. Singing, dancing and absolutely serving. Give my flowers to the costuming department. Each queen’s costume was color-coordinated and curated to represent their character, and the personality of each piece really shone through. Like really. Everything was rhinestoned.

If you’re still on the fence about attending, hear me out. The show’s pop-rock-concert-esque angle makes it an especially perfect show for first-timers. The composition of the storyline makes it so easily digestible, bringing life into history for newcomers and thespians alike. There really is something for every royal subject.

The show is rooted in female empowerment, one of my favorite aspects of the production. I could see it in the faces of my fellow audience members, and felt it in my heart- the incredibly powerful messages of “SIX” were not lost on any of us. Audience members of all ages danced, clapped and sang along. Each queen’s emotional turmoil was unpacked in a variety of ways; from powerful ballads to upbeat girly-pop productions, this created the perfect pocket of engaging balance for a show with no breaks, keeping everyone involved.

My honest and only complaint was the show’s lack of intermission. “SIX” is a 90-minute show, which is fairly short for a Broadway production, so I can understand why they would nix an intermission. However, the beeline I had to make for the bathroom after the curtain closed was low-key panic-inducing.

(On a different note, a nod to the stamina of the queens- they only leave the stage twice, maybe for a total of 30 seconds. They do 90 straight minutes of incredibly difficult vocal tracks, vigorously high-energy choreography- and if I had to go that badly after the show, I can’t imagine what situations their bladders were left in.)

Overall, I can confidently say “SIX” will go down in history as Saroyan royalty. If I had to rate the show, I wouldn’t give it five stars– I would give it… six.