'Six: The Musical' puts a pop beat on the tales of Henry VIII's wives

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- "Six: The Musical" brings the story of England's King Henry VIII and his six wives to life with a fresh premise: it's staged as a sort-of "girl-group" pop concert.

The six wives - some of them ending up divorced, beheaded or dying in childbirth - each take their turn telling the audience about their lives with Henry... and wondering out loud just which wife had it the worst.

The actresses realize how rare it is to have a show that is so strongly female driven.

"It feels good, we feel supported. It feels healthy," said Khalia Wilcoxon who plays wife #1, Catherine of Aragon.

"We understand each other. We get each other."

Courtney Mack plays Catherine Howard, his fifth wife. "To be on stage with five other women is a dream."

Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, is played by Storm Lever.

"These women exist in such multitudes. They're allowed to be soft, hard and funny, that's what women are. We have all these facets that make us so complex and so beautiful," said Lever.

Another thing that makes this musical unique and beautiful: the actors onstage welcome the audience's participation.

"What's so amazing about this show is we break the fourth wall," said Natalie Paris, who plays Jane Seymour. "We're very much letting the audience be part of what we do, which is so rare for musical theater."

Gabriela Carrillo plays Catherine Parr. "They laugh at our jokes, hopefully, they clap, and they cheer us on like crazy. You do see when messages have hit somebody and that's my favorite part."

"We have such a strong fan community, the 'queendom!' And there are people in the audience singing every word," said Olivia Donalson, who plays Anne of Cleves.

"Six: The Musical" plays at the Pantages Theatre through June 10 and then moves to the Segerstrom Center in Orange County starting June 13.