Aimie Atkinson and Natalie Paris on Bringing Their SIX Sisterhood From the West End to Broadway

Who needs a standing ovation when you can stop traffic? As Aimie Atkinson and Natalie Paris tell it, they knew their brand-new show SIX: The Musical had the makings of a bona fide hit back in 2019 when the cast performed a few songs at the West End Live event in London. “It was overwhelmingly crazy,” says Paris. Adds Atkinson, “We couldn’t get back to the theater to do our show because we were mobbed. We thought, ‘Wow, this is something different.’ It was like we were the Spice Girls!”

Now they’re enjoying (really, really enjoying) their Broadway debuts. Seven years after originating their roles in the West End—and earning Olivier Award nominations for their respective performances—Atkinson and Paris joined the company in August at the Lena Horne Theatre. Or, in SIX terms, they’re holding court in the pop concert-musical in which each of the six wives of Henry VIII competes to lead the band by sharing who had it the worst with their lousy husband. Paris is his third wife, Jane Seymour, who died in childbirth; Atkinson’s Katherine Howard, No. 5, was beheaded. It turns out that they all rule. “No matter who you are,” Atkinson says, “you can’t help but walk [away] from this show feeling inspired and empowered.”

It also fosters some serious female bonding. Sitting for their joint Broadway.com interview before a photo shoot at CIVILIAN Hotel's Starchild Rooftop, the bubbly pair often speak in unison and share that they’re frequently mistaken for sisters. Now they take a few moments ahead of a Friday performance to talk about their history with SIX (which ends its five-year run on January 3, 2027), American audiences and sing each other’s praises.

Had you two known each other at all prior to SIX?

Aimie Atkinson: No, no. We've known each other eight years now because me and Nat were both in the workshops. But we spend most days together. We’re basically morphing into each other.

What are your memories of those early days?

Aimie: Oh, goodness! It’s so funny to think about that time, isn't it? So the first workshop was 2017. And I remember [creators] Toby [Marlow] and Lucy [Moss] sat around, and Toby sang all the songs to us just on the piano. We all sat in a circle and thought, “Wow, this is really cool, and the music is so fresh and modern.”

Natalie Paris: We had so much fun as well. Because it was brand new, it felt so exciting. I just remember laughing so hard. It was amazing to be in a room with so many incredible women just doing their thing.

Could you sense how it would be received?

Aimie: We really didn’t know. But after our first show, we all walked back up to the dressing room and were just wowed. The audience reaction to that first workshop performance was crazy, and it just got bigger and bigger and bigger every time we did it.

Natalie: Just to echo that, when a musical is new, you never quite know how it’s going to be received. But I think if we all knew what was going to happen, it would have changed the energy. The beauty of not knowing made it special.

You both finished your runs a few years ago in London. How did you end up on Broadway?

Aimie: I know, how lucky are we?

Natalie: How lucky are we!

Aimie: We’ve always dreamed of being here, but I think it was just synergy and synchronicity because obviously SIX The Musical Live! just came out in cinemas. It's a really lovely time for us to be here, I think.

Natalie: Like Aimie said, this is a British show that we started back at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Now to be here on Broadway with it, we're just so proud. To be a part of this journey is so special and doesn’t happen very often.

This can’t be your first time to New York City, right?

Aimie: I've only been here on holiday briefly. A long time ago, and not properly as an adult woman.

Natalie: Me too. I came here when I was a lot younger and just for a brief moment. For little Nat, Broadway felt like such a huge dream. So it's really cool to be living and working here now.

And what are your takeaways so far?

Natalie: In terms of the musical theater community, it feels similar to the West End. It's obviously just a very different layout. We're still getting used to sort of where everything is, but I think the buzz here is so huge. It's such a vibrant city.

Aimie: London and New York are quite similar in terms of energy. But being here, it just feels like anything's possible.

Can you detect a difference between a West End and a Broadway audience?

Aimie: What’s so great about SIX is that anywhere that the show is on, it's received so well. I saw the show in Japan, and I didn’t understand a word. I still loved it! The show is just so uplifting and joyous, and you can't help but have a good time. But it's been amazing to experience the American audience.

Natalie: To have a British musical succeed here in the states on Broadway and to be so successful is amazing. And it’s especially amazing for us to have been a part of it from its origins.

Now that it’s been a few years, what impresses you the most about each other’s performance?

Natalie: I couldn't wait for everyone on Broadway to hear her. Aimie is so funny. Her comic timing is unmatched. She is such an incredible and clever performer. In the rehearsing room, I was literally like, "That’s my friend!” Yeah, I just admire her work every single day. And I’m blown away every time she sings “All You Wanna Do,” which is such a powerful and complex song.

Aimie: Oh my goodness. Well, I mean, absolutely vice versa. The same. Anyone who has heard Natalie Paris sing is just completely in awe of her. I personally think she’s the best singer in the world. There's something about Natalie’s voice that actually makes you feel something, and her song “Heart of Stone” is a big moment. I've only seen the back of her head for two years, and I still get emotional! The nice thing about the movie is that I get to see her face, too!

Natalie: Awww, thank you!

Are you allowed to have a fangirl moment while another queen sings her solo?

Aimie: We were just talking about this! The only down time—and it’s not really down time because we’re on the stage—is when Natalie is singing her number. I shouldn’t say this, but I do sit there and think, “Wow.” We performed the movie at Henry VIII’s house at the Hampton Court Palace in London and to hear her sing “Heart of Stone” in Jane Seymour’s room was magical.

Given that the material is inherently morbid, what is the show’s secret sauce?

Natalie: It’s so relevant. These women lived hundreds and hundreds of years ago, yet their stories are still so relatable today. These women just want to finally tell their side of the story. We’re erased a lot of the time from history and even today our voices are silenced sometimes.

Aimie: Yeah! And it has an incredible score with incredible songs. These women are funny, and they’re shown in every possible aspect of what a woman can be.

OK, let’s settle it once and for all. Who suffered more—Jane or Katherine?

Aimie: Jane! I mean, she did get her head chopped off.

Natalie: And you know, you didn't get to see your boy throw up.

Aimie: But yeah, I didn't get my head chopped off. That’s a small win for Jane.

Natalie: There are pros and cons. But we’re really all celebrating these amazing women.

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