Disclaimer: This article references anti-LGBTQ commentary.
Social media users are divided after popular TikTok star and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney was cast as Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, in the upcoming Broadway production “SIX.”
Mulvaney, who turned 29 in December, has an extensive background in musical theater. She has appeared in productions including “The Book of Mormon,” “Legally Blonde,” and “Bye Bye Birdie.” More recently, Mulvaney restaged her one-woman show, “The Least Problematic Woman in the World,” and played Kitty in “The Drowsy Chaperone.”
Mulvaney announced the news on Friday, January 16, writing “YAY BROADWAY” in an Instagram post.
“I am so happy my bway debut is playing a fellow polarizing woman in this perfect musical next month,” Mulvaney said. “I hope you will all come watch me live my dream. I am so happy I can’t stop smiling.”
“Show some royal love to Queen Dylan Mulvaney,” the official “SIX” Instagram account added.
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The casting, however, quickly sparked backlash online. Some social media users criticized Mulvaney’s casting, claiming she was taking roles from cisgender women, while others rejected that argument as transphobic A Libs of TikTok post discussing Mulvaney’s casting had nearly 175,000 views at publication. The official Six Broadway X account later locked its page, though its Instagram account remains publicly accessible.
“That’s a wonderful and creative production, bringing a unique perspective to the stage,” one X user wrote.
A recurring criticism on social media centers on the claim that Mulvaney is “stealing” roles from women. Mulvaney came out as transgender in 2020 and has since become one of the most prominent LGBTQ activists online. She has built a sizable following and met with then-President Joe Biden in 2022.
“All female roles were once played by men,” another X user wrote. “Because women weren’t allowed to act in theater. Dylan Mulvaney is a woman.”
As of publication, neither Mulvaney nor representatives for “SIX” had directly addressed the criticism.
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Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, “SIX” reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII as contestants in a modern singing competition. The musical premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017 and began its Broadway run in 2021 following a pandemic-related delay.
“From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to reclaim their identities out of the shadow of their infamous spouse – remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power!” the show’s official website reads.
New York Times theater critic Jesse Green praised the show in an October 2021 review, calling it a “rollicking, reverberant blast from the past.” Green said that Boleyn, played at the time by Andrea Macasaet, had “snarky upspeak.”
“I also mean that though gleefully anachronistic, mixing 16th-century marital politics with 21st-century selfies and shade, it suggests a surprising, disturbing, and ultimately hopeful commonality,” Green wrote. “Which shouldn’t work, but does.”
Mulvaney and her fellow “SIX” cast members are scheduled to have their first show on Monday, February 16.
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