I’m an actual Tudor historian and, although I’ve known about the musical for a long time, I’m only just now exploring the fandom. One thing I find to be interesting (this is my polite way of saying disturbing) is that no one in the SIX fandom seems to be bothered by the fact that, in the show Katheryn Howard’s relationship with Henry Mannox is depicted as being consensual whereas, in real life, he was molesting her. (Not to mention, he was actually 36 and she was about 11). You seem to be [1/2]
Hey anon! Welcome to the fandom ❤️❤️❤️ It’s so cool to actually have a proper Tudor historian in the fandom! And honestly don’t worry, your question wasn’t offensive at all. It’s actually a perfectly understandable concern to have with All You Wanna Do, especially if the only version of the song that you’ve listened to is the album rendition.
(Trigger warning: mentions of sexual assault and abuse)
(Please be aware that this is all my opinion and how I see the character of Howard in Six. You’re free to disagree but please do so in a polite manner)
All You Wanna Do disturbs the audience from the very first verse. The revelation that Katherine was 13 (or 11 as you said) comes out of nowhere and is shocks the audience (I still remember the first time I heard that lyric). And then it’s all followed up by a slew of innuendos and cheeky lines from Katherine. And the audience is even more shocked and disturbed, as Howard simply continues to lean into the bad-girl/pop princess
Because we, as the audience, know that this girl is being abused from the first verse. We know that this relationship isn’t consensual, because Howard physically can’t consent. We know that it’s wrong.
But Katherine doesn’t realise that. Not in the first verse, at least. When she sings about Mannox (and to a somewhat lesser extent, Dereham) she hasn’t yet realised that she’s being molested. In Katherine’s head she genuinely believes that these people love her. She believes that she’s mature enough to give consent and is giving consent. But both the audience and the writers of the show know that Katherine was being taken advantage of.
But back to your point anon. I don’t think that Toby and Lucy wanted to portray Howard’s encounters with Mannox as consensual. In fact, I’d argue that they don’t. The character of Howard thinks that it’s consensual, but the writers, the song itself, and the audience know that it is not. But as the song continues, Howard develops. She grows older. And she realises that she‘s been taken advantage of her entire life. And it’s that development that makes All You Wanna Do so heartbreaking. Howard’s development throughout the song, with her having a mental breakdown at the end (even crying, depending on the actresses) is development that most writers can only dream of having...especially in 7 minutes.
And this development is also where the album sort of falls short. Because the album needed to sound perfect and professional, the actresses couldn’t always be as emotive as they would be on stage. The shift from live to album didn’t affect some songs (e.g Get Down and Haus of Holbein) but it effectively neutered the emotional impact of other songs, most obviously All You Wanna Do. Aimie couldn’t go all out on the last verse of All You Wanna Do like she did live, and while she still does a FANTASTIC job of showing the development of Howard and her realisation, its not as stark a development or as impactful as it is live. If you haven’t seen the show live anon (I’m not being patronising! You just said that you’re new to the fandom) then you generally miss out on the key development of Howard, along with the choreo.
And even in live performances, there are Howard’s who seem to know from the get go that this relationship isn’t okay. Courtney Mack jumps to mind here specifically.
But basically anon, the fandom isn’t disturbed by Toby and Lucy’s depiction of Katherine’s relationship with Mannox is because Toby and Lucy don’t portray it as consensual. They show that it was unhealthy and abusive. But it’s the character of Howard herself who just doesn’t realise that until the end of the song.
I hope this explains it anon! Let me know if there’s anything else that needs clarification, and welcome once again to the fandom ❤️❤️❤️
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