Kayleigh McKnight out of Six The Musical due to injury

The West End’s Kayleigh McKnight has been forced to pull out of the current cast of mega-hit show Six The Musical due to a knee injury.

Kayleigh McKnight (Mandela, Heathers, Tina – The Tina Turner Musical) was performing the role of Jane Seymour in the show at the West End’s Vaudeville Theatre.

Producers of the show said in a statement on social media:

“Due to a knee injury, Kayleigh McKnight will step down from her role as Jane Seymour in the West End cast of Six The Musical. Everyone at Six would like to thank her for being such an amazing Queen and we all wish her well for the future. In the meantime, the role of Jane Seymour will be played by our brilliant alternates and swings. The casting process for a replacement company member is ongoing.”

Kayleigh said in a statement that, “Jane Seymour has been SUCH a joy to play” – see the full statement, below.

The 2023 cast of Henry VIII’s wives also includes Nikki Bentley as Catherine of Aragon, Thao Therese Nguyen as Anne Boleyn, Reca Oakley as Anna of Cleves, Inez Budd as Katherine Howard and Janiq Charles as Catherine Parr.

Completing the company are Gabriella Stylianou as Alternate Aragon/Seymour and Dance Captain, Naomi Alade as Alternate Boleyn/Cleves, Hannah Lowther as Alternate Howard/Parr, Meg Dixon-Brasil as Super Swing and Natalie Pilkington as UK Super Swing.

The musical is currently booking to 4 May 2025 at the Vaudeville Theatre in London.

A Thao Therese Nguyen as Anne Boleyn and the cast of SIX the Musical. Photography credit Pamela Raith

B Janiq Charles as Catherine Parr and the cast of SIX the Musical. Photography credit Pamela Raith

C Reca Oakley as Anna of Cleves and the cast of SIX the Musical. Photography credit Pamela Raith

E Inez Budd as Howard in SIX the Musical. Pamela Raith Photography

F Kayleigh McKnight as Jane Seymour in SIX the Musical. Pamela Raith Photography

H Nikki Bentley as Aragon and the cast of SIX the Musical. Photography credit Pamela Raith

Key Art- SIX the Musical. Photography credit Pamela Raith

The cast of SIX the Musical. Photography credit Pamela Raith

Six is a solid gold hit, having started at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, and going on to play in London, New York, across America, Australia and more.

The show features the six wives of Henry VIII, as they sing their way out of the history books and into the spotlight.

Six is co-directed by Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage, featuring choreography by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. The design team includes Emma Bailey (Set Design), Gabriella Slade (Costume Design), Tim Deiling (Lighting Design) and Paul Gatehouse (Sound Design). The score features orchestrations by Tom Curran with music supervision and vocal arrangements by Joe Beighton. Casting for Six is by Pearson Casting.

Book tickets to SIX at the Vaudeville Theatre in London

Kayleigh McKnight – Full statement

Kayleigh McKnight said in a statement on social media that:

I’ve written and rewritten this post multiple times because finding the right words has been very difficult. But sadly I’ll no longer be playing Jane Seymour in Six.
I entered into this role with a pre-existing injury that I had worked hard to rehab before starting the job last autumn. It’s no secret however that my knee hasn’t exactly been playing ball, and the demands of the choreography on my knee have ultimately been too much. I was faced with another nine months potentially re-injuring myself, or I could step away and choose to put my recovery and wellbeing first.
Jane Seymour has been SUCH a joy to play – giving Jane my own nerdy twist and getting to sing one of my favourite songs of all time in a way that feels truly authentically me has been a gift I will treasure. And being able to share the stage with some of the most powerful, talented, headstrong, caring and courageous women and non-binary folk this industry has to offer is a privilege I do not give up lightly. I cannot thank enough the cast, band and crew backstage who have consistently had my back, held me up on the days I’ve struggled, ran to my aid with multiple ice packs and kept a smile on my face – I honestly love you all. A massive shout out also to the team at @productionphysiotherapy who have consistently pushed me with my rehab and been my personal cheerleaders when I’ve got through those 8 show weeks again and again. And to the Queendom who have always been so encouraging and supportive of me – i see you and am so grateful for all your kindness over the last 6 months.
My next step is to focus on full recovery (which is thankfully now looking more like weeks than months to achieve) and I’m looking forward to whatever the next adventure will be. But I’m going to carry the sentiments of Jane’s message in the show with me as I move on from this chapter: This won’t break me. ?
Kaeli Seymour, over and out xxx

Six The Musical

Vaudeville Theatre, London

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