Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, whose 2023 partnership with Bud Light sparked a nationwide boycott of the beer brand, is set to make a Broadway debut as Anne Boleyn in SIX: The Musical, according to multiple reports.
The official X account for SIX announced the casting on Friday with a reference to the historical fate of Henry VIII’s second wife. “Losing our heads to introduce your newest Anne Boleyn!” the account wrote. “Show some royal love to Queen Dylan Mulvaney, who will be joining the #SIXBroadway 5.0 cast as Anne Boleyn starting February 16!”
Not all reactions were enthusiastic. Critics questioned whether the casting of Mulvaney, 29, as the famously beheaded queen represents artistic innovation or another example of politically driven “woke” casting. Shortly after the announcement, the show’s producers took down their X account amid backlash.
SIX: The Musical, which focuses on the six wives of King Henry VIII, officially opened on Broadway on October 3, 2021, at the Lena Horne Theatre, according to Playbill. The production has received significant critical acclaim, winning the 2022 Tony Award for Best Original Score as well as the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.
The musical reimagines Henry VIII’s wives as a modern pop girl group, presenting their stories through contemporary, high-energy musical numbers. According to The Daily Mail, the production frames the queens as “reclaiming their identities and narratives,” casting them as central figures rather than historical footnotes. Official promotional materials describe the show as allowing the wives to step out of “the shadow of their infamous spouse” in a celebration of women’s voices and what it calls “21st-century girl power.”
Mulvaney entered public consciousness in 2023 after appearing in a promotional campaign for Bud Light, triggering a widespread consumer boycott. The backlash caused significant financial and reputational challenges for Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light’s parent company. Billy Busch, an heir to the Busch family, later said his ancestors would have “rolled in their graves” over the collaboration.
Despite the controversy surrounding the Bud Light campaign, Mulvaney has remained a high-profile figure in progressive media and entertainment circles. His casting in SIX will be his first appearance on Broadway and places him at the center of another cultural flashpoint, as debates over gender identity and representation continue to shape American popular culture.
Bye bye Braodway so long live long in Video & film formats alas since 1950
Any and EVERY time something is described as a “reimagining,” you can be sure it is best ignored and forgotten.
Oh, my!!!!! Remember the days when women were relegated to the house, and could NOT possibly have appeared in theatre????? So we had male actors portaying women? NO NO NO – this is NOT WOKE – this is backsliding to the 16th and 17th centuries!!!!!! Ladies, WAKE UP!!!!!
Go Woke, Go Broke. The mental illness infesting our society seems to begin in the entertainment industry, run by degenerates.