West End star Claudia Kariuki is best known as one of Henry VIII’s queens in hit musical SIX but facing their own “terrifying” solitude is what’s given them a new freedom.
At the Pride Wide Create Hope event held at Samsung KX in London, Claudia joined Pride Wide co-founder Tris Reid-Smith to discuss the transformative power of storytelling.
At the event on 3 April 2025 we were proud to announce Claudia Kariuki had joined us as a Pride Wide Ambassador. Their story demonstrates that representation isn’t just about being seen — it’s about taking back the narrative.
Shaking the table with SIX
Tris: Claudia, you’ve been a part of SIX, a show that has completely redefined musical theatre. How do you feel that show changed the journey of theatre for performers and audiences alike?
Claudia: SIX really “shook the table”. It took back the narrative of these six queens who had suffered through incomprehensible trauma — their marriages, their childhoods, their deaths — it was all so traumatic.
What the show did so well was give those queens a voice through our own modern interpretation. It asked: “What would they say in this moment? What would they do to fight back?” It created an alternate reality that empowered them. Doing that in a medium that felt current and catchy made history accessible to a whole new, younger generation of theatre-goers.
Performing in honor of the actual Queen
Tris: You played a Queen of England for two years. What was it like performing that legacy, especially at moments like the Jubilee?
Claudia: It was mad! Performing our “Mega-Six” in front of Buckingham Palace for the Jubilee was incredible. Even though the Queen was inside, I feel like she would have looked on and thought, “What a legacy”. We were able to change the narrative of history to make these women feel empowered. I never expected it, but I always felt like I was in the right place at the right time.
“It forced me to answer questions I had been ignoring”
Tris: You’ve spoken about how lockdown was a formative moment for you. How did that period of isolation affect your personal journey?
Claudia: Lockdown was when I discovered I was non-binary. The solitude and the time to actually be at home with my thoughts was terrifying, but so great. It forced me to answer questions I had been ignoring about myself.
I looked back at my childhood and realized so many things made sense—like how I loved wearing the boys’ football kits and T-shirts. At the time, I thought I was just being “comfy,” but lockdown enabled me to go back into myself and say, “You are allowed to be this person”. I realized I could wear what I want, love who I want, and live how I want. It was tough to admit that I had been stopping that part of my gender identity for so long.
Friendship and support
Tris: How did that internal realization change how you move through the industry now?
Claudia: Transitioning back into work as an openly non-binary person gave me a new scope. I remember calling my agent and saying, “Hey, I think we need to change my gender on Spotlight” (the industry casting platform). She was amazing and so supportive, telling me that everyone was behind me. My friends were incredible, too.
Lockdown was formative because it finally made me realize my truth.
Help spread the hope
Through their work on stage and their openness off it, Claudia Kariuki continues to prove that the most powerful stories are the ones we tell about ourselves.
Together we can all “create hope”. Find out how and donate to Pride Wide here.
