With plenty of historical set shows on Broadway at the moment, we thought we'd see how the past is represented. Are we dealing with the facts here, or are things a bit more in line with Bridgerton's historical fantasy than Ken Burns? Read on to see our thoughts about Broadway's period shows - now playing!

The 1500s

Six at the Lena Horne Theatre

A 'herstory' that redefines Henry IIV's six (mostly) unlucky spouses, Six gives us another side of the classic 'Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived', narrative. And while headliners Ann Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon have been given the spotlight before, Six offers us new viewpoints from the rest of the pack, including those whose stories have been overlooked like Anne of Cleeves and Jayne Seymour.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? Hmm, we'll give this one to the Bridgertons for historical accuracy, but it's better than the rhyme!

The 1600s

&Juliet at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre

Featuring Shakespeare himself, this riotously fun trip into the past might not be the most historically accurate, but it's still an entertaining romp that turns the tables on The Bard's iconic romantic tragedy, set during Elizabeth the First's record-breaking reign.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? With its pop fantasy soundtrack and costumes that glitter, this is all Bridgerton - 1600s style!

The 1700s

Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers Theatre

The superstar of historical musicals, Lin Manuel-Miranda's Hamilton covers the life of the titular Alexander Hamilton, the first US Secretary of the Treasury from his birth around 1755 to his untimely death in 1804. Taken from Ron Chernow's lauded biography, Hamilton's life and the tumultuous War of Independence is distilled into a two-and-a-half-hour history spectacular, offering a whistle-stop tour of the period that includes many facts from the time in its catchy numbers. The show name-checks real people important battles and political and cultural points of the time, including Thomas Paine's Common Sense Pamphlet, which became the basis of the fight for independence in the 13 colonies. This one's a history lover's dream.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? We bet Ken Burns has this on his Spotify Wrapped.

The 1800s

Oh Mary! at the Lyceum Theatre

Based on the reputation of Mary Todd Lincoln, Cole Escola's Oh Mary does get some things right. Her husband referred to her as his "foul and hateful wife" and she was seen as the era's most unpopular First Lady for her profligate spending. She was even branded insane and committed to a mental asylum by her sons before escaping. But her dreams of vaudeville as dreamed by Escola? Not so much. However Oh Mary! is a hilarious and riotous show, so we don't think it matters.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? Some beats of Burns, but mostly Bridgerton - if it was even more R-rated.

Moulin Rouge! at the Al Hirschfield Theatre

Slipping in right under the bar to be called Victorian (Queen Victoria died in 1901) Moulin Rouge! might seem like it's a fever dream but it still holds a little bit of historical truth. The Moulin Rouge in Paris was a real place frequented by the French Artist Toulouse-Lautrec and other bright young things looking during the period known as the Belle Epoch for a good time. Abstinthe was a well-known drink then, and the cabaret's Can-can dancers were known for their lively talents. There was even an elephant! As for Satine and Christian - they're straight out of Andre Dumas' wildly popular novel, The Lady of the Camellias, published in 1848.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? More Burns than you'd think, but Moulin Rouge! walked so Bridgerton could run.

The 1910s

Suffs at the Music Box Theatre

Following the fight for women's suffrage from 1913 to 1920, Suffs is another wonderfully educational show that uses the real women at the forefront of the battle as its main characters. Using real events as a basis for the show, including the police brutality some experienced as they fought for the right to vote, Shania Taub's historical musical is one history lovers should rush to see.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? Another one for Ken's Spotify Playlist.

Titanic at New York City Center

Not to be confused with Titanique, Maury Yeston and Peter Stone's Titanic The Musical is another fantastically educational musical. Created with the help of the archives of the Titanic International Society, it includes narratives of the real people aboard the doomed liner, alongside more well-known figures like the ship's designer Thomas Andrews, White Star Lines' Chairman J. Bruce Ismay, and Captain E. J Smith. This rarely revived gem incorporates musical trends from the period and offers insight into the disaster in a truly moving tribute.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? No Bridgerton here, all Burns.

1920s

Chicago at the Ambassador Theatre

Start the car, I know a whoopie spot! But did you also know that Chicago is a true(ish) story? It was inspired by a play from 1926 by Maurine Dallas Watkins who based the action on her recollections as a courthouse reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Both Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly's tales of murder are taken from real people, namely Beluah Annan and Belva Gaetner, who were both in Cook County Jail awaiting trial at the same time. Billy Flynn is also reported to be a composite of two contemporary lawyers. The Cell Block Tango is most likely theatrical license, but the press sensation and the court dramatics are pretty accurate to the scandal.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? Surprisingly more Ken Burns than you'd think, this one is a bit of a tie for us!

The Great Gatsby at the Broadway Theatre

Another Jazz age musical, Gatsby is not likely to be based on any real billionaires, but it does capture the the post World War One economic boom with some accuracy. Bootleggers were offering free-flowing illegal booze, lavish parties went on til dawn on Long Island, and a general sense of newness filled the air. Fitzgerald himself called the time; "a whole race going hedonistic, deciding on pleasure". The Great Gatsby actually popularized the Jazz Age, becoming a vital recording of its chaos.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? Ken Burns is the old sport of the era, but the story is pure Bridgerton

1930s

Cabaret at the August Wilson Theatre

The final inclusion on our list is another Bob Fosse musical, the beguiling Cabaret. Based on the writer Christopher Isherwood's own journey to Berlin in the Weimar era, captured in his 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin. Desperate to escape the stuffy drawing rooms of England, Isherwood was drawn to Berlin in search of the fabled licentiousness of its nightclub scene and he found it. Most of the characters in the musical are based on the real people Isherwood met, including his own bohemian roommate in the city, Jean Ross, who was immortalized as Sally Bowles. One of the show's main characters is not a person, but the insidious rise of Nazism that grows louder and louder throughout. Isherwood's own recollections give an insight into this time and offer a startling warning that resonates throughout the ages.

Bridgerton or Ken Burns? Contextually, Ken Burns, stylistically, Bridgerton all the way.