The Six Women actresses proclaim, "You have to laugh and scream and blow off steam so you don't expire," and that is exactly what the audience did at Friday's showing of the revival of Sacramento's cult classic Six Women with Brain Death (or Expiring Minds Want to Know).

As the show begins, six frazzled, women parade across the stage in a grocery check-out line, reading the outrageous headlines of The Expirerer, a spoof of today's tabloid magazines. The women quickly transition from their comedic sketch into a full-energy musical number introducing the audience to the "World of Expiring Minds."

The first act consists of a series of life and pop culture scenarios from the viewpoint of overworked, burnt-out, middle-aged women. A wide range of topics are explored, including the housewife who gets too emotionally involved in daytime soap operas, the musical audition of the "Divas of Midtown", and the reminiscing of high school friends at their 20-year high school reunion.

The highlight of the first act is the Rambi scene, a comedic combination of the Disney classic Bambi and the action-flick Rambo. Five women, costumed as Disney-esque woodland creatures, including the rabbit, Thumper, and the skunk, Flower, speak in the sing-songy voices of Disney characters while casually mixing profanity with politeness. The animals wait for Rambi, who is costumed in antlers and camo and carries a machine gun. The scene concludes with Rambi helping the animals protect themselves from evil hunters, combining the best of both fantasy and gore.

The second act starts at a slower pace than the first, giving the audience a breather after being bombarded with tabloid culture puns and irony-clad lyrics. It picks up again with the game show act, "Wise Up or Die," in which Jolene, a book-smart woman, tries to find out who she is. The host, Baby Ruth, presents Jolene with three panelists experts: Type A is a straight-laced business woman, Type B is a housewife, and Type C is a buxom, sex goddess. The panelists question Jolene, mostly about her sexuality, and conclude that Jolene is not a spontaneous person and self-help books cannot provide all the answers.

The musical hilarity continues in two skits featuring the women in garish purple choir robes, auditioning for the Grand Ol' Opry and proclaiming "God Is an Alien" in a gospel-themed parody. The show ended with a thunderous applause and groups of women left the theater clinging to one another in fits of laughter.

The energy and pacing of the show can be likened to the roller coaster of emotional ups and downs that challenge middle-aged American women. Many of the sketches have a slow beginning with a series of bizarre, left-of-field comedic sketches that end with an over-the-top, yet hilarious, musical number. While all the comedic bits are farcical in theory, at times some fall a bit flat and overdo the mockery of tabloid culture.

Six actresses star in Six Women and tackle a variety of characters in the different sketches. The comedic timing and edginess carries the show. Both Raylynn Sanders and Dottie Harris lead the vocals with booming voices and resonating tones that fill the intimate Studio Theatre. However, Sanders is the dynamo of this show and really brings a zany personality into each character she takes on.

Six Women is Sacramento's longest-running musical. Studio Theatre owner Jackie Schultz opened Six Women in 1996 and the show continued to run until 2006. The current run of Six Women, presented by the Lambda Players, is a special tribute to Schultz, who is currently battling Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome.

Director Kitty Czarnecki, a former Six Women actress, has made several changes to the revived show. She added modern quips, including references to Twitter, High School Musical and "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

"I tried not to go back to the original [show]," she said. "I have looked at this as a fresh piece and I have adapted the show to the cast." 

The  show will run through Oct. 4 at the Studio Theatre, 1028 R St. in Downtown Sacramento. Shows are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $13 to $17 and can be purchased in advance through the Lambda Players website or by calling the box office at (916) 444-8229.